Guarding the Faith

Domine victori Theodosio et triumphatori, semper Augusto filio, Galla Placidia, piissima et florens, perpetua Augusta et mater. Dum in ipso ingressu civitatis antiquae hanc curam habuissemus ut cultum beatissimo Petro apostolo redderemus, in ipso adorando altari martyris reverendissimus Leo episcopus, paullum se post orationem retinens, propter catholicam fidem apud nos deflevit, ipsum similiter summum apostolorum, quem nuper adieramus, testem objiciens, episcoporum multitduine circumseptus, quos ex innumerabilibus civitatibus Italiae pro principatu proprii loci seu dignitate collegit; et veribus permiscens lacrymas, ad communionem sui fletus nostros quoque gemitus provocavit. Non enim modicum detrimentum est ex his quae gesta sunt, ut fides, quae tantis temporibus regulariter custodia est a sacratissimo patre nostro Constantino, qui primus imperio splenduit Christianus, nuper turbata sit ad arbitrium unius hominis, qui in synodo Ephesinae civitatis odium et contentiones potius exercuisse narratur, militum praesentia et metu appetens Constantinopolitanae civitatis episcopum Flavianum, eo quod libellum ad apostolicam sedem miserit, et ad omnes episcopos harum partium, per eos qui directi fuerant in concilio a reverandissimo episcopo Romae, qui secundum definitiones Nicaeni concilii consueti sunt interesse, domine sacratissime fili, venerabilis imperator. Hac itaque gratia, tua mansuetudo tantis turbis resistens, veritatem fidei catholicae religionis immaculatam servari praecipiat: ut secundum formam et definitionem apostolicae sedis, quam etiam nos tamquam praecellentem similiter veneramur, in statu sacerdotii illaeso manente per omnia Flaviano, ad concilii et apostolicae sedis judicium transmittatur, in qua primus ille, qui coelestes claves dignus fuit accipere, principatum episcopatus ordinavit; quando scilicet decet nos huic maximae civitati, quae domina omnium est terrarum, in omnibus reverentiam conservare. Diligentius autem etiam in hoc providete, ne quod priscis temporibus nostra generatio custodivit, sub nos imminui videatur, et per praesens exemplum schismata generentur inter episcopos et sanctas Ecclesias. Sanctus Leo Magnus, Epistola LVI, Galla Placidia ad Theodosium

To the Lord Theodosius, victor and conqueror, an ever august son, Galla Placidia, most pious and prosperous, perpetual Augusta and mother.  When having arrived in the ancient city, and having had care to pay our devotion to the most blessed Apostle Peter, at the martyr's very altar, the most reverend Bishop Leo waiting behind a little after the service lamented over the Catholic Faith to us, and bringing forth as witness the chief of the Apostles himself, whom we had just approached, and surrounded by a multitude of bishops whom he had brought together from numerous cities of Italy by the eminence and dignity of his position, mixing tears with his words, he called on us to blend our moans with his weeping. For no slight harm has come from things done by which the Faith, so long guarded since the days of our most holy father Constantine, who was the first in supreme power to shine forth as a Christian, has been recently disturbed by the will of one man, who in the synod held at Ephesus 1 is said to have rather stirred up hate and contention, distressing by the presence and fear of soldiers Flavianus, the bishop of Constantinople, because he had sent an appeal to the Apostolic See, and to all the bishops of these parts by  those who had been sent to the Synod by the most reverend Bishop of Rome, who in accordance to the Canons of the Council of Nicaea have been accustomed attend in such a manner, most sacred Lord and Son and venerable Emperor. Because of this we pray your clemency to resist such disturbances, and to command that the immaculate truth of the Catholic Faith be preserved without spot, that according to the standard and decision of the Apostolic See, which we likewise revere as preeminent, Flavianus may remain uninjured in his priestly office, and the affair be referred to the Synod of the Apostolic See, which he who was worthy to receive the heavenly keys first arranged to have the greatest power; when certainly it becomes us to preserve the honour of this great city, which is the mistress of all the earth. Indeed let us be most diligent to provide for this, lest what in former times our people protected seem by us to be harmed, and that by present example schisms not be caused among bishops and holy churches. Pope Leo the Great, Letter 56, Galla Placidia to Theodosius 1 The Latrocinium of Ephesus

Some Good Bishops, Many Bad Ones

Συνόδου δὲ, τοῦ βασιλέως κατεπείγοντος, ἐν Μεδιολάνῳ γενομένης, ἐκ μὲν τῆς Ἕω ὀλιγοι παρεγένοντο· τῶν ἄλλων, ὡς εἰκὸς, ἢ διὰ νόσον, ἢ μακρὰν ὁδοιπορίαν παραιτησαμένων τὴν ἄφιξιν. Τῶν δὲ πρὸς Δύσιν, πλείους ἢ τριακόσιοι συνελέγησαν. Ἀξιούντων δὲ τῶν ἀπὸ τῆς Ἕω καταδικάζειν Ἀθανασίου, ὡς ἂν παντελῶς ἀπελαθείη τῆς Ἀλεξανδρείας, οἱ μὲν ἄλλοι, ἢ δέει, ἢ ἀπάτῃ, ἢ ἀγνοιᾳ τῶν ὄντων συνήνουν. Μόνοι δὲ, Διονύσιος ὁ Ἄλβας ἐπίσκοπος, Ἰταλίας δὲ ἤδε ἡ μητρόπολις, καὶ Εὐσέβιος ὁ Μαρκέλλων τῆς Λιγυρίας, Παυλῖνος ὁ Τριβέρεως, καὶ Ῥοδανὸς, και Λούκιφερ ἀνέκραγον, καὶ ἐμαρτυραντο μὴ χρῆναι ὡδι ῥᾳδίως καταδικάσαι Ἀθανασίου· μηδὲ γὰρ ἄχρι τούτου, εἰ γένοιτο, στήσεσθαι τὸ κακόν· χωρήσειν δὲ τὴν ἐπιβουλὴν καὶ κατ’ αὐτῶν τῶν ὀρθως περὶ Θεοῦ δεδογμένων· ἐπι καθαιρέσει τε τῆς ἐν Νικαίᾳ πίστεως ταῦτα σπουδάζεσθαι παρὰ τοῦ βασιλέως καὶ τῶν τὰ Ἀρείου φρονούντων. Καὶ οἱ μὲν, ὦδε παῥῥησιασάμενοι, ὑπερορίας φυγῇ κατεδικάσθησαν· σὺν τούτοις δὲ καὶ Ἳλάριος. Ἀληθῆ δὲ τοῦ ἐν Μεδιολάνῳ συλλόγου αἰτίαν εἶναι ἤν ἔλεγον, ἐπιστοῦτο ἡ ἀπόβασις. Οὐ πολλῷ γὰρ ὑστερον ἡ ἐν Ἀριμήνῳ καὶ Σελευκείᾳ σύνοδις συνελέγη, καὶ ἑκατέρα κατὰ τῶν ἐν Νικαίᾳ δεδογμένων νεωτερίζειν ἐπεχείρησεν, ὡς αὐτικα ἐπιδείξω.   Ἑρμείος Σωζομενός, Ἐκκλησιαστίκη Ἱστορία

A synod, by pressure from the Emperor Constantius, was held in Milan, which few of the eastern bishops attended; some, it seems, through illness, some because of the length of the journey, excused themselves. However almost three hundred of the western bishops did convene. The Easterners deemed Athanasius worthy to be condemned, that he be utterly driven from Alexandria; the others, either from fear, deceit, or ignorance, agreed with them. Only Dionysius, bishop of Alba, the metropolis of Italy, Eusebius of Vercella in Liguria, Paulinus of Treves, Rhodanus and Lucifer cried out against this. They declared that Athanasius should not to be condemned on such flimsy pretexts, for if this were to be the evil would persist and those who supported orthodox doctrines about God would be persecuted. They claimed that it was all thought up by the Emperor and the Arians from an eagerness to destroy the Nicene faith. They, for being so outspoken, were condemned by a decree of banishment, and Hilary was included among them. The true cause of the assembly at Milan was thus announced: the downfall of what was believed. For the synods at Ariminum and Seleucia held not long after were called to change the doctrines established at Nicea, as I shall soon show. Sozomen, Ecclesiastical History

Translating a Heretic

Timotheus, exstincto ab Alexandrinis Proterio epsicopo, tumultuante adhuc plebe aut voluit, aut passus est se ab uno episcopo in locum occisi episcopum fieri. Et ne contra legem factus merito abjiceretur, ad gratiam plebis, quae Proterium exosum habuerat, omnes quibus ille communicaverat, Nestorianos esse pronuntiat: et maculam conscientiae, temeritate abluendam praesumens, scripsit ad Leonem imperatorem libellum valde suasorium, quem pravo sensu Patrum testimoniis in tantum roborare conatus est, ut ad decipiendum imperatorem, et suam haeresin constituendam, pene Leonem, urbis Romae pontificem et Chalcedonensem synodum, ac totos Occidentales episcopos aliorum adminiculo Nestorianos ostenderet. Sed, favente Deo, a Chalcedonensi concilio hostis Ecclesiae arguitur et confutatur. Vivere adhuc in exsilio iam haeresiarcha dicitur et habetur. Hunc ipsum libellum noscendi gratia ego, rogatus fratribus, in Latinum transtuli, et cavendum praetitulavi.  Gennadius Massiliensis, Liber De Scriptoribus Ecclesiasticis

Timotheus, the previous bishop Proterius having been slain by the Alexandrians, in response to the tumults of the people, willingly or under duress, allowed himself to be made bishop by a single bishop in place of the one who had been killed. And lest he who had been appointed contrary to the law should be deservedly deposed at the will of the people who had hated Proterius, he pronounced all those who had communicated with him to be Nestorians, and boldly presuming to wash out the stain on his conscience, he wrote a very persuasive book to the Emperor Leo, which he tried to fortify by testimonies of the Fathers, used in a perverted sense, for the sake of deceiving the Emperor and establishing his heresy, that Leo, pontiff of Rome, and the synod of Chalcedon, and all the Western bishops were little less than Nestorians. But by the grace of God, the enemy of the church was denounced and refuted at the Council of Chalcedon. He is said to be living in exile, still an heresiarch, and it is likely so. This book of his for learning's sake, by request of the brethren, I translated into Latin and prefixed a warning. Gennadius of Massilia, Book of Ecclesiastical Writers

Presiding at a Council

Leo Episcopus S. Synodo apud Niceam constitutae. Dilectissimis fratribus in Domino salutem.  Optaveram quidem, dilectissimi, pro nostri charitate collegii, omnes Domini sacerdotes in una catholicae fidei devotione peristere, nec quemquam gratia aut formidine potestatum saecularium depravari, ut a via veritatis abscederet. Sed quia multa saepe, quae poenitudinem possint generare, proveniunt, et superat culpas delinquentium misercordia Dei, atque ideo suspenditur ultio, ut possit locum habere correctio, amplectendum est clementissimi principis plenum religione consitium, quo santam fraternitatem vestram ad destruendas insidias diaboli, et ad reformandam ecclesiasticam pacem voluit convenire, beatissimi Petri apostoli iure atque honore servato, adeo ut nos quoque suis ad hoc litteris invitaret, ut venerabili synodo nostram praesentiam praeberemus: quod quidem nec necessitas temporis nec ulla poterat consuetudo permittere. Tamen in his fratribus, hoc est Paschasino et Lucentio episcopis, Bonifacio et Bosailio presbyteris, qui ab apostolica sede directi sunt, me synodo vestra fraternitas aestimet praesidere, non abiuncta a vobis praesentia mea, qui nunc in vicariis meis adsum, et iamdudum in fidei catholicae praedicatione non desum: ut qui non potestis ignorare quid ex antiqua traditione credamus, non possitis dubitare quid cupiamus.  Leo I, Epistola XCIII

Leo, to the holy Synod, assembled at Nicæa. Dearest brothers, Greetings in the Lord. I have indeed prayed, dearly beloved, in charity for my colleagues that all the Lord's priests would persist in the one Catholic Faith, and that no one, by favour or fear of secular power, would be so corrupted that they depart from the way of truth. But because many things often occur that penitence be produced, that God's mercy surpass the errors of delinquents, and that vengeance be postponed in order that correction may have its place, we must embrace much of our most merciful prince's piously intentioned counsel, in which he wishes your holy brotherhood assemble to destroy the snares of the devil and to restore the peace of the Church, he who also honours the right and dignity of the most blessed Apostle Peter as to invite us too by letter that we provide our presence at your venerable Synod, something, however, not permitted either by the needs of the times nor by any custom. Yet in these brethren, that is Paschasinus and Lucentius, bishops, Boniface and Basil, presbyters, who have been deputed by the Apostolic See, let your brotherhood judge that I am presiding at the Synod; for my presence is not withdrawn from you, who am now here in my vicars, I who have for a long time not be wanting in the proclamation of the Catholic Faith: so that you cannot be ignorant what we believe in accordance with ancient tradition, nor are you able to doubt what we desire. Leo I, from Letter 93