ATTICUS

ATTILA

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lo yield he became earnest in his desire that allwho had taken part with him in his previousline of conduct should how imitate him in hisconcession. The support of Cyril of Alexandria,who had recently inherited the throne and to thefull the violent and despotic spirit of his uncleTheophilus was of the first importance. Twodeacons of Alexandria, Peter and Aedesius, hadhappened to be in Constantinople on a missionto Cyril during the visit of Alexander of Antioch.To them, therefore, as well as to the patriarch,Atticus wrote urging that his example should befollowed. These letters, together with Cyril’sreply, have been happily preserved to us byNicephorus (//. E. xiv. 26, 27). Few are morestrikingly characteristic. The apology of Atticus,mean, insincere, cowardly, extenuating the im-portance of his act, laying the responsibility of iton others—the people so violent—the emperorso ui gent—lamenting that a sense of expediencyshould have compelled him to take a step hisjudgment disallowed, contrasts most forcibly withthe incisive severity and bitter irony of Cyril’sreply, while with pitiless hand he dissects Atti-cus’ excuses, and with withering scorn exposestheir futility and dishonesty. “ He would as soonbe induced to place the name of Judas on therolls as that of Chrysostom. Atticus must re-trace his steps, and remove it at all hazard.”

Atticus’ endeavours were vigorously directedto the maintenance and enlargement of the au-thority of the see of Constantinople. He ob-tained a rescript from Theodosius subjecting toit the whole of Illyria and the “ Provincia Ori-entalis.” This gave great offence to pope Boni-face and the emperor Honorius, and the decreewas never put into execution. Another rescriptdeclaring his right to decide on and approve ofthe election of all the bishops of the province,was more effectual. Silvanus was named by himbishop of Philippolis, and afterwards removed toTroas. He asserted the same right to ordain inthe cities of Bithynia, and put it in practice atNicaea a.d, 425, the year before his death (Soc.vii. 25, 28, 37).

Atticus also displayed great vigour in combatingand repressing heresy. He wrote to the bishopsof Pamphylia, and Amphilochius of Iconium, call-ing on them to drive out the Messalians (Photius,c, 52). The zeal and energy he displayed againstthe Pelagians are highly commended by pope Ce-lestine, who goes so far as to style him “a truesuccessor of St. Chrysostom ** (Labbe, Condi, iii.353, 361, 365, 1073 ; cf. S. Prosper, p. 549 ; S.Leo. Ep. cvi.; Theodt. Ep. cv.). His writingswere quoted as those of au orthodox teacher bothby the Council of Ephesus and that of Chalcedon(Labbe, iii. 518, iv. 831), Technical orthodoxyihrew all moral deficiencies into the shade. Thelieart of Atticus when not biased by theologicalor personal hatred was kind, and his generositygreat. When the persecution c. 420 drove theChristians out of Persia he gave them shelter,and induced the emperor to befriend them (Soc.vii. 18). His charity was not limited to hisown diocese but extended to neighbouring cities.During a famine at Nicaea he sent 300 pieces ofgold to the presbyter Calliopius, for the benefitchiefly of the “ pauvres honteux ” (Soc. vii. 25).Adamantius, a Jew physician driven from Alex-andria by the popular fury, found refuge withhim at Constantinople. Orestes, the praefect,

CHRIS 1 ', BIOGR.

when attacked at the same time as a heathen,asserted that he had been baptized by Atticus(Soc. vii. 13, 14), One pleasing trait in his cha-racter is his kindness to the Novatians whenharried by the orthodox at Constantinople. Hepleaded in their behalf that they had been fellow-sufferers with themselves in the Arian persecutions,and held the true faith regarding the Trinity.Socrates supplies us with some interesting detailsof a conversation with the aged Asclepiades, whohad been bishop of the Novatians at Nicaea for50 years (Soc. vii. 11, 25). Atticus was thennear his end, which took place Oct. 10, 426.

Atticus was more an actor than a writer; andof what he did publish little remains. A treatiseon Virginity combating by anticipation the errorsof Nestorius, addressed to Pulcheria and hersisters, is mentioned by Marcellinus, Chron. subann. 416, and Gennadius, de Scrip. Eccl. c, 52.We have remaining a brief courteous letter tothe 6th Council of Carthage, a.d. 419, accom-panying a transcript of the Nicene Canons (Labbe,Concil. ii. 1673); the letters to Cyril and hisdeacons mentioned above (Niceph. xiv. 26); thatto Calliopius (Soc. vii. 25), and the fragmentsquoted at Ephesus and Chalcedon.

Socrates, who is a partial witness, attributes tohim a sweet and winning disposition which causedhim to be regarded with much affection. Thosewho thought with him found in him a warmfriend and supporter. Towards his theologicaladversaries he at first showed great severity, andafter having terrified them into submission,changed his behaviour and won them by gentle-ness (Soc. vii. 41; Soz. viii. 27). Socrates attri-butes to him a peculiar talent in naming places,but the examples he gives are very trivial (Soc.vii. 28). [E. V.]

ATTILA (’ArrlAas: Tent. Etzel, Hung .

Ethela, Scand. Atli, Angl.-Sax. Atla), king andgeneral of the Huns. The principal facts of hislife, with a sketch of his personal and moralcharacteristics having been already given in theDictionary of Greek and Roman Biography , it re-mains now (1) to expand what is there only hintedat—his influence upon Christendom as it is tobe gathered from (a) historical and (6) legendarysources,—and (2) to examine his reputed claim tobe the Antichrist. For the first point M. AmddeeThierry’s Histoired*Attila (Paris, 1864),especiallythe 4th part in vol. ii. pp. 221-436 has beenchiefly consulted: the second position is main-tained by the Hon. and Rev. W. Herbert in hispoem and historical treatise on Attila,

1. (a). The immediate effect of the inroads ofthe Huns was to promote Christianity. Earlyin the 5th century Oktar or Ouptar, brother ofAttila’s father Mundzuk, led a horde of 10,000Huns against that part of the Burgundian tribewhich still inhabited the district between theHercynian Mountains and the Maine. The Bur-gundians, who had hitherto submitted to a theo-cratic government composed of a permanenthigh-priest called jStntsitts and elective kings(Amm. Marc, xxxviii. 6), finding themselvespowerless to cope with these enemies, consulteda bishop (perhaps St. Severus of Trfeves), andwere baptized. As Christians they obtained thesuccess hitherto denied them, and routed theHuns, Oktar having died suddenly on the eve Ofbattle (Socr. H. E. vii. 30).

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