Chapter XLIV
.—
Of
Meletius
445
Bishop of Antioch.
It
becomes us now to speak of
Meletius, who, as we have recently observed, was created bishop of
Sebastia in Armenia, after the deposition of Eustathius; from Sebastia
he was transferred to Berœa, a city of Syria. Being present at the
Synod of Seleucia, he subscribed the creed set forth there by Acacius,
and immediately returned thence to Berœa. When the convention of
the Synod at Constantinople was held, the people of Antioch finding
that Eudoxius, captivated by the magnificence of the see of
Constantinople, had contemned their church, they sent for Meletius, and
invested him with the bishopric of the church at Antioch. Now he at
first avoided all doctrinal questions, confining his discourses to
moral subjects; but subsequently he expounded to his auditors the
Nicene creed, and asserted the doctrine of the
homoousion.
The
emperor being informed of this, ordered that he should be sent into
exile; and caused Euzoïus, who had before been deposed together
with Arius, to be installed bishop of Antioch in his stead. Such,
however, as were attached to Meletius, separated themselves from the
Arian congregation, and held their assemblies apart: nevertheless,
those who originally embraced the
homoousian
opinion would not
communicate with them, because Meletius had been ordained by the
Arians, and his adherents had been baptized by them. Thus was the
Antiochian church divided, even in regard to those whose views on
matters of faith exactly corresponded. Meanwhile the emperor getting
intelligence that the Persians were preparing to undertake another war
against the Romans, repaired in great haste to Antioch.
445
The name has been written ‘Melitius’
thus far, but is found as ‘Meletius’ from this point, and
through Bk. III. Cf. Euseb.
H. E.
VII. 32.