Section 500
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18 COUNCIL OF NICE. trine, and to support it by suitable proofs. But no sooner had they begun to speak, than they seemed to be at variance with themselves ; they remained confounded, and seeing the absurdity of their heresy, confessed their shame by their silence.* The bishops having refuted their allegations, explained the holy doc trine of the Church. The emperor patiently listened to these dis putes, which were agitated at first with considerable warmth. He gave great attention, says Eusebius, to what was advanced on either side ; and sometimes reproving, sometimes encouraging the speakers, he moderated by degrees the violence of the con tending parties. He spake kindly to every one in the Greek lan guage, with which he was not unacquainted, gaining over some of them to his opinion by the strength of his arguments, and softening others by his entreaties. He commended those who spake judiciously, persuaded them all to concord, and reduced them at last to an agreement on the contested points.t ' A letter of Eusebius of Nicomedia was read in the council, which evidently contained the heretical opinion, and discovered the management of the party. It excited so much indignation that it was rent in pieces, and Eusebius was overwhelmed with confusion,* He says, among other things, that if the Son of God was acknowledged to. be uncreated, it would be necessary to ad mit, that he was consubstantial with the Father. § It has been thought that this was the letter to Paulinus of Tyre, in which the same idea is expressed in other words. I! The Arians also pre sented to the council a confession of faith, which was torn on being read, and pronounced to be spurious and false. A great outcry was raised against them, and they were generally accused \ * Athan. de decretis, p. 251. t Bus. III. 13. t Eustath. as quoted by Theodoret. I. 8. § According to Ambrose, occasion was taken from this expression of Euse bius, which discovered so great a dread of the word consubstantial, to adopt that formidable term against the Arians. " Hoc verbum posuerunt patres, quod vide. runt adversariis esss formidini ; ut tanquam evaginato ab ipsis gladio, ipsura nefandoe caput heroeseos amputarent." de fide L. III. c. 7. 11 Documents, D. # So