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THE FIRST ŒCUMENICAL
CHAPTER XI.
ACCOUNTS FROM EUSTATHIUS CONCERNING THE SAME THINGS; ALSO FROM ATHANASIUS, OF ALEXANDRIA, AS QUOTED IN THEODORET'S HISTORY OF THE CHURCH.
Eustathius,[1] bishop of Antioch, the Great, says: "When the bishops, assembled at Nice, began to inquire into the nature of the faith, the formulary of Eusebius was brought forward, which contained undisguised evidence of his blasphemy. The reading of it occasioned great grief to the audience, on account of the depravity of the doctrines; and the writer was covered with shame. After the guilt of the partisans of Eusebius had been clearly proved, and the impious writing torn up in sight of all,[2]
- ↑ Eustathius was a native of Side in Pamphylia. Being bishop of Beræa (now Aleppo) in Syria, be was promoted, by the Nicene Council, to the patriarchate of Antioch. He was banished, A.D. 330, on account of his opposition to Arianism, into Thrace, where he died about A.D. 360. He was highly esteemed by the Orthodox, and took a leading part in the Council of Nice—delivering either the first, or one of the first, addresses in praise of the emperor before this great Synod. He wrote eight books against the Arians, some of which still exist, and may be seen in Fabricii Biblioth. Græca, vol. viii.
- ↑ See the pastoral letter of Eusebius, of Cæsarea, ante. His account of the reception of his proposed formulary is contrary to this statement of his warm opponent, Eustathius. The account of Eusebius is evidently most worthy of credit, from corroborating circumstances, and as appears by the statements of Athanasius. It was the tendency of the Eastern church, whoso bishops were there in great numbers, to favor the Eusebian theory, both then and subsequently. But there is some reason to doubt which Eusebius is referred to here by Eustathius. It is possible he refers to the bishop of Nicomedia; for the latter, according to Ambrose (book iii. chap. 7, De Fide), had endeavored to defend the Arian conception of the Son of God.—See the letter of Arius to Eusebius of Nicomedia.
