excusing his tardiness on account of the long journey and
the death of some of his horses, and affirming his arrival
within five or six days. During this time two of John’s
bishops arrived, and emphatically declared the he had
ordered them to say that the opening of the Council
should not be deferred because of him, and that the
assembled dignitaries should go ahead and do what they
deemed best. The Fathers concluded that he was loath to
attend a council wherein his friend was to be questioned,
and decided to begin their sessions. This was on the
twenty-second of June in the Church of “the Mother-of-
God” at Ephesus.^17
Once more Candidianus, the Emperor’s
commissioner, infringe don the law, and tried to dissuade
them from meeting, under pretext that the Emperor
wished them to wait for John of Antioch. Abba Kyrillos
and the Fathers asked him to show them the imperial
letter that authorised him to speak in his name. When
Candidianus produced the letter of Theodosius, the
Council found that the Emperor had merely told him in it
that he wished that the meetings be conducted in
orderliness for establishing peace within the Church. He
also stated that Irenaeus the nobleman was present at
Ephesus in his capacity as a friend to Nestorius and had
not been empowered with any authority. Thereupon the
Fathers finally inaugurated the Council meetings.^18
- After establishing the order of the meetings and
electing Kyrillos to preside over them, they sent a triple
summons to Nestorius, in obedience to canon law.
Nestorius decided to disregard these summons, however,
and refused to come and attend the meetings. In face of
his obstinate refusal, the Council met without him.