A Dictionary of Greek and Roman biography and mythology

Smith, William

A Dictionary of Greek and Roman biography and mythology. William Smith, LLD, ed. 1890

of DORYLAEUM, born at the end of the fifth century, began his public life aa layman, and held an office about the imperial court of Constantinople, which gave him the title of Agens in Rebus. One day, as Nestorius, then bishop of Constantinople, was preaching against the propriety of applying the term Θεοτόκος to the Virgin Mary, and waits maintaining at once the eternal generation of the divine Logos, and the human birth of the Man Jesus, a voice cried out, "No, the Eternal Word Himself submitted to the second birth." scene of great confusion followed, and an active opposition to the Nestorian doctrine began. There is little doubt that the voice proceeded from Eusebius. (See the question discussed by Neander Kirchengesch. vol. ii. p. 1073, note.) On another occasion, he produced in church an act of accusation against Nestorius, whom he denounced as reviving the heresies of Paul of Samosata. (Leontius, contra, Nestorian. et Eutych. iii.) The interest which he took in this controversy probably induced him to alter his profession, and to enter into holy orders. He afterwards became bishop of Dorylaeum. a town in Phrygia on the river Thymbrius (a feeder of the Sangarius), not far from the Bithynian frontier. In this office he was among the first to defend against Eutyches the doctrine of Christ's twofold nature, as he had already maintained against Nestorius the unity of His person. He first privately admonished Eutyches of his error; but, as he failed in convincing him, lie first denounced him at a synod summoned by Flavius, bishop of Constantinople, and then proceeded to the council which Theodosius had summoned to meet at Ephesus, to declare the Catholic belief on the point mooted by Eutyches. The assembly met A. D. 449 under the presidency of Dioscurus, bishop of Alexandria, a partizan of Eutyches. It was disgraced by scenes of the greatest violence, which gained for it the title of σύνοδος λῃστρική, and besides sanctioning the monophysite doctrine, it decreed the deposition of Eusebius. But Leo the Great, bishop of Rome, interfered and prevailed upon Marcian, the successor of Theodosius, to convene another general council to revise the decrees of this disorderly assembly. It met at Chalcedon, A. D. 451, and Eusebius presented a petition at it addressed to Marcian and his colleague Valentinian. He was restored to his see, and the doctrine of Eutyches finally condemned. A Contesltaio adverusus Nestorium by Eusebius is extant in a Latin translation amongst the works of Marius Mercator, part ii. p. 18. There are also a Libellsus adversns Eutycheten Synodo Contantinopolitano oblatus (Concil. vol. iv. p. 151), Libellus adversus Dioscurum Synodo Chalcedonensi oblatus (ib. p. 380), and Epistola ad Marcianum Imperatorem (ib. p. 95), (Evagrius, Hist. Eccl. 2.4; Cave, Hist. Lit. vol. i.; Neander, l.c. and vol. ii. p. 959.)

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