講道與書信 第 97 章

Formerly and from the beginning, in the synods that were held, we received such great confidence from the most holy Peter, prince of the apostles, that we have the power both of vindicating the truth for our peace, and that it be lawful for no one, since it is so fortified, to shake it, while without delay the injury is removed. Since, therefore, the council of bishops which you ordered to be held in the city of Ephesus on account of Flavian both wounds the faith itself and injures all the Churches.......

And these things have become known to us not from an uncertain messenger, but from those very ones whom we sent — the most religious bishop and our most faithful deacon Hilary — who set forth to us what was done. But what happened has this cause: that those who assembled brought forth their sentence concerning the faith and concerning those who had been deceived not with a pure conscience and upright judgment according to custom. For we learn that not all who ought to have came to the council, but that some were cast out and others let in, who were caught by the impious subscriptions through the deception of the aforesaid bishop. For such a sentence was brought forth by him, that injury might be inflicted through him on all the Churches.

For this thing, most impious and repugnant to the faith, those eyewitnesses who were sent by us made known to us. Wherefore, most serene emperor, deign to turn aside from your pious conscience the peril to the cause of the faith, nor let human presumption offer violence to the Gospel of Christ. These things I, O most Christian and venerable emperor, together with the bishops who are with me, desiring with sincere affection that you above all things please God — to whom prayers are poured forth by the whole Church with one accord for your empire — counsel you to do, lest perchance we pay penalties before the tribunal of Christ, should we wrap up a matter of this kind in silence.

I beseech you, therefore, in the presence of the inseparable Trinity of the one Godhead, which is injured by the things wickedly done, and which is the guardian of your empire, and in the presence of the holy angels of Christ, that all things remain untouched, as they were before the judgment. But let them await the greater tribunal of a council, in which the whole number of bishops from the whole world may be gathered; nor allow yourselves to bear a burden for another's sin; which, that we may declare it more plainly, we are constrained by the fear of pressing necessity. But set before your eyes the glory of most blessed Peter, and the crowns common with him of all the apostles, and the joys of the martyrs, whose was no other cause

of suffering than the confession of the true Godhead, and perfect perseverance in Christ. Since this confession is now impiously injured by certain few, all the Churches of our parts, and all the priests, supplicate your gentleness with tears, on account of the appeal contained in the petition of bishop Flavian, that you would order a special council to be held in the parts of Italy, so that every conflict may be repelled or mitigated, and there be nothing deviating or doubtful in the faith;

and, moreover, with the bishops from all the Eastern provinces likewise convening — of whom, if any have strayed from the way of truth, let them be restored to soundness by salutary remedies, and those whose case is graver either acquiesce in counsels or be cut off from the one Church — so that it be necessary both to preserve those things which the Nicene canon and the constitution of the bishops of the whole world enjoin, according to the custom of the Catholic Church and the free faith of our Fathers, through which your serenity is established. For when those who injure the Church are expelled, and your provinces come into possession of the right which is just, and vengeance is executed against the heretics, your empire also will be defended by the right hand of Christ. CHAPTER I.

— Of old and from the beginning, in the councils celebrated, we received such great confidence from blessed Peter, prince of the apostles, that we have the authority to defend the truth for our peace: so that it be lawful for no one to move in any respect that truth so fortified, while the injury is suddenly removed. Therefore, since the council of bishops which you ordered to be held on account of Flavian in the city of Ephesus is proved both to be harmful to the faith itself and to wound all the Churches; and these things have become known not from an uncertain messenger, but from those very most reverend bishops who were sent by us, and from our most faithful deacon Hilary, narrator of the things that were done.

But this fault proceeded for this reason: that those who were assembled brought forth their judgment concerning the faith and concerning the erring not with a pure conscience and upright judgment according to custom. But in the judgment itself we have learned that not all who had convened were present. For some we learned were rejected, others let in, who by the will of the aforesaid priest gave their captive hands to impious subscriptions, and knew that it would harm their own standing unless they did what was commanded; and that such a sentence was brought forth by him, that through it there might be raging against all the Churches. Which our men, directed from the apostolic see, seeing to be so impious and contrary to the Catholic faith, are known to have signified to us. Chapter II.

— Wherefore, O most tranquil of princes, remove, we beseech you, from the conscience of your piety the peril of religion and faith: that human presumption may offer no violence to the Gospel of Christ.

Behold, I, O most Christian and venerable emperor, together with my fellow priests, fulfilling toward the reverence of your clemency the office of sincere love, and desiring that you please God in all things — to whom on your behalf the Church makes supplication — lest before the tribunal of the Lord we be judged guilty on account of silence, beseech you, in the presence of the inseparable Trinity of the one Godhead, which is injured by such a deed, since it is itself both the guardian and author of your empire, and in the presence of the holy angels of Christ, that you order all things to be in that state in which they were before every judgment, until a greater number of priests from the whole world be gathered; and let not yourselves be burdened by another's sin:

because — what it is necessary for us to say — we fear lest the indignation of Him whose religion is being dissipated be provoked. Have before your eyes, and with the whole keenness of your mind reverently behold, the glory of blessed Peter, and the crowns common with him of all the apostles, and the palms of all the martyrs, whose was no other cause of suffering than the confession of the true Divinity and the true humanity in Christ. Chapter III.

— To which sacred mystery, since it is now impiously opposed by a few imprudent men, all the Churches of our parts, all the priests supplicate your gentleness with groanings and tears, that — since both our men faithfully protested and bishop Flavian gave them a petition of appeal — you would order a general synod to be celebrated within Italy, which may so repel or mitigate all offenses that nothing further be either doubtful in the faith or divided in charity; with the bishops of the Eastern provinces likewise convening — of whom, if any, overcome by threats and injuries, have deviated from the path of truth, let them be restored to soundness by salutary remedies:

and let those very ones whose case is harsher, if they acquiesce in better counsels, not fall away from the unity of the Church. But that this is necessarily demanded after an appeal has been interposed, the decrees of the canons held at Nicaea attest, which were established by the priests of the whole world. Favor the Catholics after the manner of yourself and of your parents; grant liberty for the defense of the faith. For we plead both the causes of the Church and of your kingdom and of salvation, that you may possess the tranquil right of your provinces. Defend against the heretics the unshaken state of the Church: so that your empire also may be defended by the right hand of Christ. Given on the third day before the Ides of October, in the consulship of the most illustrious men Asturius and Protogenes.