The Melitians Join the Arians

Meanwhile the strife that had been stirred up among the Egyptians at the beginning could not be put down. The Arian heresy had been clearly condemned by the Council of Nicaea, while the followers of Melitius had been admitted into communion on the terms stated above. When Alexander returned to Egypt, Melitius handed over to him the churches whose government he had unlawfully seized, and went back to Lycus. Not long afterward, finding his end approaching, he named John, one of his closest friends, as his successor, contrary to the decree of the Council of Nicaea; and so a fresh cause of discord in the churches arose. [a]

When the Arians saw that the Melitians were bringing in innovations, they too troubled the churches. For, as often happens in such disturbances, some applauded the opinion of Arius, while others argued that those who had been ordained by Melitius ought to govern the churches. These two sects had until then been opposed to each other. But when they saw that the multitude followed the priests of the catholic church, they grew jealous, formed an alliance, and showed a common hostility toward the clergy of Alexandria. They carried on their attack and defense together for so long that in the course of time the Melitians came to be generally called Arians in Egypt. Yet the Melitians disagreed only on questions of who should preside over the churches, while the Arians held the same opinions about God as Arius. Although each party rejected the other’s teachings, they disguised their own views and pretended otherwise, in order to reach an underhanded agreement, held together by their shared hostility; and at the same time each expected to win easily what he wanted. From this time, however, the Melitians, after discussing these subjects, accepted the Arian teachings and held the same opinion about God as Arius. This revived the original controversy over Arius, and some of the laity and clergy broke off communion with the others. The dispute over the teachings of Arius flared up once more in other cities, and especially in Bithynia and the Hellespont, and in the city of Constantinople.

In short, it is said that Eusebius, bishop of Nicomedia, and Theognis, bishop of Nicaea, bribed the notary to whom the emperor had entrusted the keeping of the documents of the Council of Nicaea, erased their signatures, and tried openly to teach that the Son is not to be thought of one substance with the Father. Eusebius was accused of these irregularities before the emperor. He answered very boldly, pointing to part of his clothing: “If this robe had been cut in pieces in my presence, I could not affirm that the pieces were all of one substance.” The emperor was much grieved by these disputes, for he had believed that questions of this kind had been settled for good by the Council of Nicaea; but against his hopes he saw them stirred up again. He was especially sorry that Eusebius and Theognis had received certain Alexandrians into communion, although the synod had urged them to repent because of their unorthodox opinions, and although he himself had condemned them to banishment from their native land as stirrers of sedition. Some say that it was for these reasons that the emperor in anger exiled Eusebius and Theognis. But, as I have already said, I have taken my information from those who are well acquainted with these matters.