drawn up by unanimous consent; and, as soon as it was signed, the Council was dissolved. The bishops above mentioned, however, did not consent to it in sincerity, but only in appearance…… Eustathius, of Antioch, afterwards wrote against them, and confuted their blasphemies.
The remarks of Socrates on this head are, that "some of the bishops scoffed at the word Homoöusios (consubstantial), and would not subscribe to the condemnation of Arius. Upon which the Synod anathematized Arius and all who adhered to his opinions, at the same time prohibiting him from entering into Alexandria.[1] By an edict of the
- ↑ That is, from entering that city in an official capacity. The Homoousian dogma was firmly established, in spite of all the
the restoration of Arius, which was accomplished. The emperor's letter to Arius, was dated the 25th of November, and began as follows:—"It was intimated to your reverence, sometime since, that you might come to my court, in order to your being admitted to the enjoyment of our presence." And the letter ends thus: "May God protect you, beloved."
Arius and Euzoius came, and presented to the emperor their declaration of faith. It was as follows:—"We believe in one God, the Father Almighty, and in the Lord Jesus Christ his Son, who was made of Him before all ages; God the Word, by whom all things were made, which are in the heavens and upon the earth; who descended, became incarnate, suffered, rose again, ascended into the heavens, and will again come to judge the living and the dead. We believe, also, in the Holy Spirit, in the resurrection of the flesh, in the life of the coming age, in the kingdom of the heavens, and in one Catholic Church of God extending over the whole earth."
"This confession of faith was," says Dr. Neander, "without doubt, similar to the former one of Arius," yet it was satisfactory to the emperor, and he granted him a full pardon at once. However, the Orthodox could not be induced to receive Arius again into their favor. Athanasius refused to admit him to communion at Alexandria, in spite of the commands of Constantine himself.
Arius regarded the Holy Spirit as being the first created nature, produced by the Son of God. He placed the same distance betwixt the Son and the Holy Spirit, which he had supposed between the Father and the Son.—See Athan. Orat. i. c. Arian. § 6.
