A new history of ecclesiastical writers containing an account of the authors of the several books of the Old and New Testament, of the lives and writings of the primitive fathers, an abridgement and catalogue of their works ... also a compendious history of the councils, with chronological tables of the whole / written in French by Lewis Ellies du Pin.

Of the COUNCIL of Ariminum.

WHile these things were a-doing in the East, the Western Bishops assembled from all Parts * 1.1 to Ariminum. The Emperour had sent his Letters Mandatory for them, and provided for them publick Carriage, and Money for performing their Journey; but the Bishops of France and Britain thought it below them to accept of these Offers, and chose rather to travel at their own Ex∣pence. There came about 400 to the Synod, which began about the Month of July in the Year 359. Ur∣sacius and Valens proposed there the Creed which was made a little before at Sirmium; but the Council confin'd themselves to that of Nice, and would not receive any other. This it declared by a solemn Decree which was sign'd by all the Bishops, and to it they subjoined Anathematisms against the Error of Arius, which are related at the end of St. Hilary's Fragments. Ursacius, Valens, Germinius and De∣mophilus refusing to acquiesce in this Definition, were condemn'd by the unanimous consent of all the Bishops. Matters being thus determined in the Council to the advantage of the Faith of the Church, the Bishops sent Deputies to Constantius with a Letter, wherein they give him an account of

what they had done: But on the other side Ursacius, Valens and their followers, sent also Deputies to the Emperour, and having much greater Interest in the Emperour, they prepossess'd him, and hin∣dred him from giving audience to the Deputies of the Synod. And so he did nothing but write back to them, that he had not time to hear the Twenty Deputies which the Synod had sent to him, be∣cause he was obliged to go against the Pers•…•…s; and that he had given them Order to wait till his Re∣turn to Adrianople, because he would examine Matters of Religion with a Mind calm and disengaged from all other Business. The Council answer'd him, That they would never depart from what they had done, and they earnestly prayed him to permit the Bishops to return to their Churches before the rigour of the Winter. In the mean time, the Deputies of the Council assembled at Nice, a City of Thrace, and declared all that was done at Ariminum, null and void. Ursacius, Valens, and Germinius, approved a Confession perfectly like that of Sirmium, wherein they declare▪ That the Son of God is like his Father in all things, and reject the Terms of Substance and Hypostasis▪ Urs••cius and Valens recited this Confession o•• Faith at Ariminum, and the Emperour sent his Commands to the Gover∣nour, that he should not suffer any Bishop to go away till he had Sign'd it, and gave Order to lend those into banishment who should continue Obstinate, provided they were no more than Fifteen. At first they all testified much Constancy, but by little and little they suffer'd themselves to be overcome through Emulation, and the greatest part of them Sign'd the Confession of Faith: There were but Twenty that held out to the last▪ but in the end they were overcome also, and Sign'd as well as the others. Nevertheless some of them, as Phegadius Bishop of Tongres, added Professions of Faith to their Sub∣scriptions, wherein they expresly condemn the Heresy of Arius. When all the Bishops had Sign'd the Confession of Faith, they wrote to the Emperour, that they had fully satisfied his Commands, by agreeing with those of the East, and rejecting the Word, Substance; and therefore they prayed him earnestly to give Order to the Governour to suffer them to go to their Churches. The Emperour gave them leave: And thus ended this Council, whose beginning was Glorious, and end Deplorable.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Of Arimi∣num, 359.