The Council of Ariminum

So the emperor ordered a synod to assemble at Ariminum, a city of Italy. He instructed Taurus the prefect not to let the bishops leave, once they had gathered, until they agreed on one faith, and he promised him the consulship if he brought the affair to a successful end. Imperial officers were therefore sent through Illyricum, Italy, Africa, and the two Gauls, and a little more than four hundred Western bishops were summoned or forced to gather at Ariminum. For all of them the emperor had ordered food and lodging to be provided. But this seemed unfitting to the men of our part of the world, that is, to the Aquitanians, the Gauls, and the Britons. So they refused the public supplies and chose to live at their own expense. Only three of those from Britain, for lack of means of their own, made use of the public provision, after refusing the contributions the others offered them; for they thought it more right to burden the public treasury than private persons. I have heard that Gavidius, our bishop, used to speak of their conduct with some disapproval. But I would be inclined to judge quite otherwise. I count it a thing to be admired that these bishops had nothing of their own, and yet accepted help from no one but the public treasury, so that they burdened nobody. In both respects they have given us a noble example. Nothing worth mentioning is recorded of the others; but I return to my subject. [a]

After all the bishops had been gathered together, as we have said, the parties separated. Our side took possession of the church, while the Arians chose as their place of prayer a temple that was then deliberately left standing empty. But they numbered no more than eighty; the rest belonged to our party. Well, after frequent meetings had been held, nothing was really accomplished, since our side held firm in the faith and the others would not give up their faithlessness. At last it was decided to send ten delegates to the emperor, so that he might learn what the faith or opinion of each party was, and might know that there could be no peace with heretics. The Arians did the same, and sent the same number of delegates to contend with our side in the emperor’s presence. But on the part of our people, young men of little learning and little prudence had been chosen; while on the side of the Arians, old men were sent, skillful and full of talent, and thoroughly steeped in their old faithless teaching; and these easily got the upper hand with the emperor. But our delegates had been expressly charged not to enter into any kind of communion with the Arians, and to keep every point whole and untouched for discussion in a synod.