Theophilus Turns against the Long Brothers

The controversy would most likely have come to an end if Theophilus himself had not stirred it up again, out of hostility toward Ammonius, Dioscorus, Eusebius and Euthymius, who were known as “the Long.” They were brothers, and, as we have said before, they had become famous among the philosophers at Scetis. At one time Theophilus loved them more than all the other monks of Egypt. He sought their company and often stayed with them, and he even gave Dioscorus the bishopric of Hermopolis. His hatred of them was confirmed by his enmity toward Isidore, whom he had tried to have ordained at Constantinople after Nectarius. [a]

Some say that it happened like this. A woman of the Manichaean heresy had been converted to the faith of the catholic church. Theophilus rebuked the arch-presbyter, against whom he had other reasons for resentment as well, because he had admitted her to share in the sacred mysteries before she had renounced her former heresy. The arch-presbyter, whose name was Peter, maintained that he had received the woman into communion according to the laws of the church and with Theophilus’s consent, and he named Isidore as a witness that what he said was true. Isidore happened to be in Rome at the time on an embassy, but when he came back he testified that Peter’s statements were true. Theophilus treated this testimony as slander, and threw both him and Peter out of the church.

That is the account some people give of the affair. But I have heard it said by a man of undoubted truthfulness, who was very close to the monks I have mentioned, that Theophilus’s enmity toward Isidore came from two causes. One of them was the same as the one Peter the presbyter gave: that Isidore had refused to testify that there was a will leaving an inheritance to Theophilus’s sister. The other cause this man gave was that Isidore refused to hand over certain money that had been entrusted to him for the relief of the poor, which Theophilus wanted to spend on building churches. Isidore said it was better to restore the bodies of the suffering, which are more rightly considered the temples of God, and for which the money had been given, than to build walls.

But whatever the cause of Theophilus’s enmity, Isidore, as soon as he was excommunicated, joined his former companions, the monks at Scetis. Ammonius then went with a few others to Theophilus and begged him to restore Isidore to communion. Theophilus readily promised to do as they asked. But time went by and nothing more was done for them, and it became plain that Theophilus was only pretending. So they went to him again, renewed their pleas, and pressed him to keep his promise. Instead of doing so, Theophilus threw one of the monks into prison to frighten the others. But in this he made a mistake. Ammonius and all the monks with him then went to the prison. The jailer let them in readily, thinking they had come to bring food to the prisoner; but once they were inside, they refused to leave. When Theophilus heard that they had shut themselves up of their own accord, he sent asking them to come to him. They replied that he ought first to take them out of prison himself, for it was not right that men who had been subjected to public disgrace should be released from confinement in private. At last, however, they gave in and went to him. Theophilus apologized for what had happened and sent them away as if he meant to trouble them no further. But in private he chafed and fumed, and resolved to do them harm.

He was at a loss, however, how to injure them, since they had no possessions and despised everything but philosophy. At last it occurred to him to disturb the peace of their retreat. From his earlier dealings with them he knew that they found fault with those who believe that God has a human form, and that they held to the opinions of Origen. So he set them at odds with the great body of monks who held the other view. A terrible quarrel broke out among the monks. They did not think it worthwhile to persuade one another by arguing warmly for their own side in an orderly way, but sank into insults. Those who held that God has no body were given the name of Origenists, while those who held the opposite opinion were called Anthropomorphites.