Eustathius of Sebaste

But Eustathius, bishop of Sebaste in Armenia, was not even allowed to make his defense, because long before he had been deposed by Eulalius, his own father, who was bishop of Caesarea in Cappadocia, for dressing in a way unfitting for a priest. Let it be noted that Meletius was appointed his successor; we will speak of him later. Eustathius was in fact condemned later by a synod held on his account at Gangra in Paphlagonia, because after his deposition by the council at Caesarea he had done many things contrary to the church’s canons. For he had “forbidden marriage,” and held that people should abstain from foods. He even separated many men from their wives, and persuaded those who disliked gathering in the churches to take communion at home. Under a show of piety he also lured slaves away from their masters. He himself wore the philosopher’s cloak, and he had his followers take up a new and unusual style of dress, directing that women’s hair should be cut short. He allowed the prescribed fasts to be neglected, but recommended fasting on Sundays. In short, he forbade prayers to be offered in the houses of married people, and declared that both the blessing and the communion of a presbyter who went on living with a wife he had lawfully married while still a layman ought to be shunned as an abomination. For doing and teaching these things, and many others like them, a synod met, as we have said, at Gangra in Paphlagonia, deposed him, and anathematized his opinions. This, however, happened later. [a]

But when Macedonius had been thrown out of the see of Constantinople, Eudoxius, who now regarded the see of Antioch as second in importance, was promoted to the vacant bishopric. He was consecrated by the Acacians, who on this occasion did not trouble to consider that it contradicted what they had done before. For the very men who had deposed Dracontius for moving from Galatia to Pergamum were plainly acting against their own principles and decisions in ordaining Eudoxius, who was now making a second move. After this they sent their own statement of the faith, in its corrected and enlarged form, to Ariminum, ordering that all who refused to sign it should be exiled under the emperor’s edict. They also told the other bishops in the East who agreed with them what they had done, especially Patrophilus, bishop of Scythopolis, who on leaving Seleucia had gone straight to his own city. When Eudoxius had been made bishop of the imperial city, the great church named Sophia was dedicated, in the tenth consulship of Constantius and the third of Julian Caesar, on the fifteenth of February.

It was while Eudoxius held this see that he first spoke the saying that is still repeated everywhere: “The Father is impious, the Son is pious.” When the people seemed startled at this and an uproar began, he said, “Do not be troubled at what I have just said. For the Father is impious because he worships no one; but the Son is pious because he worships the Father.” When Eudoxius had said this, the uproar died down and great laughter broke out in the church; and this saying of his remains a joke even today. The founders of heresies often devised clever phrases like this, and with them they tore the church apart. So the synod at Constantinople came to an end.