Not long afterwards, his attention having been called to the spread of Origenistic opinions in Syria, he issued an edict condemn ing fourteen propositions drawn from the writings of the great Alexandrian, and caused a synod to be held which renewed the condemnation of the impugned doctrines and anathematized Ori gen himself. Still later, he was induced by the machinations of some of the prelates who haunted his court, and by the influence of Theodora, herself much interested in theological questions, and more than suspected of Monophysitism, to raise a needless, mis chievous, and protracted controversy. The Monophysites some times alleged that they could not accept the decrees of the council of Chalcedon because that council had not condemned, but (as they argued) virtually approved, three writers tainted with Nestor ian principles, Theodore of Mopsuestia, Theodoret, and Ibas, bishop of Edessa. It was represented to the emperor, who was still pursued by the desire to bring back the schismatics, that a great step would have been taken towards reconciliation if a condemna tion of these teachers, or rather of such of their books as were complained of, could be brought about, since then the Chalce donian party would be purged from any appearance of sympathy with the errors of Nestorius.
Not stopping to reflect that in the angry and suspicious state of men's minds he was sure to lose as much in one direction as he would gain in the other, Justinian put forth an edict exposing and denouncing the errors contained in the writings of Theodore generally, in the treatise of Theodoret against Cyril of Alexandria, and in a letter of Bishop Ibas (a letter whose authenticity was doubted, but which passed under his name) to the Persian bishop Maris. This edict was circulated through the Christian world to be subscribed by the bishops. The four Eastern patriarchs, and the great majority of the Eastern prelates generally, subscribed. Among the Western bishops, who were less disposed to Mono physitism and subservience, the edict was earnestly resisted. Long disputes and negotiations followed, the end of which was that Jus tinian summoned a general council of the church, that which we reckon the Fifth, which condemned the impugned writings, and anathematized several other heretical authors. Its decrees were re ceived in the East but long contested in the Western Church, where a schism arose that lasted for seventy years. This is the contro versy known as that of the Three Chapters (Trio capitula, Tpia KedmiXaca), apparently from the three propositions or condemna tions contained in Justinian's original edict, one relating to Theo dore's writings and person, the second to the incriminated treatise of Theodoret (whose person was not attacked), the third to the letter (if genuine) of Ibas. (See Hefele, Conciliengeschichte,
ii. 777.) At the very end of his long career of theological discussion, Justinian himself lapsed into heresy, by accepting the doctrine that the earthly body of Christ was incorruptible, insensible to the weaknesses of the flesh, a doctrine which went by the name of Aphthartodocetism. According to his usual practice, he issued an edict enforcing this view,• and requiring all patriarchs, metro politans, and bishops to subscribe to it. Some refused at once, and were deprived of their sees. Others submitted or temporized; but before there had been time enough for the matter to be carried through, the emperor died.
As no preceding sovereign had been so much interested in church affairs, so none seems to have shown so much activity as a persecutor both of pagans and of heretics. He renewed with addi tional stringency the laws against both these classes. The former embraced a large part of the rural population in certain secluded districts, such as parts of Asia Minor and Peloponnesus; and we are told that the efforts directed against them resulted in the forc ible baptism of 70,000 persons in Asia Minor alone. At Athens, the philosophers who taught in the schools hallowed by memories of Plato still openly professed what passed for Paganism, though it was really a body of moral doctrine, strongly tinged with mysti cism, in which there was far more of Christianity and of the specu lative metaphysics of the East than of the old Olympian religion. Justinian, partly from religious motives, partly because he dis countenanced all rivals to the imperial university of Constanti nople, closed these Athenian schools (529).
Heresy proved more obstinate. The severities directed against the Montanists of Phrygia led to a furious war, in which most of the sectaries perished, while the doctrine was not extinguished. Harsh laws provoked the Samaritans to a revolt, from whose effects Palestine had not recovered when conquered by the Arabs in the following century. The Nestorians and the Eutychian Mon ophysites were not threatened with such severe civil penalties, although their worship was interdicted, and their bishops were sometimes banished; but this vexatious treatment was quite enough to keep them disaffected, and the rapidity of the Moham medan conquests may be partly traced to that alienation of the bulk of the Egyptian and a large part of the Syrian population which dates from Justinian's persecutions.