§ 73. THE MELETIAIJ SCHISM AT ANTIOCU. 373
and transferred his bishopric to Euzoius, who had formerlj' been banished with Arius." The Catholics disowned Euzoius, but split among themselves ; the majority adhered to the exiled Meletins, while the old and more stiictly orthodox party, who had hitherto been known as the Eustathians, and with whom Athanasius communicated, would not recognize a bishop of Arian consecration, though Catholic in belief, and elected Patjlinus, a presbyter of high character, who was ordained counter-bishoj) by Lucifer of Calaris.''
The doctrinal difference between the Meletians and the old Nicenes consisted chiefly in this : that the latter acknowledged three hypostases in the divine trinity, the former only three prosopa ; the one laying the stress on the triplicity of the divine essence, the other on its unity.
The othodox orientals declared for Meletins, the occidentals and Egyptians for Paulinus, as legitimate bishop of Antioch. Meletius, on returning from exile under the protection of Gratian, proposed to Paulinus that they should unite their flocks, and that the survivor of them should superintend the clmrch alone ; but Paulinus declined, since the canons forbade him to take as a colleague one who had been ordained by Arians.' Then the military authorities put Meletius in possession of the cathedral, which had been in the hands of Euzoius. Meletius presided, as senior bishop, in the second ecumenical council (381), but died a few days after the opening of it — a saint outside the communion of Rome. His funeral was imposing : lights were borne before the embalmed corpse, and psalms sung in divers languages, and these honors were repeated in all the cities through which it passed on its transportation to Antioch, beside the grave of St. Babylas.* The
» Sozom. H. E. iv. c. 28.
" This Lucifer was an orthodox fanatic, who afterward himself fell into conflict with Athanasius in Alexandria, and formed a sect of his own, the Luciferians, on rigid principles of church purity. Comp. Socr. iii. 9; Sozom. iii. 15; and Walch, Ketzerhist., iii. 338 sqq.
* Theodoret, H. E. lib. iii. 3. He highly applauds the magnanimous proposa of Meletius.
* Sozom. vii. c. 10. The historian says that the singing of psalms cm such occa eions was quite contrary to Roman custom.
374 THIKD PERIOD. A.D. 311-590.
Antioehians engraved his likeness on their rings, their cups niid the walls of their bedrooms. So St. Chrysostom informa us in his eloquent eulogy on Meletius.' Flavian was elected his successor, although Paulinus was still alive. This gave rise to fresh troubles, and excited the indignation of the bishop of Rome. Chrysostom labored for the reconciliation of Rome and Alexandria to Flavian. But the party of Paulinus, after his death in 389, elected Evagrius as successor (f 392), and the schism continued down to the year 413 or 415, when the bishop Alexander succeeded in reconciling the old orthodox remnant with the successor of Meletius. The two parties celebrated their union by a splendid festival, and proceeded together in one majestic stream to the church.'^
Thus a long and tedious schism was brought to a close, and the church of Antioch was permitted at last to enjoy that peace which the Athanasian synod of Alexandria in 362 had desired for it in vain.*
' Chrysostom says in the beginning of this oration, that five years had elapsed since Meletius had gone to Jesus. He died in 381, consequently the oration must have been pronounced in 386 or 387.
' Theodoret, H. E. 1. v. c. 35. Dr. J. H. Kurtz, in his large work on Church History (Handbuch der Kirchengesch. vol. i. part ii. § 181, p. 129) erroneously speaks of a resignation of Alexander, by which he, from love of peace, induced his congregation to acknowledge the Mcletian bishop Flavian. But Flavian had died several years before (in 404), and Alexander was himself the second successor of Flavian, the profligate Porphyrins intervening. Theodoret knows nothuig of s •esignation. Kurtz must be used with considerable caution, as he is frequently inaccurate, and relies too much on secondary authorities.
* See the Epiat. Synodica Cone. Alex, in Mansl's Councils, torn. iii. p. 84ft ar/j.
CHArTEK 7n.