XXVII. CHAP. of the church, the fame of Conftantine has been rivalled by the glory of Theodofius. If Conftantine had the advantage of erecting the standard of the cross, the emulation of his fucceffor affumed the merit of fubduing the Arian herefy, and of abolishing the worship of idols in the Roman world. Theodofius was the firft of the emperors baptifed in the true faith of the Trinity. Although he was born of a Chriftian family, the maxims, or at least the practice, of the age, encouraged him to delay the ceremony of his initiation; till he was admonished of the danger of delay, by the ferious illness which threatened his life, towards the end of the first year of his reign. Before he again took the field against the Goths, he received the facrament of baptifm" from Acholius, the orthodox bishop of Theffalonica": and, as the emperor afcended from the holy font, ftill glowing with the warm feelings of regeneration, he dictated a folemn edict, which proclaimed his own faith, and prescribed the religion of his fubjects. "It is our pleasure (fuch is the Imperial ftyle), "that all the nations, which are governed by our "clemency and moderation, should stedfastly ad"here to the religion which was taught by St. 20 For the baptifm of Thodofius, fee Sozomen (1. vii. c. 4.), Socrates (1. v. c. 6.), and Tillemont (Hift. des Empereurs, tom.v. P. 728.). 21 Ascolius, or Acholius, was honoured by the friendship, and the praifes, of Ambrofe; who styles him, murus fidei atque fanctitatis (tom. ii. epift. xv. p. 820.); and afterwards celebrates his fpeed and diligence in running to Conftantinople, Italy, &c. (epift. xvi. p. 82a.) a virtue which does not appertain either to a wall, or a bishop. "Peter XXVII. "Peter to the Romans; which faithful tradition CHAP. "has preferved; and which is now profeffed by "the pontiff Damafus, and by Peter, bishop of "Alexandria, a man of apoftolic holiness. Ac"cording to the difcipline of the apostles, and "the doctrine of the gofpel, let us believe the "fole deity of the Father, the Son, and the "Holy Ghoft; under an equal majefty, and a pious Trinity. We authorise the followers of "this doctrine to affume the title of Catholic "Christians; and as we judge, that all others are "extravagant madmen, we brand them with the "infamous name of Heretics; and declare, that "their conventicles fhall no longer ufurp the "refpectable appellation of churches. Befides "the condemnation of Divine juftice, they must "expect to fuffer the severe penalties, which our "authority, guided by heavenly wisdom, fhall "think proper to inflict upon them". The faith of a foldier is commonly the fruit of inftruction, rather than of inquiry; but as the emperor always fixed his eyes on the visible land-marks of orthodoxy, which he had fo prudently constituted, his religious opinions were never affected by the fpecious texts, the fubtle arguments, and the ambiguous creeds of the Arian doctors. Once indeed he expreffed a faint inclination to converse with the eloquent and learned Eunomius, who lived in retirement at a fmall diftance from Con 22 Codex Theodof. 1. xvi. tit. i. leg. 2. with Godefroy's Commentary, tom. vi. p. 5-9. Such an edit deferved the warmest praises of Baronius, aurean fanétionem, edictum pium et falutare.Sic itur ad altra. ftantinople. XXVII. CHAP. ftantinople. But the dangerous interview was pre vented by the prayers of the Emprefs Flaccilla, who trembled for the falvation of her husband; and the mind of Theodofius was confirmed by a theological argument, adapted to the rudeft capacity. He had lately beftowed, on his eldeft fon Arcadius, the name and honours of Auguftus; and the two princes were feated on a ftately throne to receive the homage of their fubjects. A bishop, Amphilochius of Iconium, approached the throne, and after faluting, with due reverence, the person of his fovereign, he accosted the royal youth with the fame familiar tenderness, which he might have ufed towards a plebeian child. Provoked by this infolent behaviour, the monarch gave orders, that the ruftic priest should be instantly driven from his prefence. But while the guards were forcing him to the door, the dexterous polemic had time to execute his defign, by exclaiming, with a loud voice, "Such is the "treatment, O Emperor! which the King of "Heaven has prepared for thofe impious men, "who affect to worship the Father, but refuse to " acknowledge the equal majefty of his divine "Son." Theodofius immediately embraced the bishop of Iconium; and never forgot the important leffon, which he had received from this dramatic parable 23. 23 Sozomen, 1. vii. c. 6. Theodoret, l. v. c. 16. Tillemont is difpleafed (Mem. Ecclef. tom. vi. p. 627, 628.) with the terms of "ruftic bishop," "obfcure city." Yet I must take leave to think, that both Amphilochius and Iconium were objects of inconfiderable magnitude in the Roman empire. XXVII. of Con A. D. Conftantinople was the principal feat and for- CHA P. trefs of Arianism; and, in a long interval of forty years, the faith of the princes and prelates, who Arianifm reigned in the capital of the East, was rejected in ftantithe purer fchools of Rome and Alexandria. The nople, archiepifcopal throne of Macedonius, which had 340-380. been polluted with fo much Chriftian blood, was fucceffively filled by Eudoxus and Damophilus. Their diocese enjoyed a free importation of vice and error from every province of the empire; the eager pursuit of religious controverfy afforded a new occupation to the bufy idlenefs of the metropolis; and we may credit the affertion of an intelligent obferver, who defcribes, with fome pleasantry, the effects of their loquacious zeal. "This city," fays he, " is full of mechanics and "flaves, who are all of them profound theolo gians; and preach in the fhops, and in the "streets. If you defire a man to change a piece " of filver, he informs you, wherein the Son "differs from the Father: if you afk the price " of a loaf, you are told, by way of reply, that "the Son is inferior to the Father; and if you "enquire whether the bath is ready, the answer "is, that the Son was made out of nothing" 25 24 Sozomen, 1. vii. c. 5. Socrates, 1. v. c. 7. Marcellin. in Chron. The account of forty years must be dated from the election or intrufion of Eufebius; who wifely exchanged the bishopric of Nicomedia for the throne of Conftantinople. 25 See Jortin's Remarks on Ecclefiaftical Hiftory, vol. iv. p. 71. The thirty-third Oration of Gregory Nazianzen affords indeed fome fimilar ideas, even fome ftill more ridiculous; but I have not yet found the words of this remarkable paffage; which I allege on the faith of a correct and liberal scholar. VOL. V. C The XXVII. CHAP. The heretics, of various denominations, fubfifted in peace under the protection of the Arians of Conftantinople; who endeavoured to fecure the attachment of thofe obfcure fectaries; while they abused, with unrelenting feverity, the victory which they had obtained over the followers of the council of Nice. During the partial reigns of Conftantius and Valens, the feeble remnant of the Homooufians was deprived of the public and private exercise of their religion; and it has been observed, in pathetic language, that the scattered flock was left without a fhepherd to wander on the mountains, or to be devoured by rapacious wolves. But, as their zeal, instead of being fubdued, derived ftrength and vigour from oppreffion, they feized the first moments of imperfect freedom, which they acquired by the death of Valens, to form themselves into a regular congregation, under the conduct of an epifcopal paftor. Two natives of Cappadocia, Bafil, and Gregory Nazianzen ", were diftinguifhed above all their contemporaries 25, by the rare union of profane Gregory Nazianzen, 27 28 26 See the thirty-fecond Oration of Gregory Nazianzen, and the account of his own life, which he has compofed in 1800 iambics. Yet every physician is prone to exaggerate the inveterate nature of the difeafe which he has cured. 17 I confess myself deeply indebted to the two lives of Gregory Nazianzen, compofed, with very different views, by Tillemont (Mem. Ecclef. tom. ix. p. 305-560. 692–731.), and Le Clerc (Bibliotheque Univerfelle, tom. xviii. p. 1—128.). 28 Unless Gregory Nazianzen mistook thirty years in his own age; he was born, as well as his friend Bafil, about the year 329. The prepofterous chronology of Suidas has been graciously received; because it removes the scandal of Gregory's father, a faint likewife, begetting children, after he became a bidhop (Tillemont, Mem. Ecclef. tom. ix. p. 693-697.). eloquence |