The Synod of Constantinople and the Bishops It Deposed

Acacius’s party stayed on for some time in Constantinople and invited several bishops of Bithynia to join them there, among them Maris, bishop of Chalcedon, and Ulfilas, bishop of the Goths. When these bishops had met, about fifty in number, they confirmed the creed read at the Council of Ariminum. They added the provision that the terms “substance” and “hypostasis” should never again be used of God. They also declared that all other creeds issued in the past, and any that might be drawn up in the future, should be condemned. Then they deposed Aetius from his office of deacon. The reasons were that he had written works full of contention and of a kind of empty learning contrary to the calling of the church; that he had used several impious expressions in writing and in debate; and that he had caused troubles and unrest in the church. Many said that they did not depose him willingly, but only because they wanted to remove the suspicion the emperor had of them, for they had been accused of holding Aetius’s views. [a]

Those who held these views took advantage of the resentment the emperor felt toward Macedonius, for the reasons given earlier, and so they deposed him. They also deposed Eleusius, bishop of Cyzicus; Basil, bishop of Ancyra; Heortasius, bishop of Sardis; and Dracontius, bishop of Pergamum. Although they differed from these bishops about doctrine, in deposing them they found no fault with their faith. Instead they brought charges against them all in common: that they had disturbed the peace and broken the laws of the church. In particular they stated that when the presbyter Diogenes was traveling from Alexandria to Ancyra, Basil seized his papers and struck him. They also testified that Basil had, without trial, handed over many clergy from Antioch, from the banks of the Euphrates, and from Cilicia, Galatia and Asia to the governors of the provinces, to be exiled and cruelly punished. As a result many had been loaded with chains, and had been forced to bribe the soldiers who were taking them away not to mistreat them. They added that once, when the emperor had ordered Aetius and some of his followers to be brought before Cecropius to answer various charges against them, Basil advised the man entrusted with carrying out this order to act as he himself saw fit. They said that he wrote instructions to Hermogenes, the prefect and governor of Syria, stating who were to be banished and where they were to be sent; and that when the emperor recalled the exiles, he would not agree to their return, but set himself against the wishes of the officials and of the priests. They further testified that Basil had stirred up the clergy of Sirmium against Germinius. Although he had stated in writing that he had received Germinius, Valens and Ursacius into communion, he had brought them as criminals before the court of the African bishops. When he was charged with this, he denied it and perjured himself; and when he was later proved guilty, he tried to justify his perjury with clever reasoning. They added that he had been the cause of strife and unrest in Illyria, Italy, Africa and the Roman church; that he had thrown a servant woman into prison to force her to give false testimony against her mistress; that he had baptized a man of loose life, who was living in an unlawful relationship with a woman, and had promoted him to deacon; that he had failed to excommunicate a quack doctor who had caused the deaths of several people; and that he and some of the clergy had bound themselves by an oath before the holy table not to bring accusations against one another. This, they said, was a trick the head of the clergy had used to shield himself from his accusers. In short, these were the reasons they gave for deposing Basil.

Eustathius, they said, was deposed because, when he was a presbyter, he had been condemned and put out of the fellowship of prayer by Eulalius, his own father, who was bishop of the church of Caesarea in Cappadocia. He had also been excommunicated by a council held at Neocaesarea, a city of Pontus, and deposed by Eusebius, bishop of Constantinople, for unfaithfulness in carrying out certain duties entrusted to him. He had also been stripped of his bishopric by those who met at Gangra, because he had taught, acted and thought contrary to sound doctrine. He had been convicted of perjury by the Council of Antioch. He had likewise tried to overturn the decrees of those who met at Melitene. And although he was guilty of many crimes, he had the nerve to set himself up as judge over the others and to brand them as heretics. They deposed Eleusius because he had rashly made one Heraclius, a native of Tyre, a deacon. This man had been a priest of Hercules at Tyre, and had been accused and tried for sorcery. He had therefore withdrawn to Cyzicus and pretended to become a Christian; and Eleusius, even after learning these facts, had not driven him out of the church. He had also, without inquiry, ordained certain men who had come to Cyzicus after being condemned by Maris, bishop of Chalcedon, who took part in this council. Heortasius was deposed because he had been ordained bishop of Sardis without the consent of the bishops of Lydia. They deposed Dracontius, bishop of Pergamum, because he had earlier held another bishopric in Galatia, and because, they said, he had been ordained unlawfully both times.

After these proceedings a second session of the council was held, and Silvanus, bishop of Tarsus, Sophronius, bishop of Pompeiopolis in Paphlagonia, Elpidius, bishop of Satala, and Neonas, bishop of Seleucia in Isauria, were deposed. The reason they gave for deposing Silvanus was that he had made himself the leader of a foolish party at Seleucia and Constantinople. Besides this, he had installed Theophilus as head of the church of Castabala, though Theophilus had already been ordained bishop of Eleutheropolis by the bishops of Palestine and had promised on oath never to accept any other bishopric without their permission. Sophronius was deposed for his greed, and because he had sold some of the offerings given to the church for his own profit. Besides, after receiving a first and a second summons to appear before the council, he could at last barely be brought to appear; and then, instead of answering the charges against him, he appealed to other judges. Neonas was deposed for having used violence in trying to have Annianus, who had been appointed bishop of Antioch, ordained in his own church. He was also deposed for having ordained as bishops certain men who had previously been in public life and were completely ignorant of the Holy Scriptures and of the canons of the church. After their ordination these men preferred the enjoyment of their property to the dignity of the priesthood, and declared in writing that they would rather look after their own possessions than carry out the duties of a bishop without them. Elpidius was deposed because he had shared in Basil’s misdeeds and had caused great disorder; and because, contrary to the decrees of the Council of Melitene, he had restored to his former rank among the presbyters a man named Eusebius. This Eusebius had been deposed for making Nectaria a deaconess after she had been excommunicated for breaking agreements and oaths; and to give her this honor was plainly contrary to the laws of the church.