A Dictionary of Greek and Roman biography and mythology. By various writers. Ed. by William Smith. Illustrated by numerous engravings on wood.

52 AETIUS. AETIUS.
Theodoric arrested it first by the timely relief of servant, and instructed him; but he Was dismissed
Orleans and then by the victory of Chalons in disgrace on publicly disputing against his
(Greg. Turon. ii. 7; Jornandes, de seb. Get. master's interpretation of the Scripture. The
36), and was only prevented from following up his Arian Bishop of the city, named Athanasius, resuccesses in Italy by want of support both from ceived him and read with him the Gospels. AfterValentinian and his barbarian allies. (Idatius wards he read the Epistles with Antonius, a priest
and Isidorus, in anno 450.) [ATTILA.] The of Tarsus till the promotion of the latter to the
greatness of his position as the sole stay of Episcopate, when he returned to Antioch anud
the empire, and as the sole link between Chris- studied the Prophets with the priest Leontius.
tendom and the pagan barbarians, may well have His obtrusive irreligion obliged him again to quit
given rise to the belief, whether founded or not, Antioch, and he took refuge in Cilicia (before A. D.
that he designed the imperial throne for himself 348), where he was defeated in argument by some
and a barbarian throne for his son Carpilio (Sid. of the grossest (Borborian) Gnostics. He returnApoll. Paneg. Avit. 204), and accordingly in ed to Antioch, but soon left it for Alexandria,
454, he was murdered by Valentinian himself in being led thither by the fame of the Manichee
an access of jealousy and suspicion (Procop. Bell. Aphthonius, against whom he recovered the fame
Vand. i. 4), and with him (to use the words of the for disputation which he had lately lost. He now
contemporary chronicler Marcellinus, in anno 454), resumed the study of medicine under Sopolis and
"cecidit Hesperium Imperium, nec potuit relevari." practised gratuitously, earning money by following
His physical and moral activity well fitted him his former trade by night (Phil. iii. 15) or living
for the life of a soldier (Gregor. Turon. ii. 8), and upon others. (Theodoret, Ilist. Eccl. ii. 23.) Hiu
though destitute of any high principle, he belongs chief employment, however, was an irreverent apto the class of men like Augustus and Cromwell, plication of logical figures and geometrical diawhose early crimes are obscured by the usefulness grams to the Nature of the Word of God. (S.
and glory of later life, and in whom a great and Epiphan. adv. IHaeres. ~ 2, and comp. ~ 6, p. 920.)
trying position really calls out new and unknown He returned to Antioch on the elevation of his
excellences, former master Leontius to that See, A. D. 348, and
(Renatus Frigeridus, in Gregor. Turon. ii. 8.; was by him ordained Deacon (S. Ath. ~ 38, transl.
Procop. Bell. Vand. i. 3, 4; Jornandes, de Reb. p. 136), though he declined the ordinary duties of
Get. 34, 36; Gibbon, Decline and Fall. c. 33, 35; the Diaconate and accepted that of teaching, A. D.
Herbert's Attila, p. 322.) [A. P. S.] 350. (Phil. iii. 17.) The Catholic laymen,
AE'TIUS ('Aerios), surnamed the A theit, from Diodorus and Flavian, protested against this orhis denial of the God of Revelation (St. Athanas. dination, and Leontius was obliged to depose him.
de S/nod. ~:6, p. 83, of the translation, Oxf. 1842; (Thdt. ii. 19.) His dispute with Basil of AnSocr. Hirt. Eccl. ii. 35; Sozom. Hist. Eccl. iv. 29), cyra, A. D. 351 (fin.), is the first indication of the
was born in Coele Syria (Philostorg. Hlist. Eccl. future schism in the Arian heresy. (Phil. iii. 15.)
iii. 1-5; St. Basil, adv. EuowIn. i. p. 10) at Antioch Basil incensed Gallus (who became Caesar, March,
(Soc. ii. 35;* Suidas, s. v. 'Airros), and became A. D. 351) against Aetius, and Leontius' intercesthe founder of the Anomoean (d{vopoiov) form of sion only saved the latter from death. Soon
the Arian heresy. HIe was left fatherless and in Theophilus Blemmys introduced him to Gallus (S.
poverty when a child, and became the slave of a Gr. p. 294), who made him his friend, and often
vine-dresser's wife (St. Gregory Nazianz. c. Eunom. sent him to his brother Julian when in danger of
p. 292, c,, D; but see Not. Valesii ad Philost. iii. apostacy. (Phil. iii. 17.) There is a letter from
15), then a travelling tinker (S. Gr. ibid.) or a Gallus extant, congratulating Julian on his adgoldsmith. (Phil. ibid.) Conviction in a fraud or hesion to Christianity, as he had heard from
ambition led him to abandon this life, and he ap- Aitius. (Post. Epist. Juliani, p. 158, ed. Boisson.
plied himself to medicine under a quack, and soon Mogunt. 1828.) Aetius was implicated in the
set up for himself at Antioch. (Soc. iii. 15.) murder of Domitian and Montius (see Gibbon,
From the schools of medicine being Arian, he ac- c. 19), A. D. 354 (S. Gr. p. 294, B), but his
quired a leaning towards heresy. He frequented insignificance saved him from the vengeance of
the disputatious meetings of the physicians (S. Gr. Constantius. However, he quitted Antioch for
p. 293, D) and made such progress in Eristicism, Alexandria, where St. Athanasius was maintainthat he became a paid advocate for such as wished ing Christianity against Arianism, and in A. D. 355
their own theories exhibited most advantageously. acted as Deacon under George of Cappadocia, the
On his mother's death he studied under Paulinus violent interloper into the See of St. Athanasius.
II., Arian Bishop of Antioch, A. D. 331; but his (St. Ep. 76. ~ 1; Thdt. ii. 24.) Here Eunomius
powers of disputation having exasperated 'ome in- became his pupil (Phil. iii. 20) and amanuensis.
fluential persons about Eulalius, the successor of (Soc. ii. 35.) He is said by Philostorgius (iii. 19)
Paulinus, he was obliged to quit Antioch for to have refused ordination to the Episcopate, beAnazarbas, where he resumed the trade of a gold- cause Serras and Secundus, who made the offer,
smith, A. D. 331. (Phil. iii. 15.) Here a profes- had mixed with the Catholics; in A. D. 358, when
sor of grammar noticed him, employed him as a Eudoxius became bishop of Antioch (Thdt. ii. 23),
he returned to that city, but popular feeling pre* After the first reference, the references in this vented Eudoxius from allowing him to act as Deacon.
article are thus abbreviated: - St. Athanasius, The Aetian (Eunomian, see Amius) schism now
de Synodis [S. Ath.]; St. Basil, adv. Eunomianos begins to develop itself. The bold irreligion of
[S. Bas.]; St. Gregory Nazianzen adv. Eunomian. Aetius leads a section of Arians (whom we may call
[S. Gr.] The Histories of Socrates, Sozomen, here Anti-Adtians) to accuse him to Constantius
Theodoret, and Philostorgius, the Arian panegyrist (Soz. iv. 13); they allege also his connexion with
of AQtius [Soc., Soz., Thdt., Phil.]; S. Epiphanius, Gallus, and press the emperor to summon a general
adv. Haereses [S. Ep.]. Council for the settlement of the Theological