Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, Second Series • VOLUME 3
Theodoret, Jerome, Gennadius & Rufinus — Historical Writings
SECTION 81
Chapter XIV.--Of the holy Barses, and of the exile of the bishop of Edessa and his companions.
Chapter XIV.--Of the holy Barses, and of the exile of the bishop of Edessa and his companions. Barses, whose fame is now great not only in his own city of Edessa, and in neighbouring towns, but in Phoenicia, in Egypt, and in the Thebaid, through all which regions he had travelled with a high reputation won by his great virtue, …
1,568 wordsSECTION 82Chapter XVI.--Of the holy Basilius, Bishop of Cæsarea, and the measures taken against him by Valens and the prefect Modestus.
Chapter XVI.--Of the holy Basilius, Bishop of Cæsarea, and the measures taken against him by Valens and the prefect Modestus. Valens, one might almost say, deprived every church of its shepherd, and set out for the Cappadocian Cæsarea, [723] at that time the see of the great Basil, a light of the world. Now he had sent the pref…
1,186 wordsSECTION 83Chapter XVII.--Of the death of the great Athanasius and the election of Petrus.
Chapter XVII.--Of the death of the great Athanasius and the election of Petrus. At Alexandria, Athanasius the victorious, after all his struggles, each rewarded with a crown, received release from his labours and passed away to the life which knows no toil. Then Peter, a right excellent man, received the see. His blessed predec…
1,252 wordsSECTION 84Chapter XIX.--Narrative of events at Alexandria in the time of Lucius the Arian, taken from a letter of Petrus, Bishop of Alexandria.
Chapter XIX.--Narrative of events at Alexandria in the time of Lucius the Arian, taken from a letter of Petrus, Bishop of Alexandria. Palladius governor of the province, by sect a heathen, [732] and one who habitually prostrated himself before the idols, had frequently entertained the thought of waging war against Christ. After…
2,456 wordsSECTION 85Most of them were monks, devoted to a life of ascetic solitude, and were about twenty-three in number. Not long afterwards the deacon who ha
Most of them were monks, devoted to a life of ascetic solitude, and were about twenty-three in number. Not long afterwards the deacon who had been sent by our beloved Damasus, bishop of Rome, to bring us letters of consolation and communion, was led publicly through the town by executioners, with his hands tied behind his back l…
1,294 wordsSECTION 86Chapter XX.--Of Mavia, [759] Queen of the Saracens, and the ordination [760] of Moses the monk.
Chapter XX.--Of Mavia, [759] Queen of the Saracens, and the ordination [760] of Moses the monk. At this time [761] the Ishmaelites were devastating the country in the neighbourhood of the Roman frontier. They were led by Mavia, a princess who regarded not the sex which nature had given her, and displayed the spirit and courage …
815 wordsSECTION 87Chapter XXI
Chapter XXI At Constantinople the Arians filled a boat with pious presbyters and drove her without ballast out to sea, putting some of their own men on another craft with orders to set the presbyters boat on fire. So, fighting at the same time against both sea and flames, at last they were delivered to the deep, and won the mar…
764 wordsSECTION 88Chapter XXIII.--Of the holy monk Aphraates.
Chapter XXIII.--Of the holy monk Aphraates. On the north of the river Orontes lies the palace. On the South a vast two storied portico is built on the city wall with lofty towers on either side. Between the palace and the river lies a public way open to passengers from the town, through the gate in this quarter, and leading to …
1,056 wordsSECTION 89Chapter XXV.--Of what other monks were distinguished at this period.
Chapter XXV.--Of what other monks were distinguished at this period. There were also other men at this period who emitted the bright rays of the philosophy of solitary life. In the Chalcidian [774] desert Avitus, Marcianus [775] and Abraames, [776] and more besides whom I cannot easily enumerate, strove in their bodies of sense…
900 wordsSECTION 90Chapter XXVII.--Of what bishops were at this time distinguished in Asia and Pontus.
Chapter XXVII.--Of what bishops were at this time distinguished in Asia and Pontus. Among the bishops were the two Gregorii, the one of Nazianzus [796] and the other of Nyssa, [797] the latter the brother and the former the friend and fellow worker of the great Basilius. These were foremost champions of piety in Cappadocia; and…
918 wordsSECTION 91Chapter XXXI.--Of Isaac [804] the monk of Constantinople and Bretanio the Scythian Bishop.
Chapter XXXI.--Of Isaac [804] the monk of Constantinople and Bretanio the Scythian Bishop. It is related that Isaac, who lived as a solitary at Constantinople, when he saw Valens marching out with his troops, cried aloud, "Whither goest thou, O emperor? To fight against God, instead of having Him as thy ally? 'Tis God himself w…
889 wordsSECTION 92Chapter XXXIII.--How the Goths became tainted by the Arian error.
Chapter XXXIII.--How the Goths became tainted by the Arian error. To those ignorant of the circumstances it may be worth while to explain how the Goths got the Arian plague. After they had crossed the Danube, and made peace with Valens, the infamous Eudoxius, who was on the spot, suggested to the emperor to persuade the Goths t…
726 wordsSECTION 93Book V.
Book V. Chapter I.--Of the piety of the emperor Gratianus How the Lord God is long suffering towards those who rage against him, and chastises those who abuse his patience, is plainly taught by the acts and by the fate of Valens. For the loving Lord uses mercy and justice like weights and scales; whenever he sees any one by th…
1,370 wordsSECTION 94Chapter IV.--Of Eusebius [814] Bishop of Samosata.
Chapter IV.--Of Eusebius [814] Bishop of Samosata. Apollinarius after thus failing to get the government of the churches, continued, for the future, openly to preach his new fangled doctrine, and constituted himself leader of the heresy. He resided for the most part at Laodicea; but at Antioch he had already ordained Vitalius, …
988 wordsSECTION 95Chapter V.--Of the campaign of Theodosius.
Chapter V.--Of the campaign of Theodosius. Now at this time Theodosius, on account alike of the splendour of his ancestry, [828] and of his own courage, was a man of high repute. For this reason being from time to time stricken by the envy of his rivals, he was living in Spain, where he had been born and brought up. [829] The e…
920 wordsSECTION 96Chapter VII.--Of famous leaders of the Arian faction.
Chapter VII.--Of famous leaders of the Arian faction. The Eastern section of the empire had received the infection from many quarters. Arius, a presbyter of Alexandria in Egypt, there begat the blasphemy. Eusebius, Patrophilus, and Aetius of Palestine, Paulinus and Gregorius of Phoenicia, Theodotus of Laodicea and his successor…
1,549 wordsSECTION 97Chapter IX.--Synodical letter from the council at Constantinople.
Chapter IX.--Synodical letter from the council at Constantinople. "To the right honourable lords our right reverend brethren and colleagues Damasus, Ambrosius, Britton, Valerianus, Ascholius, Anemius, Basilius and the rest of the holy bishops assembled in the great city of Rome, the holy synod of the orthodox bishops assembled …
1,709 wordsSECTION 98Chapter X.--Synodical letter of Damasus bishop of Rome against Apollinarius and Timotheus.
Chapter X.--Synodical letter of Damasus bishop of Rome against Apollinarius and Timotheus. When the most praiseworthy Damasus had heard of the rise of this heresy, he proclaimed the condemnation not only of Apollinarius but also of Timotheus his follower. The letter in which he made this known to the bishops of the Eastern empi…
1,924 wordsSECTION 99Chapter XII.--Of the death of Gratianus and the sovereignty of Maximus
Chapter XII.--Of the death of Gratianus and the sovereignty of Maximus Gratianus in the midst of his successes in war and wise and prudent government ended his life by conspiracy. [861] He left no sons to inherit the empire, and a brother of the same name as their father, Valentinianus, [862] who was quite a youth. So Maximus, …
708 wordsSECTION 100Chapter XIV.--Of the information given by Maximus the tyrant to Valentinianus.
Chapter XIV.--Of the information given by Maximus the tyrant to Valentinianus. After a considerable time Maximus [866] was informed of the attacks which were being made upon the loud-voiced herald of the truth, and he sent dispatches to Valentinianus charging him to put a stop to his war against true religion and exhorting him …
1,159 wordsSECTION 101Chapter XVII.--Of the massacre of Thessalonica; the boldness of Bishop Ambrosius, and the piety of the Emperor.
Chapter XVII.--Of the massacre of Thessalonica; the boldness of Bishop Ambrosius, and the piety of the Emperor. Thessalonica is a large and very populous city, belonging to Macedonia, but the capital of Thessaly and Achaia, as well as of many other provinces which are governed by the prefect of Illyricum. Here arose a great sed…
1,990 wordsSECTION 102Chapter XVIII.--Of the Empress Placilla. [880]
Chapter XVIII.--Of the Empress Placilla. [880] Yet other opportunities of improvement lay within the emperor's reach, for his wife used constantly to put him in mind of the divine laws in which she had first carefully educated herself. In no way exalted by her imperial rank she was rather fired by it with greater longing for di…
1,348 wordsSECTION 103Chapter XX.--Of the destruction of the temples all over the Empire.
Chapter XX.--Of the destruction of the temples all over the Empire. Now the right faithful emperor diverted his energies to resisting paganism, and published edicts in which he ordered the shrines of the idols to be destroyed. Constantine the Great, most worthy of all eulogy, was indeed the first to grace his empire with true r…
1,162 wordsSECTION 104Chapter XXII.--Of Theophilus, bishop of Alexandria, and what happened at the demolition of the idols in that city.
Chapter XXII.--Of Theophilus, bishop of Alexandria, and what happened at the demolition of the idols in that city. The illustrious Athanasius was succeeded by the admirable Petrus, Petrus by Timotheus, and Timotheus by Theophilus, a man of sound wisdom and of a lofty courage. [894] By him Alexandria was set free from the error …
837 wordsSECTION 105Chapter XXIII.--Of Flavianus bishop of Antioch and of the sedition which arose in the western Church on account of Paulinus.
Chapter XXIII.--Of Flavianus bishop of Antioch and of the sedition which arose in the western Church on account of Paulinus. At Antioch the great Meletius had been succeeded by Flavianus who, together with Diodorus, had undergone great struggles for the salvation of the sheep. Paulinus had indeed desired to receive the bishopri…
814 wordsSECTION 106Chapter XXIV.--Of the tyranny of Eugenius and the victory won through faith by the Emperor Theodosius.
Chapter XXIV.--Of the tyranny of Eugenius and the victory won through faith by the Emperor Theodosius. In this manner the peace of the churches was secured by the most religious emperor. Before the establishment of peace he had heard of the death of Valentinianus and of the usurpation of Eugenius and had marched for Europe. [90…
1,544 wordsSECTION 107Chapter XXV.--Of the death of the Emperor Theodosius. [905]
Chapter XXV.--Of the death of the Emperor Theodosius. [905] After this victory Theodosius fell sick and divided his empire between his sons, assigning to the elder the sovereignty which he had wielded himself and to the younger the throne of Europe. [906] He charged both to hold fast to the true religion, "for by its means," s…
1,024 wordsSECTION 108Chapter XXVIII.--Of John's boldness for God.
Chapter XXVIII.--Of John's boldness for God. When the great John had received the tiller of the Church, he boldly convicted certain wrong doers, made seasonable exhortations to the emperor and empress, and admonished the clergy to live according to the laws laid down. Transgressors against these laws he forbade to approach the …
1,270 wordsSECTION 109Chapter XXXIII.--Of the ambassage of Chrysostom to Gainas.
Chapter XXXIII.--Of the ambassage of Chrysostom to Gainas. Then when every one else was passed over because of the universal panic, this great chief was persuaded to undertake the ambassage. He took no heed of the dispute which has been related, nor of the ill feeling which it had engendered, and readily set out for Thrace. No …
1,496 wordsSECTION 110Chapter XXXV.--Of Alexander, bishop of Antioch.
Chapter XXXV.--Of Alexander, bishop of Antioch. At this time the see of Alexandria was held by Cyril, [931] brother's son to Theophilus whom he succeeded; at the same time Jerusalem was occupied by John [932] in succession to Cyril whom we have formerly mentioned. The Antiochenes were under the care of Alexander [933] whose lif…
2,103 wordsSECTION 111Chapter XXXVII.--Of Theodotus bishop of Antioch.
Chapter XXXVII.--Of Theodotus bishop of Antioch. Theodosius restored the relics of the great luminary of the world to the city which deeply regretted his loss. These events however happened later. [944] Innocent the excellent bishop of Rome was succeeded by Bonifacius, Bonifacius by Zosimus and Zosimus by Cælestinus. [945] At…
2,037 wordsSECTION 112Chapter XXXIX.--Of Theodorus, bishop of Mopsuestia.
Chapter XXXIX.--Of Theodorus, bishop of Mopsuestia. When the divine Theodorus was ruling the church of Antioch, Theodorus, bishop of Mopsuestia, a doctor of the whole church and successful combatant against every heretical phalanx, ended this life. He had enjoyed the teaching of the great Diodorus, and was the friend and fellow…
2,454 wordsSECTION 113Eran.--The difference between the common and the proper is shewed clearly. Now let us return to discussion about ousia and hupostasis
Eran.--The difference between the common and the proper is shewed clearly. Now let us return to discussion about ousia and hupostasis Orth.--As then the name man is common to human nature, so we understand the divine substance to indicate the Holy Trinity; but the hypostasis denotes any person, as the Father, the Son and the Ho…
2,208 wordsSECTION 114Orth.--Not God only but also Man; Man as sprung from Judah after the flesh and born in Bethlehem; and God as existing before the ages. For t
Orth.--Not God only but also Man; Man as sprung from Judah after the flesh and born in Bethlehem; and God as existing before the ages. For the words "Out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be Ruler," shew his birth after the flesh which has taken place in the last days; while the words "Whose goings forth have been o…
2,271 wordsSECTION 115Eran.--The mysteries are spoken of in mystic language, and there is a clear declaration of that which is not known to all.
Eran.--The mysteries are spoken of in mystic language, and there is a clear declaration of that which is not known to all. Orth.--Since then it is agreed that the body of the Lord is called by the patriarch "robe" and "mantle" [1027] and we have reached the discussion of the divine mysteries, tell me truly, of what do you under…
2,232 wordsSECTION 116Eran.--About what is perfectly clear it is unbecoming to dispute, and this plainly refers to the Lord Christ.
Eran.--About what is perfectly clear it is unbecoming to dispute, and this plainly refers to the Lord Christ. Orth.--Then let us pass on to another prophetic testimony and let us hear the same prophet saying "There shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse and a branch shall grow out of his roots." [1058] Eran.--I think …
2,203 wordsSECTION 117Eran.--Do not bring me men of obscure position or doubtful doctrine. I shall not receive the interpretation of such as these.
Eran.--Do not bring me men of obscure position or doubtful doctrine. I shall not receive the interpretation of such as these. Orth.--Does the far famed Athanasius, brightest light of the church of Alexandria, seem to you to be worthy of credit? Eran.--Certainly, for he ratified his teaching by the suffering he underwent for th…
2,313 wordsSECTION 118Of the same from the same book:--
Of the same from the same book:-- "For as by the disobedience of the one man who was first formed from rude earth the many were made sinners [1117] and lost their life, so also was it fitting that through obedience of one man, the firstborn of a virgin, many should be made righteous and receive their salvation." Of the same fr…
2,229 wordsSECTION 119Of the same from the same work:--
Of the same from the same work:-- "Let us see from their own words what reason they give for the being made man, that is for the incarnation. If indeed it was that God otherwise not contained in space, might be contained in space and, as it were under a veil, might converse with men in the flesh, then their mask and their stage…
2,257 wordsSECTION 120Eran.--I did not suppose that Apollinarius held these sentiments. I had other ideas about him.
Eran.--I did not suppose that Apollinarius held these sentiments. I had other ideas about him. Orth.--Well; now you have learnt that not only the prophets and apostles, and they who after them were ordained teachers of the world, but even Apollinarius, the writer of heretical babbling, confesses the divine Word to be immutable,…
2,200 wordsSource & rights
Historical text source: Christian Classics Ethereal Library. The downloaded text itself records Public Domain.