possessed of a plentiful estate, which he employed in the service of
the church and relief of the poor. He was remarkably grave and
serious, and began early to subdue his flesh by austerities and
abstinence, in which he remitted nothing even in his old age. Thus
was his heart prepared to receive and cherish the seeds of divine
grace, the daily increase of which rendered him so conspicuous in
the world, and of such advantage to the church. The Arians being at
that time masters of the church of Antioch, Flavian and his
associate Diodorus, afterwards bishop of Tarsus, equally
distinguished by their birth, fortune, learning, and virtue, were
the great supports of the flock St. Eustathius had been forced to
abandon. In 348, they undertook the defence of the Catholic faith
against Leontius, the Arian bishop, who made use of all his craft
and authority to establish Arianism to that city; one of whose chief
expedients was to promote none to holy orders but Arians. The
scarcity of Catholic pastors, on this account called for all their
zeal and charity in behalf of the abandoned flock. The Arians being
in possession of the churches to the city, these two zealous laymen
assembled them without the walls, at the tombs of the martyrs, for
the exercise of religious duties. They introduced among them the
manner of singing psalms alternately, and of concluding each psalm
with _Glory be to the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost; as it was,_ &c.,
which pious custom was soon after spread over all the eastern and
western churches. Theodoret (l. 2, c. 19) says, that Flavian and
Diodorus were the first who directed the psalms to be sung in this
manner by two choirs: though Socrates (l. 6, c. 8) attributes its
institution to St. Ignatius the martyr: who having, as he there
relates, heard angels in a vision singing the divine praises
alternately, instituted that manner of singing in the church of
Antioch; but this might have been disused. Pliny's famous letter to
Trajan shows, that singing was then in use among the Christians In
Bithynia; and it appears from Philo, that the Therapeuts did the
same before that time. Leontius stood so much in awe of Flavian and
Diodorus while they were only laymen, that in compliance with their
demands he deposed Aetius that most impious and barefaced blasphemer
of all the Arian