Auxentius of Milan

He doomed three to fight with one another.

Auxentius, a venerable old saint, he condemned to the beasts.

Some of them he condemned to the mines after he had made them eunuchs.

Others, after bitter torments, he threw into prison again.

Themistius, the pagan philosopher, was struck with the cruelty of Valens, and while he insinuated that perhaps God was delighted with the diversity of sentiments in the world concerning him, he entreated the emperor not to persecute any longer.

This is one instance of the illegitimate charity, now so common in the world, which founds the principles of moderation on skepticism, instead of that divine love which is the glory of the Christian religion.

Auxentius, the Arian bishop of Milan, being opposed by Eusebius of Vercellae and by Hilary of Poitiers, imposed on Valentinian by a dexterous use of those ambiguities of speech in which the Arians all along excelled.

Nor is it to be wondered at that Valentinian should be deceived, since even to this day the patrons of Arianism, by largely dwelling on the perfections of the Son of God, with a cautious omission of the term consubstantial, in a similar way frequently prevail on many who do not or will not understand the true grounds of the controversy, to suppose that the difference of opinion is merely verbal.

He doomed three to fight with one another.

Auxentius, a venerable old saint, he condemned to the beasts.

Some of them he condemned to the mines after he had made them eunuchs.

Others, after bitter torments, he threw into prison again.

Themistius, the pagan philosopher, was struck with the cruelty of Valens, and while he insinuated that perhaps God was delighted with the diversity of sentiments in the world concerning him, he entreated the emperor not to persecute any longer.

This is one instance of the illegitimate charity, now so common in the world, which founds the principles of moderation on skepticism instead of that divine love which is the glory of the Christian religion.

Auxentius, the Arian bishop of Milan, being opposed by Eusebius of Vercellae and by Hilary of Poitiers, imposed on Valentinian by a dexterous use of those ambiguities of speech in which the Arians all along excelled.

Nor is it to be wondered at that Valentinian should be deceived, since even to this day the patrons of Arianism, by largely dwelling on the perfections of the Son of God, with a cautious omission of the term consubstantial, in a similar way frequently prevail on many, who do not or will not understand the true grounds of the controversy, to suppose that the difference of opinion is merely verbal.

He doomed three to fight with one another.

Auxentius, a venerable old saint, he condemned to the beasts.

Some of them he condemned to the mines after he had made them eunuchs.

Others, after bitter torments, he threw into prison again.

Themistius, the pagan philosopher, was struck with the cruelty of Valens, and while he insinuated that perhaps God was delighted with the diversity of sentiments in the world concerning him, he entreated the emperor not to persecute any longer.

This is one instance of the illegitimate charity, now so common in the world, which founds the principles of moderation on skepticism instead of that divine love which is the glory of the Christian religion.

Auxentius, the Arian bishop of Milan, being opposed by Eusebius of Vercellae and by Hilary of Poitiers, imposed on Valentinian by a dexterous use of those ambiguities of speech in which the Arians all along excelled.

Nor is it to be wondered at that Valentinian should be deceived, since even to this day the patrons of Arianism, by largely dwelling on the perfections of the Son of God, with a cautious omission of the term consubstantial, in a similar way frequently prevail on many who do not or will not understand the true grounds of the controversy, to suppose that the difference of opinion is merely verbal.

And admired those who signed it.

Because if there had been left among them any bitter plant springing up from the root of the Arians, we mean Auxentius and Ursacius and Valens, and those who think as they do, such persons were by means of their writings cut off and cast away.

Enough then and sufficient in themselves, as we said before, were the conclusions arrived at in Nicea, for the overthrow of every impious heresy, and for the security and advancement of the doctrine of the church.

But since we have heard that some persons are minded to fight against that doctrine, and attempt to bring forward the name of a certain council as held at Ariminum, and contend that it, rather than the Nicene Council, should be held authoritative, we deem it necessary to write and admonish you not to tolerate such men as these, for this is nothing else than a new offshoot of the Arian heresy.

For those who do refer to the Arminian seem not to be aware of what was done at it.

Otherwise, they would have been silent.

For you know, beloved, having yourselves been informed by those who went from your country to Ariminum, how Ursacius and Valens, Eudoxius and Auxentius, and Demophilus was there with them, were deposed for having desired to adopt some other formulary than the Nicene.

When also being called upon to anathematize the Arian heresy, they declined to do so and chose rather to be its patrons.