Page:Ecclesiastical History of Eusebius Pamphilus, 1842.djvu/18

 XII LIFE OF EUSEBIUS. example of Eusebius of Caesarea, was sooa followed by Theodotius and Paulinus, the one bishop of Laodicea, the other of Tyre, who mterceded with Alexander for Arius's restoration. Of which letter, sines Arius boasted on every occasion, and by the authority of such eminent men, drew many into the participation of his heresy, Alex- ander was compelled to write to the other eastern bishops, that the justice of the expulsion of Arius and his associates might be under- stood. Two letters of Alexander's are yet extant ; the one to Alex- ander bishop of Constantinople, in which the former complains of three Syrian bishops, who, agreeing with Arius, had more than ever inflamed that contest, which they ought rather to have suppressed. These three, as may be learned from Arius's letter to Eusebius bishop of Nicomedia, are Eusebius, Theodotius, and Paulinus. The other letter of Alexander's, written to all the bishops throughout the world, Socrates records in his first book.* To these letters of Alexander's, almost all the eastern bishops subscribed, amongst whom the most eminent were Philogonius bishop of Antioch, Eustathius of Beraea, and Macarius of Jerusalem. The bishops who favoured the Arian party, especially Eusebius of Nicomedia, imagining themselves to be severely treated in Alexan- der's letters, devoted themselves with much greater acrimony to the defence of Arius. For our Eusebius of Caesarea, together with Pa- trophilus, Paulinus, and other Syrian bishops, merely voted that liberty to Arius might be granted of holding, as a presbyter, assem- blies in the church, subject notwithstanding to Alexander the bishop, and of imploring for reconciliation and church fellowship. The bishops disagreeing thus amongst themselves, some favouring the party of Alexander, and others that of Arius, the contest became sin- gularly aggravated ; to remedy this, Constantine, from all parts of the Roman world, summoned to Nicaea, a city of Bythinia, a general synod of bishops, such as no age before had seen. In this greatest and most celebrated council, our Eusebius was not one of either party. For he both had the first seat on the right hand, and in the name of the whole synod addressed the emperor Constantine, who sat on a golden chair, between the two rows of the opposite parties. This is affirmed by Eusebius himself in his Lifet of Constantine, and by • Chap. 6. f In his preface to the first book concerning the life of Constantine, and in his third book of the same work, chap. ii.