Nicene and Post-Nicene Church Fathers Series 2 - The Still Small ...

To Count Terentius.
thanking God for granting us to think and say the same thing, we rose up to go to prayer.
In addition to this I ought to have got some written statement from him, so that his assent
might be made known to his opponents and the proof of his opinion might be sufficient for
the rest. But I was myself anxious, with the desire for great exactitude, to meet my brother
Theodotus, to get a written statement of the faith from him, and to propose it to Eustathius;
that so both objects might be obtained at once, the confession of the right faith by Eustathius
and the complete satisfaction of Theodotus and his friends, and they would have no
ground for objection after the acceptance of their own propositions. But Theodotus, before
learning why we were met and what had been the result of our intercourse, decided not to
allow us to take part in the meeting. So midway on our journey we set out back again, disappointed
that our efforts for the peace of the Churches had been counteracted.
3. After this, when I was compelled to undertake a journey into Armenia, knowing the
man’s character, and with the view both of making my own defence before a competent
witness, for what had taken place and of satisfying him, I travelled to Getasa, into the territory
of the very godly bishop Meletius, the aforementioned Theodotus being with me; and while
there, on being accused by him of my communication with Eustathius, I told him that the
result of our intercourse was my finding Eustathius to be in all things in agreement with
myself. Then he persisted that Eustathius, after leaving me, had denied this and asseverated
to his own disciples that he had never come to any agreement with me about the faith. I,
therefore, combated this statement; and see, O most excellent man, if the answer I made
was not most fair and most complete. I am convinced, I said, judging from the character
of Eustathius, that he cannot thus lightly be turning from one direction to another, now
confessing now denying what he said; that a man, shunning a lie, even in any little matter,
as an awful sin, is not likely to choose to run counter to the truth in matters of such vast
importance and so generally notorious: but if what is reported among you turns out to be
true, he must be confronted with a written statement containing the complete exposition
of the right faith; then, if I find him ready to agree in writing, I shall continue in communion
with him; but, if I find that he shrinks from the test, I shall renounce all intercourse with
him. The bishop Meletius agreed to these arguments, and the brother Diodorus the presbyter,
who was present, and then the right reverend brother Theodotus, assented, and invited me
to go to Nicopolis, both to visit the Church there, and to keep him company as far as Satala.
But he left me at Getasa, and, when I reached Nicopolis, forgetting all that he heard from
me, and the agreement he had made with me, dismissed me, disgraced by the insults and
dishonours which I have mentioned.
4. How, then, right honourable sir, was it possible for me to perform any of the in
junctions laid on me, and to provide bishops for Armenia? How could I act, when the sharer
of my responsibilities was thus disposed towards me,—the very man by whose aid I was
expecting to be able to find suitable persons, because of his having in his district reverend
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