Famous Leaders of the Arian Party

The eastern part of the empire had caught the infection from many quarters. Arius, a presbyter of Alexandria in Egypt, gave birth to the blasphemy there. Eusebius, Patrophilus and Aetius of Palestine, Paulinus and Gregory of Phoenicia, Theodotus of Laodicea and his successor George, and after him Athanasius and Narcissus of Cilicia, had nursed the seeds so foully sown. Eusebius and Theognis of Bithynia, Menophantus of Ephesus, Theodore of Perinthus and Maris of Chalcedon, and some others of Thrace who were famous only for their vices, had for a long time kept on watering and tending the crop of weeds. These bad farmers were helped by the indifference of Constantius and the malice of Valens. [a]

For these reasons the emperor summoned only the bishops of his own part of the empire to meet at Constantinople. They arrived, one hundred and fifty in all. Theodosius forbade anyone to tell him which was the great Meletius, for he wanted to recognize the bishop from his dream. The whole company of bishops came into the imperial palace. Then, without noticing any of the rest, Theodosius ran up to the great Meletius. Like a boy who loves his father, he stood for a long while gazing at him with a son’s joy. Then he threw his arms around him and covered his eyes and lips and breast and head with kisses, and the hand that had given him the crown. Then he told him of his dream. All the rest of the bishops were then courteously welcomed, and all were invited to deliberate, as fathers should, on the matters laid before them. [c]