The Revolt of Procopius; Eleusius and Eunomius at Cyzicus

A severe persecution would probably have broken out at this point, if Procopius had not started a civil war. Once he began to act the tyrant at Constantinople, he quickly gathered a large army and marched against Valens. [a] Valens left Syria, met Procopius near Nacolia, a city of Phrygia, and took him alive through the treachery of Agelon and Gomarius, two of his generals. [b] Valens put him and his betrayers to a cruel death. Although he is said to have sworn to show favor to the two generals, he had them sawn in two. He ordered Procopius to be tied by the legs to two trees that had been bent down to the ground, and then let them spring up. When the trees were released to go back to their natural position, the victim was torn in two.

When this war was over, Valens withdrew to Nicaea. Finding himself in possession of deep peace, he began again to harass those who differed from him in their views about the divine nature. His anger knew no bounds against the bishops of the Council of Lampsacus, because they had condemned the Arian bishops and the formula of faith set out at Ariminum. Under the sway of this resentment, he summoned Eleusius from Syria, called together a council of bishops who held his own views, and tried to force him to agree with their doctrines. At first Eleusius bravely refused to comply. But afterward, in fear of the exile and the loss of his property with which the emperor threatened him, he gave in to the order. He soon repented of his weakness. When he got back to Cyzicus, he publicly confessed his fault in the church and urged the people to choose another bishop, for he said he could not carry out the duties of a priesthood after betraying his own doctrine. The citizens respected what he had done and were especially well disposed toward him, so they would not have another bishop. Eudoxius, however, the leader of the Arians in Constantinople, ordained Eunomius bishop of Cyzicus, for he expected that Eunomius, with his great gifts of eloquence, would easily win the people of Cyzicus over to his views. When Eunomius arrived in that city, he drove out Eleusius, since he had been provided with an imperial edict to that effect, and took possession of the churches himself. [c] The followers of Eleusius built a house of prayer outside the walls of the city, and they held their meetings there. I will soon have occasion to come back to Eunomius and the heresy that bears his name.