Sermons & Letters 137

To the most holy and most blessed father and fellow-minister, LEO archbishop of ancient Rome, ANATOLIUS sends greeting in the Lord. CHAPTER I. — Your Holiness's zeal toward piety, and your solicitude for the right faith, dear and pleasing to God the Saviour of all, has been made worthy of the admiration of all. For it is your custom, who are so great, to rise up in right deeds, and to place the proof of the Churches of Christ in your own praises. Whence your Holiness did not despise the true faith undermined by the assaults of the most profane; but, execrating the wicked workers, with implacable arms against the depraved...

...he violently overthrew them. Since therefore our most pious emperors, most dear to Christ, displaying the noblest zeal for godliness and anxious to cut away every bitter root that springs up, lest they be defiled by it (for they have been raised to the throne chiefly for this end, that they might bring aid to the faith of the Fathers when it is under tyranny), commanded that priests be gathered from almost every place beneath the sun, so that these, confirming by a common decree the faith of the blessed and venerable Fathers together with the letter of your Holiness that accords with them, might scatter every innovation of foreign schisms which wounds the sense of piety.

And since it was necessary that all things which have followed should be brought to the knowledge of your Holiness, sending from here our chosen brother and fellow bishop Lucian, most beloved of God, and the most religious deacon Basil, we write again also signifying these matters: namely, that our brother and fellow bishop Lucentius, most beloved of God, together with your most pious presbyter Boniface and the most religious deacon Marcian, has already departed from this city, having received the open documents which contain the acts done in the ecumenical synod. CHAPTER II.

But since after them it was fitting that the remaining documents, which must necessarily come to your knowledge, should also be sent by our own men, for this reason, choosing a man endowed with piety, understanding, and most abundant simplicity in the faith—the aforementioned most religious bishop—together with the above-mentioned deacon, we have sent them as legates to your great Rome, so that, having made some things known by letters and others plainly in person, they may return to us with joy bearing a response fitting and worthy of you, celebrating together with all the love and kindness which the solicitude of your paternal beatitude has been accustomed to show toward the see of this royal city.

And in what manner the holy and universal synod, having diligently examined it, found the author of the tempest that arose against the common peace—I mean Dioscorus, who was formerly bishop of the Alexandrians and has fallen from the priesthood—those things which were distinctly written by the holy and ecumenical council make clear. For it was needful, indeed needful, that the wicked man be taken out of the midst, who had filled the whole world with tempests and storms. But with these things most excellently established, we are confident that your Holiness also will give assent, because of your innate hatred of depravity. CHAPTER III. But since after the judgment concerning him there was need...

...(for which end the most pious emperor, with utmost diligence, gathered the holy synod) that the understanding of all should come together into the sense of your right faith, with prayer and tears, while your Holiness stood with us in spirit and cooperated through the men most dear to God whom you sent hither, and while we had as our protectress the most holy and most fair martyr Euphemia: to this saving work we all devoted ourselves, laying aside all other cares; and when the time demanded that all the most holy bishops, gathered together, should issue a concordant definition for the explication and clearer understanding of the confession in our Lord Jesus Christ;

the Lord God, being found even by those who did not seek Him, appearing even to those who did not inquire after Him—although certain men from the beginning contentiously endeavored to resist—nevertheless showed forth His truth, and ordained that with one accord and free from contradiction a writing should be published by all, which would both confirm the minds of the steadfast and invite to the way of truth all who were turning aside from the truth. And indeed, when we, who had come together in the consensus of our universal synod, had subscribed with one accord to a document of this kind, in the confession of the same most holy martyr and conqueror Euphemia, and when, by the prayer, joy, and gladness of our most pious and most Christ-loving emperor Marcian and of the most pious and in all things most faithful empress and Augusta,

our daughter Pulcheria—with prayer, joy, and cheerfulness, this writing, drawn up to confirm that definition of the faith which was our Fathers', in accordance with your sacred letter, we had placed upon the holy altar, we then delivered it to their piety, that they might so receive it, since they themselves had asked; and they, receiving it, gave glory together with us to Christ the Lord, who drove out the darkness of depraved opinion and, by the highest consent, made resplendent the word of truth.

And so those things which pertain to the peace of the Church and the concord of the priesthood in the pure faith came to pass in this manner, through the grace of the Savior. CHAPTER IV.

But since it was needful for us to take thought also concerning other matters, so that so great a synod might be seen to do all things without any omission of what needs correction and approval, both in the canons and in ecclesiastical affairs, care was taken both by those who govern all things and by the most magnificent and most glorious judges, and by the illustrious and glorious senate, and by all the clergy and people, that some addition of honor should be conferred upon the most holy see of this royal city of Constantinople, through the consent of this holy synod, in accordance with the canon of the one hundred and fifty holy Fathers who had been gathered under the great Theodosius of pious memory, who was emperor of Constantinople, when Nectarius presided at Constantinople, Timothy at Alexandria, Meletius at Antioch, Helladius at Caesarea in Cappadocia, Cyril at Jerusalem, and the rest.

And we have undertaken this matter, confident that with good reason your beatitude will reckon the honor of the see of Constantinople as your own, since indeed your apostolic throne has long held solicitude and concord toward it, and has in all things bountifully bestowed upon it the very help of which it stood in need.

For since there is no doubt that your beatitude altogether rejoices that the assembly celebrated by them has obtained a more excellent honor, with ready mind it has proceeded to confirm that very canon of the one hundred and fifty holy Fathers who decreed that the bishop of Constantinople should have honor and the first place after the most holy see of Rome, inasmuch as Constantinople is also the New Rome; and it likewise defined that he himself should perform the ordinations of the metropolitans of the Pontic, Asian, and Thracian dioceses;

the bishops who are under their jurisdiction receiving ordination from their own metropolitans, so that by this the ordinations of very many bishops, which for sixty and seventy years it had been accustomed to perform, might rather be taken away from the throne of Constantinople. CHAPTER V.

—But when all matters had thus proceeded well and had ended in gladness, forthwith the most pious bishops Paschasinus and Lucentius and the most reverend presbyter Boniface—though often instructed by us concerning this very matter, yet ignorant of the intention which your Holiness has toward the most holy Church of Constantinople—after the holy synod had signed and confirmed by subscription a definition of this kind, reject the synod, disturb it and fill the assembly with confusion, holding this see for nothing, and doing all things that bring injury both to me and to the most holy Church of Constantinople.

These things were also established by the will of our most pious emperors, with the most magnificent and most glorious judges standing by the council and pronouncing that the definition of the holy synod was firm, and they themselves earnestly contending and desiring the things that pertain to the honor of the see, as we have said—of which, out of many, we have made a few known to you, lest we seem both to burden them and to dull your ears. For we, both before and after their arrival, have taken care in all things for the things that pertain to your glory and due honor—God is witness, and the very deeds make manifest—how, namely, we deemed them worthy both of honor and of the reverence of gifts;

and out of the honor with which we attend upon you, the holy synod has referred a decree of this kind to your Holiness, and we too, that we may obtain approval and confirmation from you: and we beseech that this also may be effected through you, O most holy one. For the see of Constantinople has your apostolic throne as its father, joining itself to you in a special and excellent manner; so that from your solicitude concerning it all may understand that you, having long sincerely consulted for its advantage, even now have the same care for it.

And just as you will deign to ratify all things that have followed as useful to the ecclesiastical estate, and rightly done in the most holy and universal synod, so also we have taken care to send the aforesaid definition concerning the see of Constantinople to your Holiness, that you may be able to recognize how, by your prayers, all things were accomplished out of divine wisdom; and we earnestly entreat that each proposition may receive a fitting response, the most God-loving bishop Lucian instructing you in all things—he who was himself present at the holy council, and who with the utmost prudence labored to the best of his power on behalf of our zeal for the faith.

He was chosen by us, that he might well and happily undertake the service of our obedience toward you, being a man perfect, and long since a friend to our most pious and most Christ-loving emperors, whom—rejoicing in your goodness—may you deign to send back to us glad. I myself, and those who are with me, most heartily salute your whole brotherhood together with your beatitude in Christ. Being unharmed in the Lord, and praying for us, may you be granted to us, O most dear to God and most blessed Father.