John Restores Order and Ends the Quarrel over Flavian

As soon as John was raised to the office of bishop, he turned his attention first to reforming the lives of his clergy. He rebuked and corrected their ways, their diet and everything they did in their many affairs. He also put some of the clergy out of the church. By nature he was inclined to rebuke the misconduct of others and to stand up rightly against those who did wrong, and as bishop he gave these traits still freer rein. Now that his nature had power behind it, it led his tongue to reproof and steeled his anger more readily against the enemy. [a]

He did not limit his efforts to reforming his own church. As a good and large-hearted man, he tried to set right abuses throughout the world. As soon as he took office he set about ending the division that had arisen over Paulinus between the Western and Egyptian bishops on one side and the bishops of the East on the other, for because of it a general disunity was overwhelming the churches of the whole empire. He asked Theophilus to help him reconcile Flavian with the bishop of Rome. Theophilus agreed to work with him to restore harmony, and Acacius, bishop of Beroea, and Isidore, the man Theophilus had put forward for ordination instead of John, were sent on an embassy to Rome. They soon accomplished the purpose of their journey and sailed back to Egypt. Acacius went on to Syria, carrying letters of peace to Flavian’s followers from the priests of Egypt and of the West. And after a long delay the churches once more laid aside their discord and took up communion with one another.

The people at Antioch called Eustathians did go on holding separate meetings for some time, even though they had no bishop. Evagrius, the successor of Paulinus, did not long outlive him, as I have said, and I think the bishops found reconciliation easier because no one was left to oppose it. The laity, as is usual with ordinary people, gradually went over to those who met under Flavian’s leadership, and so in the course of time they became more and more united.