The Arians Court the Emperor, and an Old Priest Rebukes Him

The Arians were still very numerous. Because of the protection Constantius and Valens had once given them, they still met without fear and spoke publicly about God and the divine nature. They now decided to try to win the emperor over to their party through members of their sect who held posts at court, and they hoped to succeed in this plan just as they had succeeded with Constantius. These schemes caused great anxiety and fear among the members of the catholic church, but what they feared most was the power of Eunomius in argument. It seems that during the reign of Valens, Eunomius had a dispute with his own clergy at Cyzicus, and as a result he separated from the Arians and withdrew to Bithynia, near Constantinople. Crowds came to him there. Some gathered from different places, a few to test his principles, and others simply wanting to hear him speak. His reputation reached the emperor, who would gladly have held a conference with him. But the empress Flaccilla carefully kept them from meeting. She was the most faithful guardian of the Nicene doctrine, and she feared that Eunomius, by his skill in debate, might bring the emperor to change his beliefs. [a]

Meanwhile, while each party was carrying on these intrigues, it is said that the bishops then staying in Constantinople went to the emperor to pay him the customary respects. Among them was an old priest from a little-known city, a simple and unworldly man, yet well taught in divine things. The others greeted the emperor with bared heads and great reverence, and the old priest greeted him in the same way. But instead of giving equal honor to the prince, who was seated beside his father, the old priest went up to him, patted him familiarly, and called him his dear child. The emperor was angry and enraged at the insult to his son, because the boy had not been given the same honor, and he ordered the old man to be thrown out of his presence by force. But while he was being pushed this way and that, the old priest turned around and cried out: “Think, O emperor, of the wrath of the heavenly Father against those who do not honor his Son as himself, and who dare to say that the Son is inferior to the Father.” The emperor felt the force of these words. He called the priest back, apologized to him for what had happened, and admitted that he had spoken the truth. From then on the emperor was less inclined to have dealings with heretics. He forbade contests and assemblies in the marketplaces, and he made it dangerous to hold discussions of this kind about the substance and nature of God by enacting a law that set the penalties for it. [c]