The History of Persecution, from the Patriarchal Age, to the Reign of George IIChandler, Samuel
History
The History of Persecution, from the Patriarchal Age, to the Reign of George II
Chandler, Samuel
Persecution -- Great Britain; Persecution -- History
Arcadius and Honorius,[170] the sons and successors of Theodosius,
embraced the orthodox religion and party, and confirmed all the decrees
of the foregoing emperors in their favour. Soon after their accession to
the imperial dignity, Nectarius bishop of Constantinople died, and John,
called for his eloquence Chrysostom, was ordained in his room: he was a
person of a very rigid and severe temper, an enemy to heretics, and
against allowing them any toleration. Gaina, one of the principal
officers of Arcadius, and who was a Christian of the Arian persuasion,
desired of the emperor one church for himself, and those of his opinion,
within the city. Chrysostom being informed of it, immediately went to
the palace, taking with him all the bishops he could find at
Constantinople; and in the presence of the emperor bitterly inveighed
against Gaina, who was himself at the audience, and reproached him for
his former poverty, as also with insolence and ingratitude. Then he
produced the law that was made by Theodosius, by which heretics were
forbidden to hold assemblies within the walls of the city; and turning
to the emperor, persuaded him to keep in force all the laws against
heretics; adding, that it was better voluntarily to quit the empire,
than to be guilty of the impiety of betraying the house of God.
Chrysostom carried his point, and the consequence of it was an
insurrection of the Goths, in the city of Constantinople; which had like
to have ended in the burning the imperial palace, and the murder of the
emperor, and did actually end in the cutting off all the Gothic
soldiers, and the burning of their church, with great numbers of persons
in it, who fled thither, for safety, and were locked in to prevent their
escape. His violent treatment of several bishops,[171] and. the
arbitrary manner of his deposing them, and substituting others in their
room, contrary to the desires and prayers of the people, is but too full
a proof of his imperious temper, and love of power. Not content with
this, he turned his eloquence against the empress Eudoxia, and in a set
oration inveighing against bad women, he expressed himself in such a
manner, as that both his friends and enemies believed that the invective
was chiefly levelled against her. This so enraged her that she soon
procured his deposition and banishment. Being soon after restored, he
added new provocations to the former, by rebuking the people for certain
diversions they took at a place where the statue of the empress was
erected. This she took for an insult on her person, and when Chrysostom
knew her displeasure on this account, he used more severe expressions
against her than before, saying, “Herodias is enraged again; she raises
fresh disturbances, and again desires the head of John in a charger.” On
this and other accounts he was deposed and banished by a synod convened
for that purpose, bishops being always to be had in those days easily,
to do what was desired or demanded of them by the emperors.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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