Church Historian Sozomen On Pope Julius

MHFM: This is an interesting quote from Church historian Sozomen concerning the jurisdictional authority exercised by Pope Julius (who became pope in 337) over Eastern bishops during the time of St. Athanasius.

Sozomen, Ecclesiastical History, Book 3, Chap. 8, 5th Century: “The Roman bishop, on learning the accusation against each individual, and on finding that they held the same sentiments about the Nicaean dogmas, admitted them to communion as of like orthodoxy; and as the care for all was fitting to the dignity of his see, he restored them all to their own churches. He wrote to the bishops of the East, and rebuked them for having judged these bishops unjustly, and for harassing the Churches by abandoning the Nicaean doctrines.”