EUPHEMIA
606
EUPHROSYNE
inrip a7ro\o7io! (Defence of the Defence), written
after the death of St. Basil (1 Jan., 379), wherein he
does his best to defend more fully and by new argu-
ments his teaching concerning the nature of God.
This work was elaborately refuted by St. Gregory of
Nyssa in his lengthy " Adversus Eunomium ", of which
some twelve books have come down to us preserving
the fragmentary remains of the 'AiroXo7/a, which are
gathered in Rettberg's " Marcelliana " (Gottingen,
17114, pp. 124-147). A very full analysis of it is
found in Diekamp, " Gotteslehre des hi. Gregor von
Nyssa" (1S96), I, 123 sqq. The third extant work
is his cK^eiTis 7rIffTca?s, or "Confession of Faith",
presented by order to the Emperor Theodosius in
383. (See Arianism.)
Mason, Introduction to his Five Theological Orations of Saint Gregory Nazianzcnus (Cambridse University Press. 1899); Klose, Geschichte und Lehre des Eunomius (Kiel, 1833); New- man, Arians of the Fourth Century (3rd ed., London, 1871). 337- 352; Diekamp, Die Gotteslehre des hi. Gregor von Nyssa (Mun- ster, 1896), I, 123; Gwatkin, Studies of Arionism (London, 1882); Hefele, History of the Church Councils (tr. Edinburgh, 1876), II; DoRNER. Doctrine of the Person of Christ (Edinburgh, 1862), Div. i, vol. II, 264 sq.
Edward Myers.
Euphemia, Mother Superior Sisters op Charity. See Blenkinsop, Peter.
Euphemites. See Messalians.
Euphemius of Constantinople (490-496) succeeded as patriarch Flavitas (or Fravitas, 489-490), who succeeded Acacius (471-489). The great Acacian schism (484-519), therefore, lasted during his reign. The Emperor Zeno (474-491) had publi-shed a decree called the " Henotikon ' ' (482) that forbade in the cur- rent theological discussions any other criterion but that of Nica?a-Constantinople (ignoring the decrees of Chalcedon), carefully avoided speaking of Christ's two natures, and used ambiguous formulae that were meant to conciliate the Monophysites. The " Henoti- kon" really satisfied no one. Consistent Monophysites disliked it as much as Catholics. But Acacius at the capital, Peter Mongus of Alexandria, and Peter FuUo (CJnapheus) of Antioch, signed it. Pope Felix III (or II, 483—492) in a Roman synod of sixty-seven bishops (484) condemned the emperor's decree, deposed and excommunicated Acacius, Peter Mongus, and Peter FuUo. Acacius retorted by striking the pope's name from his diptychs and persecuted Catholics at Con- stantinople. When he died, Flavitas, his successor, applied for recognition at Rome, but in vain, since he would not give up communion with Peter Mongus. Euphemius recognized the Council of Chalcedon, re- stored the pope's name to his diptychs, and broke with Peter Mongus, who died in the year of Euphemius's accession (490). He was therefore a well-meaning person who wanted to restore the union with the Holy See. Unfortunately he still refused to erase the names of his two predecessors (Acacius and Flavitas) from the diptychs, where they occurred among the faithful departed. The pope insisted that heretics and fa- vourers of heresy should not be prayed for publicly in the Liturgy; so during the reign of Euphemius the union he desired was not brought about. But Euphe- mius was always a Catholic at heart. Before the acces- sion of the Emperor Anastasius I (491-518) he had made him sign a Catholic profession of faith (Evagrius, H. E., Ill, xxxii). After the death of Pope Felix, Euphemius wrote to his successor, GelasiusI (492-49G), again asking for intercommunion on any terms but the condemnation of Acacius. This time, too, the pope re- fused to modify his condition (Gelasii Epist.etDecret.; P. L.,LIX, 13). The patriarch had alrea<ly summoned a synod at Constantinople in which he confirmed the decrees of Chalcedon (Mansi, VII, 1180). Eventually he fell foul of the emperor. A war against (he Bulgars and Slavs was then going on, and Euphemius was accused of treason by revealing the emperor's plans to
his enemies. A soldier tried, unsuccessfully, to mur-
der the patriarch, apparently by order of Anastasius.
The emperor further wanted to have back his written
profession of faith, which Euphemius refused to give
up. So he was deposed (496) in spite of the resistance
of the people, and Macedonius II (496-511) was ap-
pointed successor. Macedonius seems to have been
unwilling to take his place and refused to wear patri-
archal vestments in his presence. Euphemius was
exiled to Asia Minor and died in 515 at Ancyra. He
was recognized to the end as lawful patriarch by
Catholics in the East (Elias of Jerusalem, Flavian of
Antioch, etc.).
Theophanes, Chronographia, ad ann. 481^89, in P. G., CVIII, 324-337; Nicephortjs. Chronographicon Syntomon, 45, in P. G., C, 1046; Baronius, Annales Eccl., ad ann. 4S9-495.
Adrian Fortescue.
Euphrasia, or Eupraxia, S.\int, Virgin, b. in 380; d. after 410. She was the daughter of Antigonus, a senator of Constantinople, and a relation of Emperor Theodosius. Her father died shortly after her birth, and her mother, also Euphrasia, devoted her life thenceforth exclusively to the service of God. To carry out this ideal she abandoned the capital, and, with her seven-year-old daughter, repaired to Egypt, where she dwelt on one of her estates, near a convent, and adopted the nuns' austere mode of life. This example aroused in her daughter the desire to enter the convent, and her mother gave her into the care of the superior, that she might be trained in the ascetic life. After her mother's death she declined an offer of marriage made, by the Emperor Theodosius, on be- half of a senator's son, transferred to the emperor her entire fortune, to be used for charitable purposes, and took up, with a holy ardour, the rigorous practices of Christian perfection. She was about thirty when she died. Her feast is celebrated in the Greek Church on 25 July, and in the Latin Church on 13 March. She is mentioned by St. John Damascene, in his third " Ora- tio de imaginibus".
Vila: Patrum (ed. Roswetd) in P. L., LXXIII, 623-642; Acta SS.. March, II, 265-274; 727-735.
J. P. KiRSCH.
Euphrates. See Perat^.
Euphrosyne, Saint, d. about 470. Her story be- longs to that group of legends which relate how Chris- tian virgins, in order the more successfully to lead the life of celibacy and asceticism to which they had dedi- cated themselves, put on male attire and passed for men. According to the narrative of her life in the "Vita; Patrum", Euphrosyne was the only daughter of Paphnutius, a rich man of Alexandria, who desired to marry her to a wealthy youth. But having conse- crated her life to God and apparently seeing no other means of keeping this vow, she clothed herself as a man and under the name of Smaragdus gained admit- tance into a monastery of men near Alexandria, where she lived for thirty-eight years after. She soon attracted the attention of the abbot by the rapid strides which .she made toward a perfect ascetic life, and when Paphnutius appealed to him for comfort in his sorrow, the abbot ciimmitted the latter to the care of the alleged young man Siiiaragilus. The father re- ceived from his own daughter, wlimn he failed to rec- ognize, helpful advice and comforting exhortation. Not until she was dying did she reveal herself to him as his lost daughter Euphrosyne. After her death Paphnutius also entered the monastery. Her feast is celebrated in the Greek Church on 25 September, in the Roman Church on 16 January (by the Carmelites on 11 February).
MoMBRrTiua, Sanctuarijim, I, 253-255; Acta SS., Feb., II, 53.5-541; Bouchekie in Revue des langues romanes (^1870), II, 26-40); Analecla Bollandiana.il, \9Ti-205. For earlier mono- graphs sne Potthast, Bihliotheca historica medii wvi, II, 1298- 120!); Bauing-Gould, Live.f of the Saints (London, 1898), II, 264; Butler, Lives of the Saints, 11 Feb.
J. P. KiRSCH.
