Where the Nicene Faith Held Firm, and Vetranio of Scythia

At this time Arianism met with the same kind of opposition in Osrhoene. In the two Cappadocias, Providence provided a godly and most learned pair of men: Basil, bishop of Caesarea in that country, and Gregory, bishop of Nazianzus. Syria and the neighboring provinces, and especially the city of Antioch, were plunged into confusion and disorder, for the Arians were very numerous there and held the churches. Yet the members of the catholic church were not few. They were called Eustathians and Paulinists, and they were led by Paulinus and Meletius, as has been said before. It was through these men that the church of Antioch was kept from falling to the Arians and was able to resist the zeal of the emperor and of the powerful men around him. In fact, it appears that in all the churches governed by brave men, the people did not depart from their former views. [a]

It is said that this was the reason the Scythians held so firmly to their faith. There are a great many cities, villages and fortresses in that country. Its chief city is called Tomi. It is a large and populous city, and it lies on the seashore, on the left of anyone sailing into the Black Sea. [b] By an ancient custom that still holds, all the churches of the whole country are under the authority of one bishop. [c] Vetranio governed these churches at the time the emperor visited Tomi. Valens went to the church and tried, as he usually did, to win the bishop over to the heresy of Arius. But Vetranio stood up boldly to his arguments, and after a courageous defense of the Nicene doctrines he left the emperor and went to another church, and the people followed him. Almost the whole city had crowded in to see the emperor, for they expected something remarkable to come of this meeting with the bishop. Valens was deeply offended at being left alone in the church with his attendants, and in his resentment he sentenced Vetranio to banishment. Not long afterward, however, he recalled him, because, I believe, he was afraid of an uprising; for the Scythians resented the absence of their bishop. He knew well that the Scythians were a brave nation, and that their country, because of where it lay, had many natural advantages that made it necessary to the Roman Empire, since it served as a barrier to hold back the barbarians. In this way Vetranio openly defeated the ruler’s intention. The Scythians themselves testify that he was a good man in every other respect and distinguished for the virtue of his life.

The emperor’s resentment fell on all the clergy except those of the Western churches. For Valentinian, who reigned over the West, admired the Nicene doctrines, and he had such reverence for religion that he never gave orders to the priests or tried to make any change, for better or for worse, in the rules of the church. Although he had become one of the best of emperors and had shown his ability to govern, he considered the affairs of the church to be outside his authority.