Creeds, Councils and Controversies

Documents Illustrating the History of the Church, AD 337-461

Stevenson, J., Frend, W. H. C.

• Publisher: Baker Academic
• Year: 2012
• ISBN:
  9781441237804
• Topic: Theology & Religion
• Subtopic: History of Christianity

This sourcebook of primary texts illustrates the history of Christianity from Nicaea to St. Augustine and St. Patrick. It covers all major persons and topics in the "golden age" of Greek and Latin patristics. This standard collection, still unsurpassed, is now available to a wider North American audience.

1 The Sons of Constantine, AD 337–40

1 The Return of Athanasius, 337

Letter of Constantine II in Socrates, HE, II.3.1–4; Athanasius, Apol. c. Arianos, 87; Sozomen, HE, III.2; Theodoret, HE, II.2.1–4

1Constantine Caesar to the members of the Catholic Church of the Alexandrians.

It cannot, I think, have escaped the knowledge of your devout minds, that Athanasius, the expositor of the venerated law, has been sent opportunely unto the Gauls, lest he should sustain some irreparable injury from the perverseness of wicked men, since the ferocity of his blood-thirsty adversaries continually endangered his 2sacred life. To evade this perverseness, therefore, he was taken from the jaws of the men who threatened him into a city under our jurisdiction, where, as long as it was his appointed residence, he has been abundantly supplied with every necessity: although his distinguished virtue trusting in divine aid will make light of the 3burdens of a more rigorous fortune. And since our sovereign, my father, Constantine Augustus of blessed memory, had determined to restore this bishop to his proper place, and to your most sanctified piety, but was anticipated by the common lot of mankind and died before he accomplished his desire, I have deemed it proper to carry his wishes into effect, having inherited the task from our Emperor of 4divine memory. With how great veneration he has been regarded by us, you will learn on his arrival among you; nor need anyone be surprised at the reverence he has gained from us, since we have been alike moved and influenced by the knowledge of your affectionate solicitude respecting him, and by the actual presence of a man like him. May Divine Providence preserve you, beloved brethren. (NPNF(Socrates), altered.)

Athanasius had been sent into exile at Trier early in 336, after the council of Tyre and an ineffective appeal to the Emperor (NER 302–3). But the ultimate charge against him was an (alleged) threat to stop the corn ships from sailing to Constantinople from Alexandria. Athanasius says (loc. cit.) that Constantine saw through this accusation. ‘As soon as Constantine I died his sons pardoned all bishops exiled in their father’s reign and restored them to their sees’ (T. D. Barnes, Eusebius and Constantine, p. 263).

1. his bloody-thirsty adversaries: Theodoret, HE, I.30, makes out that Athanasius had been taken into ‘protective custody’ at Tyre.

His journey back to Alexandria was very slow. The Eastern council of Sardica (Hilary, Frag. Hist., III.8 (CSEL, LXV, pp. 54–5)—a biased source—put a sinister interpretation on his journey: ‘He subverted the Church during the whole of his journey home: he restored some bishops who had been condemned, he promised some the hope of restoration to the episcopate . . .’

The rule of the three Emperors came to an end in 340, when Constantine II invaded the dominions of his brother Constans, but was defeated and killed near Aquileia. From 340 to 350 Constans was ruler of the Western provinces and his younger brother Constantius II of the Eastern.

Constans favoured Athanasius while Constantius supported the views of the two Eusebii who had served his father in the Eastern episcopate opposed to Athanasius.

2 Canons of Gangra, c. 340 (?)

Text in Hefele-Leclercq, I.ii, pp. 1029–45; in Jonkers, pp. 81–5

Gangra is in Paphlagonia, and the letter accompanying the canons is addressed to the clergy of Armenia. The faults alleged against Eustathius and his followers in the letter are illustrated by the canons.

The dates of this council are much disputed, and various years from 340 to 376 have found support, cf., for example, Hefele-Leclercq, op. cit., pp. 1029–30; Gwatkin, Studies of Arianism, pp. 189–92. The canons are concerned with defeating the errors of Eustathius and his party. The Eustathians concerned were extreme ascetics; their leader was later to become bishop of Sebaste in Armenia Minor. On the varied career of Eustathius see, for example, DTC, s.v. Eustathe de Sébaste.

1 If anyone despises wedlock, abhorring and blaming the woman who sleeps with her husband, even if she is a believer and devout, as if she could not enter the Kingdom of God, let him be anathema.

Canon 14 is directed against women who similarly leave their husbands.

3If anyone teaches a slave, under pretext of piety, to despise his master, to forsake his service, and not to serve him with goodwill and all respect, let etc.

4If anyone maintains that, when a married priest offers the sacrifice, no one should take part in the service, let etc.

5If anyone teaches that the House of God is to be despised, and likewise the assemblies there held, let etc.

Canon 6 forbids services held in contempt of the Church and without the presence of a presbyter with authority from the bishop.

9If anyone lives unmarried or practises continence, avoiding marriage with abhorrence, and not because of the beauty and holiness of virginity, let etc.

11If anyone despise those who in faith observe the agape, and for the honour of the Lord invite their brethren, and refuses to take part in these invitations because he lightly esteems the matter, let etc.

Not the agape of the primitive church, but meals to which rich Christians invited other Christians.

12If anyone from pretended asceticism wears the philosopher’s cloak, and, as if he were thereby made righteous, despises those who wear ordinary coats and make use of other such clothing as is everywhere customary, let etc.

Philosopher’s cloak: περιβόλαιον, pallium, Socrates, HE, II.43.1 says that Eustathius wore this garb.

ordinary coats: βῆροι, lacernae.

18If anyone, from supposed asceticism, fasts on Sunday, let etc.

fasts on Sunday: for example, the Priscillianists did so, cf. 127 below.

The next canon, 19, is directed against those who neglected the fasts observed by the whole Church.

20If anyone out of pride regards with abhorrence the assemblies of the martyrs and the services there held, or the commemoration of the martyrs, let etc. (E. F. Morrison, St Basil and his Rule, App. C.)

regards with abhorrence: most martyrs had been ordinary people, not ascetics.

assemblies of the martyrs: the reference may be to martyria, commemorative buildings.

We write thus not to cut off those in the Church of God who wish to practise an ascetic life according to the Scriptures, but those who undertake the profession of asceticism in a spirit of pride against those who live more simply, and are exalted in spirit and introduce novelties contrary to the Scriptures and the rules of the Church.

3 Persecution in Persia, c. 340: Martyrdom of Symeon, Catholicus of Persia

Sozomen, HE, II.9.1–5; 10.1–2

9.1When, in course of time, the Christians in Persia increased in number and began to form churches and appointed bishops and deacons, the Magi, who had from time immemorial acted as guardians of the Persian religion, became deeply incensed against them. It annoyed the Jews also, who through a sort of natural envy, are opposed to the Christian religion utterly. They therefore brought accusations before Sapor, the reigning sovereign, against Symeon, who was then archbishop of Seleucia and Ctesiphon, the capitals of Persia, and charged him with being a friend of the Caesar of the Romans, and with communicating the affairs of the Persians to him.

2Sapor believed these slanders, and at first ground down the Christians with oppressive taxes although he knew that the generality of them had voluntarily embraced poverty. He appointed cruel men to exact these taxes, hoping that, compelled by the want of necessaries, and the atrocity of the tax-gatherers, they might abjure their religion; for this was his aim. Afterwards, however, he commanded that the priests and ministers of God should be slain with the sword. The churches were demolished, their vessels were deposited in the treasury, and Symeon was arrested as a traitor to the kingdom and the religion of the Persians.

3Thus, the Magi with the co-operation of the Jews quickly destroyed the houses of prayer. Symeon, on his apprehension, was bound with chains and brought before the king. There he evinced the excellence and firmness of his character; for when Sapor commanded that he should be led away to torture, he did not fear and would not prostrate himself.

4The king, greatly exasperated, demanded why he did not prostrate himself as he had done formerly. Symeon replied, ‘Formerly I was not led away bound, in order that I might abjure the true...