The Second Persecution Under Constantius

But the heirs of the opinions and impiety of Eusebius and his party were greatly ashamed when they heard and saw these things. These heirs were the eunuch Leontius, who ought not to remain in communion even as a layman, because he mutilated himself so that he might from then on be free to sleep with a certain Eustolium, who is a wife as far as he is concerned but is called a virgin; and George and Acacius, Theodore and Narcissus, who were deposed by the council. They saw the unity and peace between Athanasius and the bishops. These bishops were more than four hundred: from great Rome and all Italy, from Calabria, Apulia, Campania, Bruttia, Sicily, Sardinia, Corsica and the whole of Africa; those from Gaul, Britain and Spain, with the great confessor Hosius; those from Pannonia, Noricum, Siscia, Dalmatia, Dardania, Dacia, Moesia, Macedonia, Thessaly and all Achaia, and from Crete, Cyprus and Lycia; and most of those from Palestine, Isauria, Egypt, the Thebaid, the whole of Libya, and Pentapolis. When, I say, they saw these things, they were seized with envy and fear: with envy, because so many were in communion together; and with fear, in case those they had entrapped should be won over by the agreement of so great a number, and their heresy should from then on be exposed in triumph and banned everywhere. [a]

First of all they persuaded Ursacius, Valens and their fellows to change sides again, and like dogs to return to their own vomit, and like pigs to wallow again in the old mire of their impiety. And they made this excuse for taking back their recantation: that they had made it out of fear of the most religious Constans. Yet even if there had been cause for fear, they ought not to have betrayed their friends, if they had confidence in what they had done. But when there was no cause for fear, and still they lied, do they not deserve utter condemnation? For no soldier was present, no palace officer or notary had been sent, as they send them now; the emperor was not there either, and no one had summoned them, when they wrote their recantation. No, they went up to Rome of their own free will, and of their own accord recanted and wrote it down in the church, where there was no fear from outside, where the only fear is the fear of God, and where everyone has liberty of conscience. And yet, though they have become Arians a second time and then devised this unseemly excuse for their conduct, they are still without shame. [e]

Next they went in a body to the emperor Constantius and pleaded with him: “When we first made our request to you, we were not believed. For we told you, when you sent for Athanasius, that by inviting him to come forward you were driving out our heresy. He has opposed it from the very first and never stops anathematizing it. He has already written letters against us to every part of the world, and most people have taken up communion with him. Even of those who seemed to be on our side, some have been won over by him, and others are likely to be. We are left alone, and the fear is that the character of our heresy will become known, and that from now on both we and you will get the name of heretics. And if that happens, you must take care that we are not classed with the Manichaeans. So begin persecuting again, and support the heresy, for it counts you its king.” Such was the language of their wickedness. And the emperor, passing through the country on his hasty march against Magnentius, saw the communion of the bishops with Athanasius. Like a man set on fire, he suddenly changed his mind. He no longer remembered his oaths, but forgot what he had written and disregarded the duty he owed his brother. For both in his letters to his brother and in his meeting with Athanasius he had sworn that he would not act otherwise than as the people wished and as the bishops approved. But his zeal for impiety made him forget all this at once. Yet no one should wonder that after so many letters and so many oaths Constantius changed his mind, when we remember that Pharaoh of old, the tyrant of Egypt, after promising again and again, and by that means obtaining relief from his punishments, changed in the same way, until at last he perished together with his followers. [g]

So he compelled the people in every city to change sides. When he arrived at Arles and Milan, he went on to act entirely according to the designs and suggestions of the heretics; or rather, they acted themselves, and with authority from him furiously attacked everyone. Letters and orders were sent here at once to the prefect: from then on the grain was to be taken from Athanasius and given to those who favored the Arian doctrines, and anyone who pleased might freely insult those in communion with him. The magistrates were threatened if they did not hold communion with the Arians. These things were only the prelude to what took place later under the direction of the Duke Syrianus. Orders were also sent to the more distant parts, and notaries and palace officers were dispatched to every city, with threats to the bishops and magistrates. The magistrates were told to press the bishops. The bishops were told that either they must sign against Athanasius and hold communion with the Arians, or suffer the punishment of exile themselves; while the people who took their part were to understand that chains, insults, scourgings and the loss of their possessions would be their lot. These orders were not neglected, for the officials had the clergy of Ursacius and Valens with them, to fire their zeal and to inform the emperor if the magistrates neglected their duty. The other heresies, as younger sisters of their own, they allowed to blaspheme the Lord. They conspired only against the Christians, unable to bear hearing orthodox words about Christ. How many bishops, as a result, in the words of Scripture, “were brought before rulers and kings,” and received this sentence from magistrates: “Sign, or withdraw from your churches, for the emperor has ordered you to be deposed!” How many in every city were roughly handled, in case they should accuse them as friends of the bishops! Letters were also sent to the city authorities, threatening them with a fine if they did not compel the bishops of their cities to sign. In short, every place and every city was full of fear and confusion, while the bishops were dragged off to trial, and the magistrates looked on at the laments and groans of the people. [i]

Such were the doings of the palace officers. Meanwhile those admirable persons, confident in the patronage they had gained, showed great zeal. They had some of the bishops summoned before the emperor, and persecuted others by letters, inventing charges against them. Their aim was that the first might be overawed by the presence of Constantius, and the others, through fear of the officials and of the threats held over them in these pretended accusations, might be brought to give up their orthodox and godly convictions. This is how the emperor forced so great a multitude of bishops, partly by threats and partly by promises, to declare, “We will no longer hold communion with Athanasius.” For those who came for an audience were not admitted to his presence, nor given any relief, not even leave to go out of their lodgings, until they had either signed, or refused and been banished for it. He did this because he saw that the heresy was hateful to everyone. That above all is why he compelled so many to add their names to the small number of the Arians. His earnest desire was to collect a crowd of names, both out of envy of the bishop and to make a show in favor of the Arian impiety, of which he is the patron. He supposes that he will be able to alter the truth as easily as he can sway people’s minds. He does not know, and has never read, how the Sadducees and the Herodians, taking the Pharisees along with them, were not able to hide the truth. Rather, the truth shines out more brightly every day because of it, while they, who cried out, “We have no king but Caesar,” and got the judgment of Pilate in their favor, are nevertheless left desolate. They wait in utter shame, expecting before long to be bereft, like the partridge, when they see their patron near his death. [l]

Now if it was altogether unseemly for any of the bishops to change their opinions merely out of fear of these things, it was much more unseemly, and not the part of men who have confidence in what they believe, to force and compel the unwilling. This is how the devil acts: since he has no truth on his side, he attacks and breaks down the doors of those who let him in, “with axes and hammers.” But our Savior is so gentle that he teaches this way: “If anyone wills to come after me,” and, “Whoever wills to be my disciple.” Coming to each one, he does not force them, but knocks at the door and says, “Open to me, my sister, my bride.” If they open to him, he comes in; but if they delay and are unwilling, he goes away from them. For the truth is not preached with swords or spears, nor by means of soldiers, but by persuasion and counsel. But what persuasion is there where fear of the emperor prevails? Or what counsel is there, when whoever opposes them receives in the end banishment and death? Even David, though he was king and had his enemy in his power, did not stop the soldiers by an exercise of authority when they wanted to kill his enemy. Instead, as the Scripture says, David persuaded his men by arguments, and did not let them rise up and put Saul to death. But he, having no arguments of reason, forces everyone by his power, so that it may be shown to all that their wisdom is not according to God but merely human, and that those who favor the Arian doctrines truly have no king but Caesar. For it is through him that these enemies of Christ accomplish whatever they wish. But while they thought they were carrying out their designs against many by his means, they did not know that they were making many into confessors. Among these are the men who have lately made so glorious a confession, religious men and excellent bishops: Paulinus, bishop of Trier, the chief city of the provinces of Gaul; Lucifer, bishop of the chief city of Sardinia; Eusebius of Vercelli in Italy; and Dionysius of Milan, which is the chief city of Italy. The emperor summoned these men before him and ordered them to sign against Athanasius and to hold communion with the heretics. They were astonished at this new procedure and said that there was no church canon to this effect. At once he said, “Whatever I will, let that be counted a canon. The ‘bishops’ of Syria let me speak this way. So either obey, or go into banishment.” [n]

When the bishops heard this they were utterly amazed. Stretching out their hands to God, they spoke very boldly against him. They taught him that the kingdom was not his but God’s, who had given it to him, and they told him to fear God, in case he should suddenly take it away from him. They threatened him with the day of judgment, and warned him not to violate the order of the church, nor to mix Roman sovereignty with the constitution of the church, nor to bring the Arian heresy into the church of God. But he would not listen to them or let them say any more. He threatened them all the more, drew his sword against them, and gave orders for some of them to be led away to execution, although afterward, like Pharaoh, he repented. So the holy men shook off the dust and looked up to God. They neither feared the emperor’s threats nor betrayed their cause before his drawn sword, but accepted their banishment as a service belonging to their ministry. And as they passed along, they preached the gospel in every place and city, though they were in chains, proclaiming the orthodox faith, anathematizing the Arian heresy, and denouncing the recantation of Ursacius and Valens. But this was the opposite of what their enemies intended. For the farther away their place of banishment was, the more the hatred against their enemies grew, and the wanderings of these men only proclaimed the others’ impiety. For who that saw them as they passed did not greatly admire them as confessors, and reject and loathe the others, calling them not only impious men but executioners and murderers, and anything rather than Christians? [r]