Valerian, Bishop, said; 'Do not press Palladius so much: he cannot confess our truths with simplicity. For his conscience is confused with a twofold blasphemy: he was ordained by the Photinians and was condemned with them, and now he shall be condemned more fully.'
Palladius said; 'Prove it.'
Sabinus, Bishop, said; 'He would not have denied that Christ is true if he were not following his own teachers.'
50. AMBROSE, Bishop, said; 'You have objected to me that I am impious: prove it.'
Palladius said; 'We will bring forward our statement, and when we have brought it, then the discussion shall be held.'
Ambrose, Bishop, said; 'Condemn the impiety of Arius.'
Palladius being silent,
Eusebius, Bishop, said; 'He dwells upon useless subjects. There are so many impieties of Arius, which Palladius has not chosen to condemn, nay rather has confessed by supporting. He who does not condemn Arius is like him, and is rightly to be called a heretic.'
All the Bishops said; 'On the part of us all let Palladius be anathema.'
51. AMBROSE, Bishop, said; 'Do you consent, Palladius, that the other statements of Arius be read?'
Palladius said; 'Give us arbiters: let reporters come on both sides. You cannot be judges unless we have arbitrators and unless persons come on both sides to arbitrate, we do not answer you.'
Ambrose, Bishop, said; 'What arbitrators do you wish for?'
Palladius said; 'There are here many men of high rank.'
Sabinus, Bishop, said; 'After such a number of blasphemies do you wish for arbitrators?'
Ambrose, Bishop, said; 'Bishops ought to judge of laymen: not laymen of Bishops. But tell me what judges you wish for.' |53
Palladius said; 'Let arbitrators attend.'
Chromatius, the Presbyter, said; 'Without prejudice to condemnation by the Bishops, let those also who are of Palladius' party be heard at full length.'
52. PALLADIUS said; 'They are not allowed to speak. Let arbitrators attend and reporters on both sides, and then they will answer you in a General Council.'
Ambrose, Bishop, said; 'Though he has been convicted of many impieties, yet we should blush that a person who claims the priesthood for himself should seem to have been condemned by laymen, and on this very ground and in this very point he deserves condemnation because he looks to the sentence of laymen, when priests ought rather to be the judges of laymen. Looking to what we have this day heard Palladius professing and to what he has refused to condemn, I pronounce him unworthy of the priesthood, and I judge that he should be deprived thereof in order that a Catholic may be ordained in his place.'
All the Bishops said; 'Anathema to Palladius.'
53. AMBROSE, Bishop, said; 'The most gracious and Christian Emperor has committed the cause to the judgement of the Bishops and has constituted them arbitrators of the dispute . Since therefore the decision appears to have been made over to us, so that we are the interpreters of the Scriptures, let us condemn Palladius, who has not chosen to condemn the sentiments of the impious Arius, and because he has himself denied the Son of God to be everlasting, and made the other statements which appear in our proceedings. Let him therefore be accounted Anathema.'
All the Bishops said; 'We all condemn him; let him be accounted anathema.'
54. AMBROSE, Bishop, said; 'Since all who are met here |54 are Christian men, brethren approved of God, and our fellow-bishops, let each individual say, what he thinks.'
Valerian, Bishop, said; 'My sentence is that he who defends Arius is an Arian; that he who does not condemn His blasphemies is himself a blasphemer; and therefore I judge that such a man is alien from the fellowship of Bishops.'
Palladius said; 'You have begun to play; play on. Without an Eastern Council we answer you not.'