The Long Brothers Appeal to John

When Dioscorus, Ammonius and the other monks discovered Theophilus’s schemes, they withdrew to Jerusalem, and from there they went on to Scythopolis. They thought it would be a good place for them to live because of its many palm trees, whose leaves the monks use for their usual work. About eighty other monks went there with Dioscorus and Ammonius. Meanwhile Theophilus sent messengers to Constantinople to bring complaints against them, and to oppose any petition they might put before the emperor. When they learned of this, Ammonius and the monks took ship for Constantinople, and took Isidore with them. They asked that their case be tried before the emperor and the bishop; for they thought that John, who was careful to do right, would be able by his boldness to help them obtain their rights. [a]

John received them kindly and treated them with honor, and he did not forbid them to pray in the church. But he refused to admit them to share in the mysteries, for it was not lawful to do this before their case had been examined. He wrote to Theophilus asking him to take them back into communion, since their beliefs about the divine nature were orthodox; and if he thought their orthodoxy doubtful, he asked him to send someone to act as their accuser. Theophilus gave no reply to this letter.

Some time later, Ammonius and his companions presented themselves before the emperor’s wife as she was riding out, and complained of Theophilus’s schemes against them. She knew what had been plotted against them. She rose to her feet in their honor, leaned forward from her royal carriage, nodded, and said to them: “Pray for the emperor, for me, for our children and for the empire. For my part, I will soon have a council called, and Theophilus will be summoned to it.” A false report spread in Alexandria that John had received Dioscorus and his companions into communion and had given them every help and encouragement in his power. So Theophilus began to consider what steps he could take to drive John from his bishopric.