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Translated by Cardinal Newman.
St Athanasius the Great Resources Online and in Print
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56 Pages
Page 15
11. Decree of the Council [3485] .
As far as it was fitting and possible, dearest brethren, the general Council and the holy Church have had patience, and have generously displayed the Church's forbearance towards Ursacius and Valens, Gaius, Germinius, and Auxentius; who by so often changing what they had believed, have troubled all the Churches, and still are endeavouring to foist their heretical spirit upon the faith of the orthodox. For they wish to annul the formulary passed at Nicaea, which was framed against the Arian heresy. They have presented to us besides a creed drawn up by themselves from without, and utterly alien to the most holy Church; which we could not lawfully receive. Even before this, and now, have they been pronounced heretics and gainsayers by us, whom we have not admitted to our communion, but condemned and deposed them in their presence by our voices. Now then, what seems good to you, again declare, that each one's vote may be ratified by his subscription.
The Bishops answered with one accord, It seems good that the aforenamed heretics should be condemned, that the Catholic faith may remain in peace.
Matters at Ariminum then had this speedy issue; for there was no disagreement there, but all of them with one accord both put into writing what they decided upon, and deposed the Arians [3486] .
12. Meanwhile the transactions in Seleucia the Rugged were as follows: it was in the month called by the Romans September, by the Egyptians Thoth, and by the Macedonians Gorpiaeus, and the day of the month according to the Egyptians the 16th [3487] , upon which all the members of the Council assembled together. And there were present about a hundred and sixty; and whereas there were many who were accused among them, and their accusers were crying out against them, Acacius, and Patrophilus, and Uranius of Tyre, and Eudoxius, who usurped the Church of Antioch, and Leontius [3488] , and Theodotus [3489] , and Evagrius, and Theodulus, and George who has been driven from the whole world [3490] , adopt an unprincipled course. Fearing the proofs which their accusers had to shew against them, they coalesced with the rest of the Arian party (who were mercenaries in the cause of irreligion for this purpose, and were ordained by Secundus, who had been deposed by the great Council), the Libyan Stephen, and Seras, and Polydeuces, who were under accusation upon various charges, next Pancratius, and one Ptolemy a Meletian [3491] . And they made a pretence [3492] of entering upon the question of faith, but it was clear they were doing so from fear of their accusers; and they took the part of the heresy, till at length they were divided among themselves. For, whereas those with Acacius and his fellows lay under suspicion and were very few, the others were the majority; therefore Acacius and his fellows, acting with the boldness of desperation, altogether denied the Nicene formula, and censured the Council, while the others, who were the majority, accepted the whole proceedings of the Council, except that they complained of the word 'Coessential,' as obscure and so open to suspicion. When then time passed, and the accusers pressed, and the accused put in pleas, and thereby were led on further by their irreligion and blasphemed the Lord, thereupon the majority of Bishops became indignant [3493] , and deposed Acacius, Patrophilus, Uranius, Eudoxius, and George the contractor [3494] , and others from Asia, Leontius, and Theodosius, Evagrius and Theodulus, and excommunicated Asterius, Eusebius, Augarus, Basilicus, Phoebus, Fidelius, Eutychius, and Magnus. And this they did on their non-appearance, when summoned to defend themselves on charges which numbers preferred against them. And they decreed that so they should remain, until they made their defence and cleared themselves of the offences imputed to them. And after despatching the sentence pronounced against them to the diocese of each, they proceeded to Constantius, the most irreligious [3495] Augustus, to report to him their proceedings, as they had been ordered. And this was the termination of the Council in Seleucia.
[3485] This Decree is also preserved in Hilary, who has besides preserved the 'Catholic Definition' of the Council, in which it professes its adherence to the Creed of Nicaea, and, in opposition to the Sirmian Confession which the Arians had proposed, acknowledges in particular both the word and the meaning of 'substance:' 'substantiae nomen et rem, a multis sanctis Scripturis insinuatam mentibus nostris, obtinere debere sui firmitatem.' Fragm. vii. 3. [The decree is now re-translated from the Greek.]
[3486] [On the subsequent events at Ariminum, see Prolegg. ubi supra.]
[3487] i.e. Sep. 14, 359 (Egyptian leap-year.) Gorpiaeus was the first month of the Syro-Macedonic year among the Greeks, dating according to the era of the Seleucidae. The original transactions at Ariminum had at this time been finished as much as two months, and its deputies were waiting for Constantius at Constantinople.
[3488] [Of Tripolis, D.C.B. iii. 688 (3).]
[3489] ['Theodosius' infr.]
[3490] There is little to observe of these Acacian Bishops in addition to [the names and sees in Epiph. Haer. lxxiii. 26] except that George is the Cappadocian, the notorious intruder into the see of S. Athanasius. [For his expulsion see Fest. Ind. xxx, and on the composition of the council, see Gwatkin, note G, p. 190.]
[3491] The Meletian schismatics of Egypt had formed an alliance with the Arians from the first. Cf. Ep. Aeg. 22. vid. also Hist. Arian. 31, 78. After Sardica the Arians attempted a coalition with the Donatists of Africa. Aug. contr. Cresc. iii. 38.
[3492] Acacius had written to the Semi-Arian Macedonius of Constantinople in favour of the kata panta homoion, and of the Son's being tes autes ousias, and this the Council was aware of. Soz. iv. 22. Acacius made answer that no one ancient or modern was ever judged by his writings. Socr. ii. 40.
[3493] They also confirmed the Semi-Arian Confession of the Dedication, 341. of which infr. S:22. After this the Acacians drew up another Confession, which Athan. has preserved, infr. S:29. in which they persist in their rejection of all but Scripture terms. This the Semi-Arian majority rejected, and proceeded to depose its authors.
[3494] Pork contractor to the troops, hupodekten, Hist. Arian. 75. vid. Naz. Orat. 21. 16.
[3495] [Cf. supr. pp. 237, 267.]
Reference address : https://www.elpenor.org/athanasius/councils.asp?pg=15
