Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, Series 1, Vol. 2 (Augustine: City of God, Christian Doctrine)

The one essential article in his faith was the doctrine of the Trinity; all other points were subordinate. Even concerning the Trinity, he would have accepted a much less rigid definition than the one proposed at Nicaea. However, because the Nicene definition had been generally adopted by the church, he found himself defending it against Arianism as well as against all sorts of compromises. He believed in the inspiration of the great synods just as he did in the inspiration of the Scriptures, and he was satisfied to accept the decisions of the former without questioning, just as he accepted the teachings of the latter. He was not, however, overly concerned with the logical consequences of his theological positions; he was ready to abandon them for sufficient reasons outside of theology. His warm defense of Origen and his criticism of Methodius, Eustathius, Apollinaris, and Theophilus VI, 13, 17; VII, 45. for attempting to belittle the great Alexandrian scholar show how his admiration for a genius influenced and modified his judgments. He considered all disputes over dogmatic statements to be unnecessary and harmful, resulting from misunderstandings. This was primarily because the parties in the dispute did not take pains to understand one another, and perhaps did not desire to do so because of personal jealousies or long-standing private hatreds I. 23; see also II. 40, end: "but as for how these things stand," etc.. He was willing to refer such legitimate questions on doctrinal points to the clergy for decision, and he was never hesitant to confess his ignorance and incompetence in dealing with theological refinements.

He provides a cogent defense of the use of pagan writings by Christians III. 16., arguing that some pagan writers were not far from the knowledge of the true God; that Paul himself had read and used their works; that neglecting or refusing to use them would only lead to ignorance and an inability to debate with pagans; that St. Paul’s instruction to "prove all things, hold fast that which is good" 1 Thessalonians 5:21, which he combines with Colossians 2:8. According to Socrates, the latter passage can only be acted upon as the basis for knowing that philosophy which must be guarded against as vain. and Jesus Christ's command to "be ye approved bankers" Original: "Γίνεσθε δόκιμοι τραπεζῖται." This saying is sometimes attributed to Paul, but more usually to Jesus. It appears in Clement, Homilies II. 51; III. 50; XVIII. 20; Apostolic Constitutions 36, 37; Epiphanius, Heresies 44. 2; Origen (in John) IV. 283; Clement of Alexandria, Stromata I. 28; Eusebius, Church History VII. 7, 3. gave distinct support to the study of the whole field of knowledge; and that whatever is worth studying in non-Christian literature can be separated from the rest and recognized as the truth. Socrates himself was familiar, to varying degrees, with the works of Sophocles, Euripides, Plato, and Xenophon among the classic writers, in addition to those of Porphyry, Libanius, Julian, and Themistius from a later period, and perhaps many others.

One more characteristic of Socrates must be mentioned: his respect for the church and its institutions. He held clergymen in high regard by virtue of their ordination. Although, as already shown, he occasionally expressed criticism of the highest dignitaries, such as Chrysostom and Cyril of Alexandria, the person of a bishop or presbyter was, in a certain sense, surrounded by a sense of the sacred for him. Monks were models of piety. In his eulogy of Theodosius the Younger VII. 22., he compares the emperor's devotion to that of the monks, setting the latter, of course, as the highest standard in that regard. But even regarding the ordinances of the church, his respect was not slavish or superstitious. He advocates extremely broad views regarding the observance of Easter, considering a very precise determination of the date to be too formalistic to be consistent with the liberty of the New Dispensation. Similarly, regarding many other church ceremonies, he takes pains to show—by describing the various ways they were performed in different regions—that they were not essential, but of subordinate importance V. 22..

III. SOCRATES' ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY.

UNTIL the beginning of the fourth century, history-writing remained a pagan science. With the exception of the Acts of the Apostles and its apocryphal imitations, no attempt had been made to record the annals of the Christian Church.