In the second sitting the formulary of Antioch was confirmed by the Semi-Arians, who were alone in the council; while the Acacians drew up a new formulary, condemning both the similarity of substance and the contrary. In the third sitting the dispute was contin- ued, Leonas having been deputed by the Acacians to attend for them, and to deliver their formulary of faith. In the fourth sitting the Acacians declared that they believed the likeness of the Son to the Father to consist in a likeness of will only, and not of essence. The oth- ers maintained a likeness of essence also, and no deci- sion was arrived at.
In the fifth sitting the Acacians were summoned to attend to examine the case of St. Cyril, who appealed from the judgment of Acacius, by whom he had been deposed. They refused to attend; and, after having frequently summoned them, the council deposed Aca- cius, Eudoxius of Antioch, George of Alexandria, and several others. They reduced to the communion of their respective churches, Asterius, Eusebius, and five others, until such time as they should disprove the ac- cusations brouglit against them. Another bishop was elected to the see of Antioch. The sentence of the council was not, however, carried into effect, as the de- ])osed bishops were able to secure the favor of the em- peror.— Landon, Manual of Councils, s. v.
Seleucians, the followers of Seleucus, a philoso- pher of (ialatia, who, about the year 380, adopted some of the noti((ns of the Valcntinians. He taught that Jesus Christ assumed a body only in appearance ; that the world was not made by God, but was eternal ; that the soul was only an animated fire created by angels; that Christ does not sit at the right band of the Father in a human body, but that he lodged his body in the
SELEUCIDIC ^RA
517
SELF-DEFENCE
sun, according to Psa. xix, 4 ; and that all the pleasures of happiness consist in corporeal delight. Augustine says that the Seleucians rejected the use of water in baptism, under the pretence that this was not the bap- tism instituted by Christ, because John, comparing his baptism with that of Christ, says, " I baptize you with water; but he that cometh after me shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost and with fire." They deemed a baptism of tire more suitable to the spiritual nature of man than a baptism of water, since they taught that the soul was a portion of living fire. — Farrar, Eccles. Diet. s. V. See Hekmians.
Seleucidic iEra is that chronology which dates from the victory of Seleucus over Antigonus and the re- cover}' of Babylonia (October, B.C. 312). This "tera of the Seleucidise" was at one time in general use through- out all Central and Western Asia. The Arabians, who called it the "aira of the two-horned" (^Dhulkarnaini), meaning Alexander, did not relinquish it till long after the religion of Mohammed had arisen, and the a;ra of the " Hegira" (the tlight of Mohammed from Mecca to Medina) had been introduced. The Jews did not adopt this ajra till after they passed from under the dominion of the Egypto-Greeks to that of the Syro-Greeks, when they were obliged to employ it in their civil con- tracts, and therefore it was designated by them as the mi3"J "|^3'0, or "lEra of contracts," and CD''^ "|''3'2, or " Greek rera." Thenceforth they retained its use up- wards of twelve centuries, and employed no other epoch till the final close of the schools on the Euphrates (A.D. 1040), since when they date their ara from the creation. This Seleucidic »ra is the same which in the Books of the Maccabees is designated as "the year of the king- dom of the Greeks" (iSamXtiag 'E\\i]i'o}v, 1 Mace, i, 10), and both books compute by it. The student of history can very easily make use of the Seleucidic vera by bearing in mind that the first year of this {era corre- sponds to the first j^ear of the 117th Olympiad, or to the year 44'2 ab urhe condita. or to the j'ear B.C. 312. With this guide in his hand he will be enabled to find any year corresponding to that of the Seleucidic a;ra; thus the year
1 B.C. is = 312 Sel. = 753 ab u. c. = 194, 4 Olymp.
1 A.D." =313 " =1TA " =1!I5, 1 "
TO " "=382 " =S23 " =212,2 "
100 " "=412 " =S53 " =219,4 "
120 " "=432 " =873 " =224,4 "
130 " "=442 " =883 " =227,2 "
See ^RA. (B. P.)
Seleu'cus {^iXtvKog, a common Greek name), the name of several of the kings of the (jreek dominion of Syria (q. v.), hence called that of the Seleucidse. See Antiochu-s. Of these one only is named ni Scripture, although several are referred to m Dan. xi.
Skleucus IV, surnamed Phildpator (or Soter, in Jo- sephus. Ant. xii, 4, 10), styled " king of Asia" (2 Mace. iii, 3), that is, of the provinces included in the Syrian monarchy, according to the title claimed by the Seleu- cidse, even when they had lost their footing in Asia Minor (comp. 1 Mace, viii, 6 ; xi, 13 . xii, 39 ; xiii, 32), was the son and successor of Antiochus the Great (see Appian, Si/ria, iii, 45). He took part in the disastrous battle of Magnesia (B.C. 190), and three years after- wards, on the death of his father, ascended the throne. He seems to have devoted himself to strengthening the Syrian power, which had been broken down at Magne- sia, seeking to keep on good terms with Rome and Egypt till he could find a favorable opportunitj' for war. He was. however, murdered, after a reign of twelve years (B.C. IT.')), by Heliodorus (q. v.), one of his own courtiers, "neither in [sudden] anger nor in battle" (Dan. xi, 20; see Jerome, ad loc.), but by ambi- tious treachery, without having eflfected anything of importance. His son Demetrius I Soter [see Deme- trius], whom he had sent, while still a boy, as hostage to Rome, after a series of romantic adventures gained the crown in B.C. 162 (1 Mace, vii, 1 ; 2 I\Iacc. xiv, 1).