74. Arrival of George at Alexandria, and proceedings of Constantius in Italy.
Again he transferred from Cappadocia to Milan one Auxentius 1, an intruder rather than a Christian, whom he commanded to stay there, after he had banished for his piety towards Christ Dionysius the Bishop of the place, a godly man. But this person was as yet even ignorant of the Latin language, and unskilful in everything except impiety. And now one George, a Cappadocian, who was contractor of stores 2 at Constantinople, and having embezzled all monies that he received, was obliged to fly, he commanded to enter Alexandria with military pomp, and supported by the authority of the General. Next, finding one Epictetus 3 a novice, a bold young man, he loved him 4, perceiving that he was ready for wickedness; and by his means he carries on his designs against those of the Bishops whom he desires to ruin. For he is prepared to do everything that the Emperor wishes; who accordingly availing himself of his assistance, has committed at Rome a strange act, but one truly resembling the malice of Antichrist. Having made preparations in the Palace instead of the Church, and caused some three of his own eunuchs to attend instead of the people, he then compelled three 5 ill-conditioned spies 6(https://bkv.unifr.ch/works/298/versions/1502/scans/for one cannot call them Bishops) , to ordain forsooth as Bishop one Felix 7, a man worthy of them, then in the Palace. For the people perceiving the iniquitous proceedings of the heretics would not allow them to enter the Churches 8, and withdrew themselves far from them.
Cf.de Syn.§§1, 8, andEp. Æg.7. ↩
Cf. supr. §56, note 8. ↩
Epictetus above, p. 226, is called ὑποκρίτης , which Montfaucon translated ‘stage-player.’ It is a question whether more than ‘actor’ is meant by it, alluding to the mockery of an ordination in which he seems to have taken part. Though an Asiatic apparently by birth, he was made Bishop of Civita Vecchia. We hear of him at the conference between Constantius and Liberius. Theod.H. E.ii. 13. Then he assists in the ordination of Felix. Afterwards he made a martyr of S. Ruffinian by making him run before his carriage; and he ends his historical career by taking a chief part among the Arians at Ariminum. vid. Tillem. t. vi. p. 380. &c. Ughell.Ital.t. 10. p. 56. ↩
The Greek is ᾽Επικτητόν τινα … νεώτερον … ἠγάπησεν, ὁρῶν, κ. τ. λ . So in the account of the νεανίσκος, ῾Ο δὲ ᾽Ιησοῦς ἐμβλέψας αὐτῷ, ἠγάπησεν αὐτόν . Mark x. 21 . ↩
i.e. to keep up the canonical number; and cf. the case of Novatian, in Euseb.H. E.vi. 43. On the custom, vid. Bingh.Antiqu.ii. 11, §4. ↩
§48, note 5. ↩
Cf. Tillemont,Mem.t. 6. p. 778. Bolland.Catal. Pontif.ch. 21. p. 390. [Döllinger, ‘Fables respecting the Popes;’ D.C.B. ii. 480. Felix figures in the middle ages as the orthodox rival of the ‘Arian’ Liberius.] ↩
Cf. Theod.Hist.ii. 17. ↩
