The Character of Atticus, Bishop of Constantinople

When the emperor Theodosius was in the eighth year of his age, Atticus was in the third year of his time as head of the church at Constantinople. He was a man, as I said earlier, distinguished alike for his learning, his piety and his good judgment, and so the churches under his care came to flourish greatly. For he not only held together those of “the household of faith,” but by his prudence he also won the admiration of the heretics. He had no wish at all to harass them. If he sometimes had to make them afraid of him, he soon afterward showed himself gentle and merciful toward them. Nor did he neglect his studies. He worked hard at reading the writings of the ancients and often spent whole nights at it, and so he could not be thrown into confusion by the reasonings of the philosophers or the deceptive subtleties of the sophists. Besides this he was friendly and pleasant in conversation, and always ready to share the sorrows of those in trouble. In a word, to sum up his good qualities in the apostle’s saying, “He was made all things to all men.” [a]

Earlier, while he was a presbyter, he used to compose his sermons, learn them by heart, and then deliver them in the church. But by diligent practice he gained confidence and began to teach without notes, and eloquently. Even so, his sermons were not such as to win much applause from his hearers, nor did they deserve to be written down. Let this be enough about his talents, his learning and his manner of life. We must now go on to relate the things worth recording that happened in his time.