5-9. The Intellectual Wars of “the Essence”
Arianism seemed to have won its victory when the last Nicene champion was driven into the desert. But the West was only terrorised, Egypt was devoted to its patriarch, Nicenes were fairly strong in the East, and the conservatives who had won the battle would never accept Arianism. However, this was the time chosen for an open declaration of Arianism, by a small council of Western bishops at Sirmium, headed by Ursacius and Valens. They emphasise the unity of God, condemn the words essence, of one essence with, and from the essence, lay stress on the inferiority of the Son, limit the Incarnation to the assumption of a body, and more than half say that he is only a creature.
This was clear Anomoean doctrine, and made a stir even in the West, where it was promptly condemned by the Gaulish bishops, now partly shielded from Constantius by the Caesarship of Julian. But the Sirmian manifesto spread dismay through the ranks of the Eastern conservatives. They had not put down Sabellianism only in order to set up the Anomoeans; and the danger was brought home to them when Eudoxius of Antioch and Acacius of Caesarea convened a Syrian synod to approve the manifesto. The conservative counterblow was struck at Ancyra in Lent 358. The synodical letter is long and clumsy, but we see in it conservatism changing from its Eusebian to a Semiarian phase — from fear of Sabellianism to fear of Arianism. They won a complete victory at the Court, and sent Eudoxius and the rest into exile. This however was too much. The exiles were soon recalled, and the strife began again more bitterly than ever.
Here was a deadlock. All parties had failed. The Anomoeans were active enough, but pure Arianism was hopelessly discredited throughout the Empire. The Nicenes had Egypt and the West, but they could not overcome the Court and Asia. The Eastern Semiarians were the strongest party, but such men of violence could not close the strife. In this deadlock nothing was left but specious charity and colourless indefiniteness; and this was the plan of the new Homoean party, formed by Acacius and Eudoxius in the East, Ursacius and Vaiens in the West.
A general council was decided on; but it was divided into two — the Westerns to meet at Ariminum, the Easterns at Seleucia in Cilicia, the headquarters of the army then operating against the Isaurians. Meanwhile parties began to group themselves afresh. The Anomoeans went with the Homoeans, from whom alone they could expect any favour, while the Semiarians drew closer to the Nicenes, and were welcomed by Hilary of Poitiers in his conciliatory de Synodis. The next step was a small meeting of Homoean and Semiarian leaders, held in the emperor's presence on Pentecost Eve (22 May 359) to draw up a creed to be laid before the councils. The dated creed (or fourth of Sirmium) is conservative in its appeals to Scripture, in its solemn reverence for the Lord, in its rejection of essence as not found in Scripture, and in its insistence on the mystery of the eternal generation.
But its central clause gave a decisive advantage to the Homoeans. “We say that the Son is like the Father in all things as the Scriptures say and teach.” Even the Anomoeans could sign this. “Like the Father as the Scriptures say — and no further; and we find very little likeness taught in Scripture. Like the Father if you will, but not like God, for no creature can be. Like the Father certainly, but not in essence, for likeness which is not identity implies difference — or in other words, likeness is a question of degree.” Of these three replies, the first is fair, the third perfectly sound.
The reception of the creed was hostile in both councils. The Westerns at Ariminum rejected it, deposed the Homoean leaders, and ratified the Nicene Creed. In the end however they accepted the Sirmian, but with the addition of a stringent series of anathemas against Arianism, which Vaiens accepted — for the moment. The Easterns at Seleucia rejected it likewise, deposed the Homoean leaders, and ratified the Lucianic creed. Both sides sent deputies to the emperor, as had been arranged; and after much pressure, these deputies signed a revision of the dated creed on the night of 31 Dec. 359.
The Homoeans now saw their way to final victory. By throwing over the Anomoeans and condemning their leader Aetius, they were able to enforce the prohibition of the Semiarian of the essence, and then it only remained to revise the dated creed again for a council held at Constantinople in Feb. 360, and send the Semiarian leaders into exile.
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