The Ecclesiastical History of Evagrius Scholasticus - Coptic ...

ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY: BOOK III 169
what objective and in pursuit of what enmity towards Flavian
we know not, but, as many relate, on pretext of the faith ^
began to agitate against him and to slander him as a
Nestorian. 100 When that man had anathematized Nestorius
along with his ideas, he switched again from him to
Dioscorus, 101 and Theodore, and Theodoret, and Ibas, and
Cyrus, and Eutherius, and John, and we know not who else or
from where he collected them. 102 Whereas some of these in
reality propagated the views of Nestorius, others, although suspected,
anathematized him and [128] were laid to rest in the
communion of the Church. He said: ‘If you do not anathematize
all these who held the opinions of Nestorius, you will share the
views of Nestorius even though you anathematize him and his
views ten thousand times.’ By missives he also stirred up the followers
of Dioscorus and supporters of Eutyches, persuading
them to join him in opposition to Flavian, not however to
demand an anathema of the Synod but only of the aforementioned
individuals.
After Bishop Flavian had resisted these for some time and
others had become involved with Xena|«as against him, Eleusinus,
a bishop of Cappadocia Secunda, Nicias of Syrian Laodicaea,
Philoxenus; for Monophysites, the deposition of Dioscorus was one of the key errors of
Chalcedon.
100 Flavian had been chosen by the emperor as patriarch of Antioch in 498 because,
though Chalcedonian by inclination, he accepted Zeno’s Henoticon, and so was a suitable
appointment for a see that embraced a wide variety of Christological views. For Philoxenus,
the Henoticon was no more than a starting point on the road towards complete rejection of
Chalcedon; his main challenge to Flavian began in 508.
101 Diodorus (of Tarsus) must be substituted for Dioscorus, who had been one of Nestorius’
¢ercest enemies. Diodorus was held responsible for the education of both Nestorius
and Theodore (cf. i. n. 21 above).
102 Theodore of Mopsuestia, Theodoret of Cyrrhus and Ibas of Edessa were all leading
Antiochene theologians with doctrinal views similar to those of Diodorus and Nestorius;
the orthodoxy of both Theodoret and Ibas had been upheld at Chalcedon (cf. ii. n. 69
above), though the trio constituted the basis for the Three Chapters controversy of Justinian’s
reign (see iv.38). Cyrus, Eutherius and John are otherwise unknown, but are also included
in the comprehensive anathemas of Monophysite enemies in the introductory speech
of Severus and the letter of Anthimus to Severus (Kugener, ‘Allocution’ 276^7; ps.-Zach.
ix.21, p. 275, who adds Paul of Samosata, Photinus, Andrew, Alexander of Hierapolis, Irenaeus
the twice-married and Barsauma the Persian).