RELIGIOUS ENCYCLOPEDIA
Chrysologus, Petrus Chrysostom
fill the place with one of his creatures, Isidore by name; but Eutropius, pursuing the poUcy inaugurated byTheodosius tlie Great iu 381, was not disposed to support the Alexandrian influence in this manner, and gave Theophilus his
2. Patriarch choice between consenting to the of Constan- elevation of John or facing serious tinople, 398. charges. He chose the former course,
and John was consecrated on Feb. 26, 398. He threw himself with energy into the task of reforming manifold abuses, especially among the clergy. He cirove out the "spiritual sisters," with whom many of them were living in a nominally spiritual marriage, and checked the parasitic habits of others who were mere hangerson to the rich; he cut down the ecclesiastical expenses, and apphed the saving to hospitals. Naturally his reforms made enemies for him, but they were powerless as long as the court was on his side. Before long, however, he came into conflict with the all-powerful favorite, whose shameful conduct he fearlessly rebuked; but before Eutropius could avenge himself, he fell from power (399), and was obliged to take refuge in the very church where he had himself violated the right of asylum to others a few years earlier. Chrysostom protected him from the soldiers who rushed in to seize him.
Meantime the number of the devoted prelate's enemies was growing. Among them are named various ecclesiastics who were dissatisfied with his strict rule, and a number of rich and worldly women whose lives he had rebuked. He made fresh enemies at a council held at Ephesus in 400, where he deposed six bishops who had obtained their office by simony. The empress, however, who now held the reins of government, still upheld
3. His Op- him, and when a male heir to the ponents and throne was born (401), he seems to Controver- have officiated at the child's baptism.
sies. His position was none the less insecure, as was shown in the course of his conflict with Severianus (q.v.) of Gabala who had gained a footing in Constantinople and was pushing his ambitious plans there. Chrysostom forbade him to preach; Severianus yielded and retired to Chalcedon, but Eudocia forced Chrysostom to recall him. A more dangerous foe was Theophilus of Alexandria, who had by no means given up his designs for the aggrandizement of his see. He found a new occasion to press his claim that the bishopric of Constantinople belonged to his patriarchal jurisdiction. In the Origenistic controversy which then agitated the Egyptian Church, Theophilus found many of the monks of the desert recalcitrant and unwilling to give up their beloved teacher Origen. Four among them of special influence, the " long brothers " Dioscorus, Ammonius, Eusebius, and Euthymius, were banished by Theophilus, and went first to Palestine; pursued thither by the enmity of Theophilus, they went on to Constantinople. Chrysostom behaved guardedly and sought to effect a reconciliation. Theophilus at first did not answer, and then adopted a haughty tone. When it appeared that Eudocia took the side of the monks, he bent all his energies
to their destruction and that of Chrysostom, who, he thought, stood behind tlieni. He did not go himself to Constantinople, but sent Epiphanius of Salamis, whose narrow zeal was easily enlisted, to carry on the campaign against the alleged Origenism of Chrysostom. Epiphanius departed in ill humor without accomplishing anything, and died on the way home.
Chrysostom now ruined himself with the empress by preaching vehemently against the luxury of women's dress, in a way which she and others thought was aimed directly at her. Theophilus came to Constantinople at her summons, and found the train laid. He had assembled the bishops on whom he could count in a church in a suburb of Chalcedon, on the imperial estate called " The Oak " (whence the gathering is known by the Latin name, Synodus ad Quercum), in the autumn of 403, and began his synod when all was ready. There were thirty-six present, of whom twenty-nine were from Egypt (Photius, who has preserved a part of their proceedings, says forty-five, but perhaps some signed afterward). The charges brought against 4. The Chrysostom, by some of his own
Synod ad clergy, were for the most part of no
Quercum. importance, and showed nothing but the enmity of the accusers. Yet he felt, as he sat with forty friendly bishops in his palace in Constantinople, that the situation was a very dangerous one. Summoned to appear before the hostile synod, he made the condition that those who had expressed their intention to destroy him — Theophilus, Acacius, Severianus, and Antiochus — should be excluded. Meantime application had been made to the emperor to compel his attendance in case of hesitation; when he still delayed, he was condemned in his absence and deprived of his bishopric. The emperor was notified and requested to enforce the sentence. Although it was obviously illegal, Chrysostom yielded to force and, when the emperor had confirmed the deposition, went into exile at Praenetus (or Pronectus), in Bithynia (28 m. n.w. of Nicsea), after he had sought to calm the excited people in a wonderful sermon. The next night something alarming happened in the imperial palace — Theodoret speaks of an earthquake, but neither Socrates nor Sozomon give this — and it was put down to his banishment. The temper of the people, too, was threatening. Theophilus thought it best to depart in haste, and a few days later an imperial messenger was sent to recall Chrysostom.
The peace, however, was not of long duration. Two months later the strife broke out afresh, on a fresh affront to the empress's vanity. The prefect Simplicius had erected a silver statue of her on the south side of the great church, which was dedicated with loud rejoicings; and Chrysostom complained, in a sermon, of noisy popular festivities which disturbed the devotions of the faithful. Again he was accused of intending to insult the empress; and once more she set herself to effect his downfall. A synod assembled in Constantinople, instructed by the absent Theophilus, and the pliant bishops, with but few exceptions, followed
Chrysostom Ohur, Bishopric of