The history of the church from our Lords incarnation, to the twelth year of the Emperour Maricius Tiberius, or the Year of Christ 594 / as it was written in Greek, by Eusebius Pamphilius ..., Socrates Scholasticus, and Evagrius Scholasticus ... ; made English from that edition of these historians, which Valesius published at Paris in the years 1659, 1668, and 1673 ; also, The life of Constantine in four books, written by Eusibius Pamphilus, with Constantine's Oration to the convention of the saints, and Eusebius's Speech in praise of Constantine, spoken at his tricennalia ; Valesius's annotations on these authors, are done into English, and set at their proper places in the margin, as likewise a translation of his account of their lives and writings ; with two index's, the one, of the principal matters that occur in the text, the other, of those contained in the notes.

CHAP. VI. How Alexander Bishop of Constantinople, at his death, proposed Paulus and Macedonius to be elected into his Bishoprick.

AT the very same time, the City Constan∣tinople was involved in another tumult (which followed on the neck of those [distur∣bances] we have before related,) raised upon this account. a 1.1 Alexander, who presided over the Churches in that City, [a Prelate] that had couragiously opposed Arius, departed out of this life, after he had spent twenty three years in that Bishoprick, and had lived ninety eight years compleat, having ordained no body [to suc∣ceed] in his place. But he commanded those to whom the power of electing belonged, to make choice of one of those two whom he should name. And if they were desirous of having one that should be both skillfull in teaching, and also of an approved piety and uprightness of life, [he advised them] to make choise of Paulus, one that he had ordained Presbyter; a person that was a young man indeed in respect of his age, but old in understanding and prudence. But if they would rather have one commendable for an ex∣ternal shew of piety only, they might elect b 1.2 Mace∣donius, who had long since been made a Deacon of that Church, and was now grown aged. Hereupon there hap∣ned a great contest concer∣ning the Ordination of a Bishop, which very much disturbed that Church. For the people were divided into two * 1.3 factions; the one side adhered to the Arian opinion; the other embraced the de∣terminations made at the Nicene Synod. And as long as Alexander continued alive, the † 1.4 Ho∣moöusian party prevailed; the Arians disagreeing, and contending daily amongst themselves con∣cerning their own opinion. But after Alexan∣ders death, the success of the peoples contest was dubious. Therefore, the Homoöusian party proposed Paulus to be ordained Bishop: but those that embraced Arianism, were very earnest to have Macedonius elected. And in the Church called c 1.5 Irene (which is near that Church now named The Great Church, and the Church of Sophia,) Paulus is ordained Bishop; in which [election] the suffrage of Alexander, then dead, seemed to have prevailed.

Notes

• a 1.1

  Socrates mistakes here, (and all those that follow him,) in placing the death of Alexander Bishop of Constantinople on the Consulate of Acindynus and Proclus, in the year of Christ 340. In the second book of my Ecclesiastick Ob∣servations upon Socrates and Sozomen [The Learned Reader will meet with Valesius's Ecclesiastick Observations on Socrates and Sozomen, at the close of Valesius's second Volume of the Greek Ecclesiastick Histo∣rians; he may find this matter discussed at the first chapter of the second book of those Observations.] I have by most evident argu∣ments demonstrated, that Alexander Bishop of Constantinople died in the Reign of Constantine the Great, and that Paul succeeded him, during the Reign of the said Constantine. Baronius, who places Alex∣anders death on the year of Christ 340, does manifestly contradict him∣self. For he says, that the Synod of the Bishops of Egypt (which was summoned to confute the calumnies brought against Athanasius by the Eusebian faction,) was convened in the year of Christ 339. But those Bishops do expresly attest, in their Synodick Epistle, that at that very time Eusebius had left Nicomedia, and had lept into the Constantino∣politan See. 'Tis needless to quote the words of that Epistle here, in regard they are produced by Baronius himself, at the year of Christ 340. Now, if Eusebius had gotten the See of Constantinople in the year of Christ 339. Alexander must necessarily be supposed to have been dead before this year. Vales.
• b 1.2

  This person was afterwards promoted to the degree of Pres∣byter under Paul Bishop of Con∣stantinople, and accused his own Bishop, as Athanasius relates, in his Epistle ad Solitar. Vales.
• * 1.3

  Parts.
• † 1.4

  That is, those that owned Christ to be of the same sub∣stance or essence with the Father.
• c 1.5

  There were two Churches of this name in Constanti∣nople, the one called the Old, the other the New Irene; as it is recorded in the Life of Paul the Constantinopolitan Bishop, which Photius relates in his Bib∣liotheca. Moreover, the Old Church called Irene was contiguous to the Great Church, which was afterwards named Sophia: nor had it separate Clergy-men; but the Clergy of the Great Church by turns ministred in that Church. The Emperour Justinian informs us of this, in the third Novell. In the old description of Constantinople, which is pre∣fixt before the Notitia Imperii Romani, this is called the Old Church, and 'tis placed in the second ward of the City together with the Great Church. The Church Irene (to wit, The New Irene,) is recounted in the seventh ward of that City. Socrates hath made mention of The Old Irene, in his first Book, chap. 37. It is termed the Church of Saint Irene, after the same manner that the Church Sophia is called Saint Sophia; not that there was a Virgin, or Martyr, called by that name. Vales.