As a dichotomy of faith communities competed, the so-called Paschal Controversy first emerged in the mid-first century and became a primary dynamic for inter-ecclesiastical politics and doctrinal development through the mid-fourth century. This two-sided dynamic would morph into a three-way struggle with the latter emergence of the eastern Arian-Lucian school. Soon after the council at Nicaea and Constantine’s Paschal Decree in 325, and seemingly out of the blue, Constantine made a surprising and stark volte-face, rather suddenly turning from the western homoousian pro-Nicene bishops and allying with the eastern three-hypostases anti-Nicene bishops, aka the Eusebians, who had quickly and effectively ingratiated themselves to Constantine as worthy of his trust. Through this reorientation toward the Eusebians, the voice of the ancient tradition within the remnant of Quartodeciman (14 Nisan) Asian churches, which then was championed especially by bishop Marcellus of Ancyra, was effectively silenced with the string of politico-religious eastern synods in the second quarter of the fourth century (e.g., Antioch 328, Tyre 335, Constantinople 336, Antioch 341, Milan 345, Sirmium 347-351). Following the death of Constantine in 337, his succeeding sons would foster their own politico-religious alliances; on the one hand, emperor Constantius II (337-361) with the eastern three-hypostases bishops, and on the other hand, emperor Constans (337-350) with the western homoousios bishops. Notably, both the synod of Rome 341 and the western faction at Serdica 343 fully exonerated both Athanasius and Marcellus from the eastern prosecutions of the 330’s at the hands of the Eusebians and explicitly affirmed the Christology of Marcellus. But the Quartodeciman faith-tradition, which was championed by Marcellus and condemned in Constantine’s Paschal Decree, had always lacked Roman imperial support, and the death of Constans in 350 weakened the position of the western pro-Nicene bishops, which allowed Constantius II and the eastern three-hypostases bishops to set their sights first in 351 on the newly established Quartodeciman stronghold at Sirmium, which not coincidentally was led by bishop Photinus, a disciple of Marcellus, and then in 353-355 on the metropolitan see at Alexandria, which had been re-occupied by Athanasius since returning from his second exile in 345. The ensuing 25 years was a tumultuous road to Constantinople 381. In short, little could happen to advance the Christological controversies absent the strong arm of the Roman emperor(s) to sanction or commission various synods and then enforce their oft-predetermined resolutions, wherefore of necessity the metropolitan episcopates (Rome, Alexandria, Constantinople, and Antioch) had become virtual client vassals of Christianized imperial power.