Hilary of Poitiers, who, though still an exile, had
been summoned with the rest. The Semiarians welcomed him, and received
him to full communion.

[Sidenote: Its proceedings.]

Next morning the first sitting was held. The Homoeans began by
proposing to abolish the Nicene creed in favour of one to be drawn up in
scriptural language. Some of them argued in defiance of their own
Sirmian creed, that 'generation is unworthy of God. The Lord is
creature, not Son, and his generation is nothing but creation.' The
Semiarians, however, had no objection to the Nicene creed beyond the
obscurity of the word _of one essence_. The still more important _of the
essence of the Father_ seems to have passed without remark. Towards
evening Silvanus of Tarsus proposed to confirm the Lucianic creed, which
was done next morning by the Semiarians only. On the third day the Count
Leonas, who represented the Emperor, read a document given him by
Acacius, which turned out to be the dated creed revised afresh and with
a new preface. In this the Homoeans say that they are far from
despising the Lucianic creed, though it was composed with reference to
other controversies. The words _of one essence_ and _of like essence_
are next rejected because they are not found in Scripture, and the new
Anomoean _unlike_ is anathematized--'but we clearly confess the
likeness of the Son to the Father, according to the apostle's words, Who
is the image of the invisible God.' There was a hot dispute on the
fourth day, when Acacius explained the likeness as one of will only, not
extending to essence, and refused to be bound by his own defence of the
Lucianic creed against Marcellus. Semiarian horror was not diminished
when an extract was read from an obscene sermon preached by Eudoxius at
Antioch. At last Eleusius broke in upon Acacius--'Any hole-and-corner
doings of yours at Sirmium are no concern of ours. Your creed is not the
Lucianic, and that is quite enough to condemn it.' This was decisive.
Next morning the Semiarians had the church to themselves, for the
Homoeans, and even Leonas, refused to come. 'They might go and chatter
in the church if they pleased.' So they deposed Acacius, Eudoxius,
George of Alexandria, and six others.

[Sidenote: Athanasius _de Synodis_.]

The exiled patriarch of Alexandria was watching from his refuge in the
desert, and this was the time he chose for an overture of friendship to
his old conservative enemies. If he was slow to see