CHAPTER VIII

COUNCIL OF CONSTANTINOPLE

THE bishop who had formerly ruled the church of Nazianzus was at this period residing at Constantinople, zealously opposing the Arian blasphemies. He fed the people of God with doctrines of the gospel. He sought out those who had wandered from the flock, and reclaimed them from the pernicious pasturages; and thus the sheep under his care rapidly increased in numbers. On perceiving his assiduity, the holy Melitius, who was well acquainted with the spirit of those canons which, for the purpose of frustrating ambitious schemes, prohibited the translation of bishops, confirmed the most divine Gregory in the bishopric of Constantinople. A short time afterwards Melitius entered upon that life which is exempt from sorrow; and funeral orations were delivered in his praise by all who possessed the gift of oratory. Timothy, bishop of Alexandria, who had succeeded Peter the successor of Athanasius, ordained Maximus in the office of the admirable Gregory. This Maximus was a cynic, and had long hair, similar to that worn by all philosophers of his sect, but it was cut off by order of Timothy. He held the pernicious doctrines of Apollinaris. The bishops who were then assembled at the council did not approve of this extraordinary proceeding. They were all exemplary men, and full of divine zeal and wisdom. Helladius, the successor of the great Basil, Gregory and Peter the brothers of the same Basil, Amphilochius, bishop of Lycaonia, Optimus, bishop of Pisidia, and Diodorus, bishop of Cilicia, were among them. There were also present Pelagius, bishop of Laodicea, Eulogius, bishop of Edessa, Acacius, bishop of Berœa, Isidore, our own bishop, Cyril, bishop of Jerusalem, Gelasius, bishop of Cæsarea, in Palestine, a man distinguished by the purity of his doctrine, and the sanctity of his life, and many others of extraordinary virtue. All these bishops had withdrawn from communion with the Egyptians, and held their sacred assemblies in concert with the great Gregory. This bishop exhorted them to unity, and told them that as they had assembled for the purpose of restoring peace to the church, they ought to seek concord among each other above all individual considerations. “By this means,” said he, “I shall be delivered from many anxieties; I shall enjoy the repose which I desire, and you, after a long and distressing war, will secure the blessings of peace. For it would be most absurd if, now that we have just escaped from the weapons of our enemies, we were to fall upon each other, and destroy our own strength, thus causing those who hate us to rejoice. Seek then for a man of virtue and of wisdom, capable of directing the multitude, and of bearing the weight of so great a responsibility, and place him in the archiepiscopal office.” These excellent pastors acquiesced in these suggestions, and elected Nectarius, a man of noble birth and extraordinary virtue, bishop of the metropolis of the empire. They condemned Maximus to be deprived of the archiepiscopal dignity, because he had embraced the errors of Apollinaris. After having framed some canons for the regulation of ecclesiastical discipline, and after having confirmed the Nicean confession of faith, they separated and returned to their respective places of residence. The following summer many of them were again obliged by some ecclesiastical affairs to assemble in the metropolis. They there received a letter from the bishops of the West, inviting them to attend a general council about to be held in Rome. But these bishops refused to undertake a journey from which no advantage could accrue to them. They however wrote to them, described the storm which had been excited against the church, and gently reminded them of their neglect. They also wrote a brief summary of the doctrines of the apostles. To show the virtue and wisdom of the writers, I shall insert the letter.