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A. D. 394. Theodosius sought to die, and gave orders that they should bring him to him alive and in chains; but when they began to discharge their arrows, there arose a violent wind which blew directly in the face of Eugenius' troops, and drove back their shafts against themselves; it blinded them with the dust it raised; tore away their bucklers from their hands, or dashed them into their faces, and forced them to break their ranks. Theodosius' forces felt not the least inconvenience; on the contrary, the wind assisted them, and drove Claud. de their shafts farther than usual. The Poet Claudian', though a Pagan, has himself owned, that heaven fought for Theodosius in this battle. The troops of Eugenius losing courage, one part took flight, the other threw down their arms and begged mercy of Theodosius, who readily granted it, and ordered them to bring Eugenius to him.

III. Cons.

Honor.
[v. 96-98.]

Eugenius seeing these men running to him towards the -hill where he had placed himself, asked whether they had taken Theodosius. "We are come," they replied, "to take you;" and immediately they carried him before Theodosius, stripped of his imperial ornaments and with his hands tied behind him. Theodosius reproached him with the death of Valentinian, with his usurpation, the injustice of the war, and his confidence in the idol of Hercules. Eugenius fell prostrate at the feet of Theodosius, begging his life in a despicable manner; but the soldiers by his orders cut off his head, and fixing it on the point of a spear, carried it through the camp. At this sight the rest of the troops submitted, and the vanquished became perfectly united to the victorious. Arbogastes despairing of pardon fled into the most inaccessible mountains, and finding that strict search was being made for [ Claud. him, he killed himself with two swords, on the third day ibid.v.103.] after the battle, which was fought on the sixth of September, under the third Consulship of Arcadius, and the second of Honorius, in the year 394.

3 Socr. 5.

25. Soz. 7. 24.

It is said, that at the same time a certain person possessed with an evil spirit, coming out of the church of Hebdomon near Constantinople, was carried up into the air, and began to abuse St. John Baptist, reproaching him that his head was cut off, and crying out; "Thou gettest the better of "me, thou art overcoming my forces." Those who stood by,

who were most anxious to learn tidings of the battle, noted A. D. 394. the day, and some time after discovered that it was the very day on which the battle was fought, by the account of those who had been there. Theodosius threw down all the idols of Jupiter which had been erected on the Alps; and as some of his train' said that they would willingly receive the strokes ['cursoriof those thunderbolts which were of gold, he freely gaves. Aug. bus.] them".

de civ. 5.

c. 26.

chief L. Clemency

sius.

He contented himself with the death of the two rebels, Eugenius and Arbogastes, and pardoned all the rest. of TheodoThe children of his enemies having taken sanctuary in a church, he took that opportunity of having them brought up in the Christian religion; and so far was he from taking their estates from them, that he gave them employments, and after the victory suffered no man to gratify his private revenge. He wrote to St. Ambrose, imagining that he kept from him S. Ambr. through the unfavourable opinion which he had of his affairs, A.D. 394.] Ep.61.[Scr. as though God had forsaken him; but these letters found him at Milan, where he had been ever since the beginning of August. The Emperor desired him to return thanks to GOD' § 4. for his victory. St. Ambrose carried the letter into the church, laid it on the altar, and then took it in his hand as he offered the sacrifice, to the end that the faith of the Emperor might speak by his mouth, and that the letter might serve as an offering. In his answer to the Emperor, he intreated him to pardon the guilty, especially those who had not offended before. He wrote to him some little time 5 Ep. 62. after by one of his Deacons named Felix, who is thought to be the same with him who was afterwards Bishop of Bologna, and in this letter he begs mercy for those who had taken refuge in the church. The Emperor sent John a notary Paulin. and tribune, afterwards Prætorian Præfect, to protect them. § 31. St. Ambrose then went to the Emperor at Aquileia, and implored full pardon for them, which he easily obtained. The Emperor even threw himself at his feet, acknowledging that he had been preserved by his merits and prayers.

St. Ambrose returned to Milan, where Theodosius arrived the day after him; he abstained from partaking of the ibid. Sacraments, on account of the enemies who had been killed $32. De in battle, although the war was just; and he refrained till § 34.

Ob. Theod.

2 Ruff. 11.

33. Philost.

A. D. 394. he had a testimony of the divine favour by the arrival of his children. St. Ambrose commends and gives an account of this behaviour of Theodosius, to which he had perhaps ad['filiorum.] vised him. By these children' of the Emperor, whom he sent for into Italy, are meant Honorius, and perhaps his sister Placidia, because Arcadius stayed at Constantinople. On their arrival, Theodosius put them under the care3 of St. Ambrose, judging that he could not take a better method to protect them. As he knew that he had not long to live, according to the prophecy of St. John of Egypt, he divided his empire between his children; to Arcadius he gave the East, of which he had been possessed a great while, and gave Zosim. 4. him Ruffinus to assist him in his government'. He gave p. 779. [c. 57.]

11. 2. Socr.

5. 26.
3 Paulin.
$ 32.

Honorius the West, that is, Spain, France, Africa, and the Western Illyricum, and appointed Stilicho, to whom he had married one of his nieces, to govern during his son's nonage. [c. 59.] Whilst Theodosius stayed in Italy, he exhorted' the Senators of Rome to quit their ancient superstition, and to embrace the Christian faith, which has the promise of delivering a man from all sin. They made answer that they could not renounce the ceremonies with which the city had been founded and which had continued for twelve hundred years, to embrace a religion which required belief without reasoning, and that, should they consent to the change, they knew not what might be the consequence. Then Theodosius declared to them that the public treasure was overcharged by the sacrifices and other ceremonies, and that he thought the money might be better employed in maintaining the forces. The Senators persisted, though to no purpose. The sacrifices ceased, the profane ceremonies were neglected; the priests and priestesses of the idols were driven away, and all the temples were forsaken. To this Zosimus, who relates it, attributes the destruction of Rome.

23.

In this last journey of Theodosius into Italy, the Western Theod. 5. Bishops made another effort against Flavian of Antioch, complaining that the Emperor still permitted the tyranny of that Bishop. "Tell me," says Theodosius, "wherein "lies the tyranny of which you accuse him. Suppose me "to be Flavian, and I will undertake to plead his cause." And when they replied that they could not plead against

the Emperor, he exhorted them thenceforward to labour A. D. 394. towards the reunion of the Churches, and to put an end to their animosities and unprofitable contentions. The Western Bishops yielded to the advice of Theodosius; and it does not appear that they afterwards made use of the Imperial authority against Flavian. He had on his side. the East, Asia, Pontus, Thrace, and Illyria.

LI.

Council at

a no. 8.17.

tinople.

στειον.

Soz.]

He was present this same year at a council held at Constantinople, on the following occasion. Ruffinus the Præ- Constantorian Præfect, who now governed the East, had built palace and a large church, in a town' called Drys or The Oak, [poάnear Chalcedon, to which has since been given the name of Ruffiniana. The church was called in Greek Apostoleion, because it was built in honour of St. Peter and St. Paul. Ruffinus placed a body of Monks close by, who performed there the office of Clerks3. In order to celebrate the dedica- [ tion of this church, he assembled several Bishops out of different provinces, and a great number of Monks; he sent particularly for Evagrius of Pontus, and honoured him so far, that at the ceremony of his Baptism, which was performed at this dedication, he desired to be raised from the font by his hand'. By this we may see that adult persons Heracl. had godfathers as well as infants.

4

See

Bingh. 7. 3. 19.]

Paradis.c.2. ap. Rosw.

Vid. not.

5 tom. 2.

p. 1151.

It is thought then that it was on account of this dedication, p.947.[713. that a Council' was held at Constantinople; and there remains p. 771.] a session dated the third of the calends of October, under the Conc. third Consulship of Arcadius and the second of Honorius, 3. p. 851. or the twenty-ninth of September, A.D. 394. Besides the Mans.] nineteen Bishops, whose names we find there set down, it is mentioned that there were many others present at the Council. Nectarius of Constantinople is the first named; then Theophilus of Alexandria; Flavian of Antioch; Palladius of Cæsarea in Cappadocia, or rather Helladius, St. Basil's [ See bk. successor; Gelasius of Cæsarea in Palestine; Gregory of and ch. 25. Nyssa; Amphilochius of Iconium; Paul of Heraclea; note g.] Arabianus of Ancyra; Ammon of Adrianopolis; of Tarsus; Lucius of Hierapolis; Elpidius of Laodicea. These were all Metropolitans of different provinces of the East, excepting St. Gregory of Nyssa, who was a simple Bishop, but very venerable both on account of his age and his personal

18. ch. 9.

Valerius' [baλmploy, fors. Baλ.]

A. D. 394. merit: besides which he had been set down as [one of the] chief Bishops of Pontus, with whom all [in that diocese] were to communicate, in order to be deemed Catholics, according ['Cod. to a law of Theodosius, made on the thirtieth of July, Theod. 16. tit. 1. 3. de A.D. 381. We likewise find among these Bishops Theodorus Fid. Cath. of Mopsuestia, who was consequently at this time esteemed a Vid. Supr. bk. 18. ch. Catholic. It is observable that Nectarius of Constantinople 9.] Supr.bk.9. presided at this Council, in preference to either the Bishop of ch. 27. Alexandria or Antioch. The place where this Council was held, ["proth was the Baptistery of the Church of Constantinople, which ριον.] must consequently have been very large, since besides the Bishops, all the Clergy were present.

At this Council was decided the difference between the two [AL. Geba- Bishops Agapius and Bagadius', concerning the See of Bostra, dius.] the Metropolis of Arabia. They were present, and stood before the council, as the parties concerned, and it was proved that the deposition of Bagadius was performed by two Bishops only, and in his absence; upon which Arabianus, Bishop of Ancyra, begged the council to make a general decree as to whether two Bishops were sufficient for deposing another, and whether it could be done when the person was absent. Theophilus said that with reference to the future, he was of opinion, that even three Bishops were not sufficient to depose [sapxe- any person, but that all of the same province' ought if posTas.] sible to be present, as well as the person accused. Nectarius approved this advice as conformable to the Apostolic canons, and he was followed by Flavian and all the rest: so that it was determined that though three Bishops were sufficient for ordination, they were not for deposing.

LII.

Canonical

After this Council no more mention is made of St. Gregory Epistle of of Nyssa, whose memory is held in great veneration in the Church on account both of his virtue, his writings, and of St. Basil his brother. The Greek Church honours him on

St. Gregory of Nyssa.

Theodore was the disciple of Diodorus Bishop of Tarsus (A. D. 378— circ. 394), and was Bishop of Mopsuestia from A.D. 393. He died A.D. 429. The heresy of Apollinaris had led to the necessity of distinguishing the two natures in the SON with greater exactness. This necessity was increased by the tendency to confound the Substance, in

Egypt. Theodore of Mopsuestia consequently fell into the opposite extreme, and was regarded as the real originator of the error of Nestorius, who divided the Unity of Person. His Biblical Commentaries are the standard of the Nestorian Chaldæan or Thomas Christians in the East. See Gieseler, vol. 1. §§. 82, 86.

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