"nal God, to give strength and stabi"lity to my Empire; and that I may "execute my resolution and desire, which is, that every impious error being removed, by the convocation ❝ of a Council, a perfect peace may, "by thy authority, be enjoyed by all "the Bishops professing the Catholic "faith." The Empress, in her letter to the Pope, equally acknowledges his authority over the Bishops who were ON THE POPE'S SUPREMACY. to assemble. "That, a Council being LETTER FOURTH. For the Orthodox Journal. 66 "assembled, (says she) they may, by 66 your authority, determine what re"lates to the Catholic faith, and to "the fate of those Bishops who have I have proved, in my first Letter, "separated." When St. Leo was inthat the General Council of Chalcedon, formed that the Bishops were upon the held in the year 451, was assembled point of meeting, he reminded them, by authority of Pope Leo I.; that this that the Emperor had summoned them holy Pontiff presided in it by his Le- to the Council, in order to restore gates; and that the Fathers, in number peace to the Church," preserving to 630, in their Synodic Letter, ex-"the See of the most blessed Apostle pressly acknowledged him as their "Peter, its right and honour, by inhead. Before I examine that famous viting us (says the Pope) to be ourCanon, which Anatolius, Bishop of "selves present at the Council."Constantinople, and his Clergy ex- However, not chusing to go in person, torted, by fraud, from this Council, he sent his Legates, with Paschasinus for the exaltation of their See, and at their head, who, say the Acts, when the effectual opposition it met with all the Bishops were assembled, standfrom the Roman Pontiff, I beg leave ing in the middle with his colleagues, to state a few interesting facts, not al- opened the Council, by requiring the together unconnected with this affair, exclusion of Dioscorus, Patriarch of and which will serve more fully to Alexandria. "We have an order, demonstrate that the doctrine of the (said he) from the most blessed Pope's Supremacy was universally re- "and Apostolic Bishop of Rome, to ceived at that early and enlightened" the purpose, that Dioscorus should period of the Church. "not sit in Council, and if he attempt "therefore go out, or we shall leave "the place." The Judges, with the Senate, accordingly commanded Dioscorus to leave his seat, and stand his trial in the middle of the assembly-In the second session, the letter of St. Leo, containing a refutation of the heresy of Eutyches, was read, and held out by the Council, as a rule of faith, emanating from St. Peter himself. Marcian had no sooner obtained the" it, to have him cast out-Let him imperial diadem, by his marriage with the illustrious Pulcheria, sister of the late Emperor Theodosius II. than he wrote to St. Leo to inform him of his resolution to abolish all errors among his subjects, by the authority of a General Council, begging his prayers to God for the accomplishment of these his pious wishes. "We "have thought it just, (says the reli<< gious Emperor) in the first place, to address thy Holiness, who has the "superintendance and principality of "the divine faith, requesting and in"treating thee to supplicate the Eter "This is the faith of "the Fathers, (cried out the Bishops) "this is the faith of the Apostles. We "all believe so; the Orthodox be lieve so: Anathema to him who "and foundation of the Orthodox 66 faith, deprive him of the episcopacy, "and of all ecclesiastical dignity." "believes otherwise. Peter has spoken "these things by Leo." In the third session, Dioscorus having three times been summoned before the Council, The Council was closed with the and refused to appear, the sentence of 15th session: nothing had been done deposition was pronounced against for the aggrandisement of the bishop him. The Legate asked first whether of Constantinople; on the contrary, the Fathers consented; they answered, his encroachments upon the metropo"We all consent." Julian, Bishop of litan churches of Ephesus, and NicoHyppipon, addressing the Legate, media had been repressed, notwith"Weintreat you (said he) as you hold standing the clamorous complaints of "the place of the most holy Arch- the Constantinopolitan clergy. It "bishop Leo, to pronounce against seems that they had not dared to pro"him, Dioscorus, the sentence pre- pose the subject to the council, in a ca" scribed by the Canons, to pass a de- nonical way, whilst all the fathers "finitive judgment. For all and every and the Pope's legates were present. 66 one, in this universal Council, join But after the conclusion of the coun"their suffrages with your Holiness." cil, in a private committee, to which The Legate again asked the opinion of they had invited such of the bishops to the Council.-Maximus, Bishop of as they had been able to gain over to Antioch, replied, "Whatsoever seems their interest, they drew up a canon, "right to your Holiness we agree to by which they granted to the bishop of "it." Then the Legate, after having Constantinople privileges equal to the summed up the crimes committed by Roman see, with jurisdiction over the Dioscorus, and by the Bishops who three ecclesiastical provinces of Ponhad adhered to his schism, said, "To tus, Asia, Thrace, and the barbarian "these Bishops the See Apostolic has nations, pretending the same to have "granted pardon, because they have been decreed by the general council "continued obedient to the most holy of Constantinople in 381. Here we " Archbishop Leo, and to the holy have a striking instance of the petty "and universal Council. He therefore tricks and fraudulent practices comreceives them to his communion as monly used in clandestine synods and " partakers of the same faith; but this meetings, to which the most upright 66 (Dioscorus) has, to this day, prided men sometimes, through weakness 66 himself in those very acts, for which or inattention, fell victims. For here "he should have done penance, with Anatolius, and Aetius,the archdeacon « groans, prostrate on the ground- of Constantinople, most shamefully Yet, notwithstanding these atro-imposed upon the bishops composing cities, we were thinking of shewing "him indulgence in the same manner as to the other most reverend bishops; but because his subsequent (6 perversity has by far surpassed all "his former excesses; for he had even the insolence to pronounce excommunication against the same "holy Archbishop of the great and "ancient Rome. For these causes, "the same holy Archbishop Leo, through us, and by this most holy "Synod, does, together with the thrice blessed and all praise-worthy "Peter the Apostle, who is the rock and basis of the Catholic Church, the committee, by stating, that their .66 nons." ́and Thrace,” and speaks of the other | the clause, “The church of Rome altwo provinces as being assigned to "ways had the primacy," then quoted other bishops. Hist. Ec. l. v. c. 8.— the canon of Constantinople, on which The Pope's legates being informed of | the clergy of that town grounded their the transactions of this 'committee, pretensions. But it is remarkable, called the next day for an extraordi- | that, although it was quoted out of the nary session of the whole council. copy kept in the archives of that There Lucentius, one of the legates, church, yet, contrary to the false ascomplained, that the day before, sertions of Anatolius and his friends "when they and the civil officers had in their committee, this canon says "withdrawn, something was reported nothing of the bishop of Constanti❝to have been transacted, which ap- nople having equal privileges with ❝peared to them contrary to the ca- Rome, but only privileges next to the Aetius replied, "We, that bishop of Rome; nor does it attribute (6 is, the most holy church of Constan- a jurisdiction to that bishop over Pon(6 tinople, had certain things to trans- tus and Asia; but decrees, on the con- rol "act. We desired our lords, the bi- trary, that the bishops of Asia alone "shops, sent from Rome to take their shall govern that province, those of th "share in the discussion; but they Pontus only that province; and the co “excused themselves, saying, they had bishops of Thrace (of which province 66 no orders to that purpose." He add- Constantinople was part) Thrace only. re ed, that every thing had been done The judges could not but remark the both openly and canonically. Then glaring contradiction between the olde the canon framed the day before was canon of Constantinople and the new read. The same legate said, that the decree of the committee; yet being in co bishops had been forced to sign it. the interest of Anatolius, would not d This was denied. He then charged | take notice of it, but abruptly, and them with laying aside the decisions of without appealing any longer to the the 318 fathers of Nice, and urging a de- canons, asked the bishops of Asia and cree, which, they said, was made by Pontus whether they had signed the "the 150 fathers (of Constantinople), new decree freely and without com- bes "but which was not found among the pulsion; for we have seen that Lucen- u 66 synodical canons.” To this Aetius tius had previously objected to the had nothing to reply; but having ask- new decree, that the bishops had been ed the legates, whether they had any forced to sign it; but they all answerorder concerning the point in debate, ed they had done it freely; meaning, Boniface, one of them, answered thus: I suppose, that they had not been "The most holy and apostolic bishop compelled to it by open violence, as "has, among other instructions, given had been the case two years before, in us. the following charge: Suffer not the riotous council of Ephesus, which "the decree of the holy fathers to be was not what the legate meant. It is "by any attempt whatever, either vio- evident, that in the interval of time be"lated or debilitated. Maintain the tween the uncanonical meeting of "dignity of my person in you; and Anatolius and the extraordinary ses"if any men, trusting to the power of sion of the next day, the eastern "their towns, undertake to shake the bishops, and Maximus, of Antioch, 66 authority of those canons, excom- among the rest, had been tampered municate them, as justice may re-with, to acquiesce in his ambitious quire." The canons then were, by views. For how can it be supposed order of the civil officers, read on both that those Asiatic bishops freely signed sides. The legates produced the canon the decree, which obliged their metroof Nice. The secretary of the coun-politan, the bishop of Ephesus, to be cil, out of a copy, communicated to ordained at Constantinople, who, in him by Aetius, read the same, omitting the 11th session of the council, had, 66 upon their knees, protested against | new canon, gave to the see of Constantinople privileges equal to those of the see apostolic, and pretended the same to have been done by the 150 fathers. They allowed that "the 66 apostolic ray" issued from Rome, and so desired the Pope to "extend" it to the Constantinopolitan church. They insinuated that some influence had been used to obtain that decree. "In what we did, we wished to please "the most pious emperors, the illus"trious senate, and the whole impe"rial city." Finally, they intreat St. Leo to "honour their judgment by "his sanction-to assent to and make "firm what they had done." Their intreaties were vain, the Pope refused to sanction the decree, which, therefore, although consented to by 630 bishops, and confirmed by civil authority, yet, for want of this pontifical sanction, was struck with nullity and remained without effect. Calvin ascribes the opposition of St. Leo to ambition and pride. It will appear, from the letters of that great Pope to the emperor and empress, and to Anatolius himself, that he was only prompted by a sense of duty, the pure zeal of discipline. In his letter to the emperor, after mentioning the irregular ordination of Anatolius, and the indulgence of the see apostolic towards him, he says, that novelty; informing the fathers, that all their metropolitans, from St. Timothy, the disciple of St. Paul, had been ordained in the province, and that seditions and murders would be the consequence of any innovation in this point. How can it be supposed that Maximus willingly consented to descend from the third rank which, by apostolic tradition, he occupied in the hierarchy, who, soon after the conclusion of the council, wrote to St. Leo, requesting him to defend the rights of the church of Antioch against Anatolius? However, the secular judges, having extorted from the fathers this equivocal declaration of their free consent, sanctioned the new decree, in the name of the emperor, with this memorable clause: "From what "has been alleged on both sides,' we see that, before all, the primacy and "principal honour is, according to the canons, preserved to the beloved of God, the archbishop of old Rome." Lucentius, one of the Pope's legates, protested in these terms: "The see apostolic has commanded, that all "things should be transacted in our "presence: consequently we request you to order whatever was done yesterday, when we were absent, to be "cancelled. If this be not done, let our protestation be inserted in the 66 Acts, that we may clearly know "what information to send to the "apostolic and supreme Bishop of the "universal Church, so that he may "himself give sentence concerning the "injury done to his own see, and the subversion of the canons." 66 66 66 66 and "But although his merits had been eminent, and his ordination canonical, yet he could not be authorized to "act against the respect due to the canons of the fathers, against the "institutions of the Holy Ghost, against the examples of antiquity. I The fathers, in their synodic letter" speak to a most Christian, religious, to St. Leo, earnestly solicited his con- "and orthodox prince; bishop Anafirmation of the obnoxious decree: "tolius detracts much from his own yet they did not send him a copy of "excellence, if he pretends to increase it, but were content with informing" it by undue means. Let Constanhim, that they had "confirmed the re- "tinople enjoy its own glory, and "gulation of the hundred and fifty" under God's protection, continue "fathers assembled at Constantinople," the imperial seat of your majesty, "which commanded this see to have "such are my sincere wishes; but se"the honour next to that of Rome," "cular and divine institutions are of thus dissimulating the artifice and a different nature, nor can any ediforgery of Anatolius, who, in his "fice be solid, which does not rest 66 1 66 66 But 66 upon that rock which Christ has Maximus patriarch of Antioch; on "placed in the foundation. He loses which account the Pope had been upon "what is his own who covets what the point of deposing him; but at the "belongs to others. Let it suffice to prayer of the emperor, pardoned his "Anatolius to have obtained, by your transgression, and preserved him in his protection and the favour of my rank. "I rejoice," says St. Leo, consent, to be bishop of so great a "that thou hast purged thyself from "town. Let him not disdain the im- "the faction and communion of the "perial city which it is not in his "schismatics. For after thy holy power to make an apostolic sce, "predecessor Flavian had been cast "let him never hope to raise himself away by them, for his defence of 66 by giving offence to others." The "the Catholic truth, it was, not withPope adds, that it is a duty incum-" out good ground, apprehended that bent on him to inforce the observance "those who ordained thee, should of the canons, in particular of those of "choose one like themselves. Nice; and exhorts the emperor to re"God has shewn his mercy, by directpress the ambition of Anatolius, which "ing and confirming thee in such a might prove fatal to him. "Let him " manner, that making a good use of "abstain from the infraction of the "these bad beginnings, thou hast "sacred rules, and from unwarranted "proved thyself promoted, by the 66 excesses; lest, by attempting things "goodness of God, rather than by the contrary to peace, he should cause "choice of men. Which yet is to be "himself to be retrenched from the "understood with this restriction, that "communion of the whole church." "thou wilt not lose the divine favour He is more explicit still in his letter to "by a fresh prevarication.. -After Pulcheria Augusta. For there, after "these criminal beginnings, I lament observing, that if some of the prede-" the relapsing into another trans cessors of Anatolius did some time gression, by attempting to infringe presume to ambition, what this bishop" the canons of Nice, availing thyself had lately attempted, yet none ever "of the opportunity when the see of 66 was able to obtain it," he pronounces "Alexandria had lost the privilege this definitive decree, "We, by the "of the second rank, (by the defection "authority of the Apostle, St Peter," of Dioscorus,) and the church of "in union with your piety, annul and "Antioch that of the third rank, (I make void, by a general sentence, "the concessions of bishops, which "are repugnant to the canons of Nice," "conforming ourselves in every thing" also be deprived of their rights. "to the ecclesiastical laws, which the "Holy Ghost, in order to establish 66 peace among the bishops, has or"dained by the 318 fathers; so that, "if even a much greater number of "bishops should decree any thing "contrary to what those have de defined, no regard may be had to "it." 66 In his letter to Anatolius, St. Leo speaks with the authority of a superior, reproving, advising, and exhorting an inferior. Anatolius had been ordained bishop of Constantinople, by Dioscorus, in the false council of Ephesus, and had himself presumed to ordain 66 66 suppose, by his uncanonical ordina "tion;) that these sees being once subjugated, all metropolitans should "O brother, be not high-minded, but "fear! and give up importuning, by "thy unwelcome petitions, the ears of * Calvin asserts, as an undoubted fact, that Proterius, successor of Dioscorus, was present when the decree raising the Church of Constantinople to the second rank was approved in the council; Aderat certe Proterius (Inst. 1. iv. c. 7, no. 15); and con cludes that this patriarch, as well as the pa triarch of Antioch, consented:, consequently, that the Pope had nothing to do with it. Calvin's assertion is false. Proterius was not ordained till some time after the council was held; and Maximus of Antioch being ordain ed by Anatolius himself, against the canons, durst not urge the canons against him, but requested the Pope to do it for him. |