4. The Sect

The development of the "Macedonian" sect, held to be heretical on this point, began in Alexandria. During his third exile (356-362) Athanasius hard of people who regarded the Holy Ghost as a creature, and in four letters to Bishop Serapion of Thmuis defended the hamoouaia of the Spirit as the only true doctrine. To him, after his long residence in the West (where since Tertullian this doctrine had been firmly established) it could present no difficul ties, and fell in easily with his general doctrine of the Trinity. But the case was different with the Homoiousians and with the so-called " young Ni cene " party, brought up in Origenistic traditions. Hence it was possible for Gregory Nazianzen to say about 381: " Of the wise amongst us, some hold the Holy Spirit to be a power (energeia), others a creature, others for God, and still others are unwilling to decide, out of reverence (as they say) for the Scriptures, which do not speak plainly on the matter ." The question how it came to an open breach between the supporters of the various views is im possible to answer with certainty; the decisive elements were probably the authority of Athanasius, the requirement of the Synod of Alexandria that the homoousia of the Holy Spirit should be acknowl-

113

edged, and the prompt response of Meletius of An tioch. The breach between Basil of Cæsarea and Eustathius in 373 seems to have marked a turning point in the controversy. The Pneumatomachi were regarded as semi-Ariana, and condemned as such in 381, although it is doubtful whether any of them were heterodox in their Christology. Greg ory Nazianzen, preaching in Constantinople on the Pentecost of that year, speaks of them as "sound in regard to the Son," and efforts were made to win them in a brotherly spirit by reminding them of their acceptance of the Nicene Creed-which, it must be remembered, did not attempt to define the doctrine of the Holy Spirit. Refusing to treat and leaving the council to the number of thirty-six, they were condemned as heretics, and, after fruit less negotiations in 383, became subject to the edicts of Theodosius. But Macedonius had nothing to do with the development after 360. That the Pneumatomachi in Constantinople were named after him about 380-387 was due to the fact that his disciples there, holding aloof from the dominant Homoians, were not strong enough after his death to set up a bishop of their own, and were thus still called after the man whose deposition had inaugu rated their separation from the Homoiana. In a word, it has seldom been the ill fortune of a man to win the name of a heresiarch on such alight grounds as have sufficed in the case of Macedonius. According to Socrates, none of the separatist groups were persecuted or disturbed in their worship except the Eunomiana, and Neatorius was the first, at Con atantinople and Cyzicus, to take away the churches of the "Macedonians" and thus force some of them back into the orthodox fold. The rent probably died out by degrees. See Arianism.

(F. Loofs.)

Bibliography: The sources are indicated in the text. Con sult further: the Opera of Demesne in MPL, xiii. 109 442; J. Vogt, Bibliotheca historicm harreaiologicaa, i. 1, pp. 185-199, Hamburg, 1723; F. Loofs, Euatathius von So boats, Halle, 1898; J. Gummerus, Die homtiuaianiahe Partei bia sum Tode des Konetantius, Leipsic, 1900; Nean der, Christian Church, v. 188: Moeller, Christian Church, i. 39?-393; Schaff, Christian Church, iii. 839-840, 864.