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Of the things handeled & decided by the councell of Chalcedon, howe after they had deposed Dioscorus b. of Alexandria they restored Theodoritus and Ibas to theyr Bishopricks.
IN the aforesayde place described of vs at large the Councell of Byshoppes mette toge∣ther where Pascasianus and Lucentius Byshopps, and Boniface a Priest, legats (as I sayd before) of Leo Byshoppe of olde Rome: Anatolius Byshopp of Constantinople, Dioscorus
byshopp of Alexandria, Maximus byshopp of Antioch, and Iuuenalis byshopp of Ierusalem, with the priestes of their seuerall prouinces were present. There sate with them the chiefe sena∣tors vnto whome the substitutes of Leo sayde that Dioscorus ought not to sitt with them in the coun∣cell, that Leo their byshopp had charged them no lesse, and if they woulde not yeelde vnto it, that they woulde leaue the Churche and bidd them farewell. When the Senators demaunded what crimes Dioscorus was to be charged withall, their aunswere was, that he who contrarye to all right and honestie playde the part of a Iudge, was to▪ abide the sentence of iudgement him selse for the censure he had pronounced of others. These thinges beinge spoken, and Dioscorus also be∣inge appointed to stande in the middest, Eusebius byshopp of Dorylaeum requested that the suppli∣cation he had sent vnto the Emperour might be openly reade in their hearing, and withall he ad∣ded these wordes. I protest vnto you that Dioscorus hath iniuried me not a litle, he hath also brought our religion into great infamye, he procured the death of Flautanus the byshopp, and wrongfully deposed him together with me. cause I beseeche you my supplication to be reade. When he had made an ende of speakinge his supplication was reade, contayninge suche a forme as followeth.
The humble supplication of Eusebius byshop of Dorylaeum exhibited vnto the most vertuous Emperours, requestinge he may be hearde pleadinge both for him selfe and in the behalfe of the catholicke faith.
IT behoueth your maiesties (most noble and puisant emperours) to prouide carefully for the* 1.1 quietnesse of all your louing subiects, yet when all others sustaine iniuries euer to vphold and assist the sacred senate of priesthood. and herein verily the diuine godheade which graunted vnto you the rule & domination of the whole world is truely honored. wherefore seing the chri∣stian faith, & we our selues also haue bene oppressed & diuersty molested with extreme wrōg by Dioscorus the most reuerēd byshop of the most noble city of Alexandria, we are come vnto your wonted clemēcy most humbly to craue iustice at your hands. The occasion of our cōplaint is as followeth. In the councel lately held at the famous city of Ephesus (I would to God it had neuer bene called together, then had it not brought into the whole world such horrible mischiefe and hurliburly) the aforesaid Dioscorus who trode right & reasō vnder foot, who set the fear of God farre out of his sight, who maintained one absurd opinion with Eutyches that vaine & hereticall varlett, who of a longe whyle reuealed not vnto many the venome of his cankred stomacke, yet bewrayed him selfe in processe of time partly by occasion of the crimes we laide to Eutyches his charge, & partly also by occasion of the sentence which Flauianus the byshop of worthy memo∣rie pronounced against him: gathered together a great multitude of seditious persons, raised with his money no small power, laboured as muche as laye in him to ouerthrowe the catho∣licke religion and godly fayth of the auncient fathers, and to establishe the blasphemous opini∣on of Eutyches the monk whose opinion was euer condēned of the holy fathers from the Apo∣stles time vnto this day. wherfore seing the haynous offences he committed both impudently to the derogation of the Christian faith & vncharitably against vs, be of no smal importāce, we are most humbly to craue vpon our bare knees of your graces, and to request that by vertue of your autority the most reuerēd byshop Dioscours may be inioyned to aunswere vnto suche crimes as we haue laid to his charge, to wit, vnto such practises of his, & records as he broughtforth against vs in the holy councell, wherby we shalbe able plainly to proue that he is estraunged from the catholicke faith: that he maintaineth an opinion which is nothing else but blasphemy it selfe: that he both deposed vs vniustly & iniuried vs diuersly besides▪ we beseeche you moreouer to vouchsafe the sending of your gracious letters vnto the holy & general councel of the most god∣ly byshops, to thend both our doings & his may indifferently be heard, & that your highnes may be certified againe of al that is handled by the councel, hoping that therein we shall please our immortal head Christ Iesus. If we may obtaine (most holy emperours) this our humble sute at your maiesties hāds, we will not ceasse day & night to pray for the prosperous state of your em∣pire, & the cōtinuāce of your raigne.
After these things y• acts of y• secōd coūcel of Ephesus were o∣penly read at y• request both of Dioscorus & Eusebius: y• subtle disputation & exquisit discourse ther∣of both written of many others & also laid down among y• acts of y• councel of Chalcedō, if I should here pen for y• reader (who peraduēture wilbe desirous to vnderstād y• finall end of al their doings)
without doubt I should seeme to post him ouer with delayes, I will therefore referre it to the ende of this booke, where as many as will haue all things (after their common saying) at their fingers endes, may both reade all, and carefully committ the whole to memorie. But nowe let vs pro∣ceede on in the things which we haue chiefely purposed to handle, that is to saye, howe Dioscorus bewrayed him selfe, partly by reiecting the Epistle of Leo byshopp of old Rome, and partly also by deposing Flauianus byshop of newe Rome, all which he did in one day, and craftely deuised that the byshops whiche assembled together should subscribe vnto a blancke, where afterwards he caused the depriuation of Flauianus to be written. when these thinges were done, the senators decreed as followeth. The next day after when the councell aduised them selues somewhat better, we* 1.2 doe perceiue that they reasoned more exquisitly of the true and catholicke fayth. VVherefore seeinge that Flauianus the byshopp of worthie memory and Eusebius the most reuerende by∣shopp of Dorilaeum were founde not to haue erred in the fayth after we had searched the actes and decrees of the councell, and also by the report of suche as were chiefe in the councell, and therefore vniustly to haue beene deposed (for they confessed them selues sowly deceaued and wrongfully to haue depriued Flauianus and Eusebius) It seemeth good vnto vs, and no doubt God approueth the same, that Dioscorus the most reuerend byshop of Alexandria (if it so please our Lorde the Emperour) Iuuenalis the most reuerend byshop of Ierusalem, Thalassius the most reuerend byshop of Caesarea in Cappodocia, Eusebius the most reuerende byshop of Armenia, Eu∣stathius the most reuerend byshop of Berytus, & Basilius the most reuerende byshop of Seleucia in Isauria (who were then of autority and chief of the councell) should be punished alike, depo∣sed of their byshopricks, by the censure & iudgemēt of the councell, as the canons of the church doe require, & be at the emperours pleasure. Immediatly there were other bils exhibited against Dioscorus both of the crimes he committed, and the money he had receaued: but when Dioscorus being called y• second & the third time of y• councel, sent fained excuses for him self & came not, y• Le∣gats* 1.3 of Leo byshop of old Rome, stood vp in y• councel, & said as followeth, The haino{us} offēces which Dioscorus late byshop of the noble city of Alexandria, cōmitted against the canons of the coun∣cells, & the ecclesiastical discipline are throughly knowē of vs al, partly by sifting out such things as were heard in the former session, and partly also by examining such things as we decided this day. And that we may omit many other things, this man of his owne autority cōtrary to the ca∣non of the church receaued Eutyches into the cōmunion, an heretick of the same opinion with him, & one that was iustly deposed by his owne proper byshop, to wit, the most holy father, and our byshop Flauianus: & this he did before he shewed his face in the councel which he held with the most holy byshops at Ephesus. but the Apostolicke seae pardoned the byshops because they were constrained against their wills to doe that whiche they did: who yeelded them selues vnto this present houre both to Leo the most holy byshop, & to the whole sacred & general assembly of byshops, & therefore as men of one opinion with him, he receaued thē into the cōmunion. As for this Dioscorus he cesseth not as yet to glory of the things for the which he ought to mourne, lament & lie groueling vpon the ground in sackcloth & ashes, not onely this but also he f••rbad the reading of holy Pope Leo his epistle written vnto Flauianus of godly memory, yea being oft intreated of the Legats, naye when he him selfe had promised with an othe he woulde procure it to be read. the default in not reading of which epistle, hath bene both an offence & hindrance vnto the holy churches vnder heauen. Although he was priuey to such lewde practises, yet haue we assēbled together, to thend we might deale somewhat fauourably both vvith him for all his former leudnes, and also in like sort with the other godly byshops which were not of equall au∣tority with him in iudgment. but seing that his later misdemenure exceeded his former impiety, for he sticked not to excōmunicate Leo the most holy and most religious archebyshop of Rome, moreouer whē shameful bills were exhibited against him, & he him self being cited once, twise, & the thirde time as the canon of the church hath cōmaunded by the godly byshops to appeare before the councel, yet would be not come, for his owne cōscience accused him, but entertained cōtrary vnto law such as were iustly deposed by diuers councells & set at naught sundry cōstitu∣tions of the church condemning as it were him selfe with his owne doings: once againe seeinge these are found to be his later practises, Leo the most holy archebyshop of great & olde Rome, by vs and this sacred assembly together with the most blessed Apostle S. Peter, who is the rocke, the grounde of the Catholicke Churche, and the fundation of the true fayth bereaued him of all dignitie that belongeth to a byshop, and depriued him of the priestly function▪ wherefore let
this holy councell geue the sentence of Dioscorus (of whom we haue hitherto spoken) according vnto the canons of the Church. When these things were ratified by the councell, and certen other things decided, y• byshops that were deposed with Dioscorus at y• request of the councell, & the con∣sent of y• emperour were restored to their byshopricks: againe when they had annexed certē things vnto their former constitutious y• conncell pronounced such a sentence as followeth. Our Lord and sauiour Iesus Christe going about to confirme his disciples in the knowledge of the fayth, saide vnto them: my peace I geue you, my peace I bequeath vnto you, to thende none should vary frō* 1.4 his neighbour in sacred religion, but that all with one mouth & minde should acknowledg the word of trueth. (Imediately after when they had read y• creed established by the councell of Nice, with y• forme of faith agreed vpon by a hundred & fiftye godly fathers assembled at Constantinople, they procede on in these words) that diuine & holy creed containing the abundance of the grace & spirit of god is sufficient both to bring men vnto a perfect knowledg of the faith, & also vnto a sure cōfirmation of the same▪ for it instructeth vs most exquisitly in such things as we must ne∣cessarily know of the father, of the sonne, & of the holy ghost, and setteth forth after the plainest maner the incarnation of our Lord Iesus for them that with faith wil embrace it. but seeing that certen leud & godles persons endeuoring with their erronious opinions, to root out true religiō haue brought into the world many vaine fantasies of their idle braines, of which number some were not affraid to corrupt the true vnderstanding & the mistery of the manhood, our Lord Ie∣sus toke for our sakes & to deny the mother or bearing of God which is attributed vnto the virgine* 1.5 Mary, other some fained very fondly that the diuinity & the humanity consisted of one nature, confoūding both with a certē imaginatiue cōmixitō of natures, & affirming with horrible blas∣phemy* 1.6 that in the said confusion the diuine nature of the onely begotten was patible. therefore this great & general coūcel presētly assēbled together being desirous with al might to stop eue∣ry gapp, & to cutt of all occasion of deuelishe deuices wrought to the ouerthrowe of the trueth, decreeth that the faith which we receiued of the fathers is inuiolably to be retained: and there∣fore* 1.7 commaundeth aboue all other formes of fayth, that the creede deliuered vnto vs of three hundred and eighteene godly fathers is firmely to be beleeued. moreouer to thende the ene∣mies of the holy Ghoste may vtterly be foyled, it ratifieth the doctrine aftervvardes establi∣shed touching the substance of the holy Ghost by a hundred and fifty godly byshopps whiche mett at the princely citye of Constantinople: the which essence those fathers made manifeste vnto the whole world, not by adding anything of their owne, as if the canons of the Nicene coū∣cell were vnperfect, but that they might declare by manifest testimonies of holy scripture what their owne opinion was of the holy ghost against such as denied the godhead thereof. further∣more to the confutation of suche as doubted not to peruert the mysterie of our Lords incarna∣tion, assirming both impiously and blasphemously that he which was borne of the holy virgine was but onely man, this holy councell approueth the synodicall Epistles of holy Cyrill by∣shopp* 1.8 of Alexandria, written vnto Nestorius and to the byshops of the East churches, partly to refell the mad and franticke opinion of Nestorius, and partly also for to instruct such as are god∣ly disposed, and labour to attaine vnto the true vnderstandinge of the holye creede. Againe this councell annexeth thereunto not without good consideration the Epistle of Leo the most holy archebyshop of old Rome, which he wrote vnto Flauianus the most holy archebyshopp for the remouinge and rooting out of the Churche of God the fanaticall opinion of Eutyches, as a* 1.9 worthie tract agreeing with the consession of Peter that great Apostle, and as it were a stronge pillour and fortresse to vpholde the true and sincere doctrine against all erronious opinions. for he valiantly encountreth with such as endeuored to deuide the mystery of the incarnation into two sonnes: he excommunicateth suche as dare presume to saye that the diuinitie of the onely begotten is patible: he manfully withstandeth suche as confounde or make a commixtion of both the natures in Christe: he ratleth sickebraines and frentike fooles, who affirme that the shape of a seruant which he tooke of vs, was of a celestiall or some other kinde of substance: last of all he accurseth suche as vaynely haue fayned that before the couplinge of the natures* 1.10 there vvere tvvo, but after the vnitynge of them that there vvas but one onely nature in the Lorde. VVherefore treadinge one trace, and immitatinge the fayth of the holy Fathers vvhiche vvent before vs, vve consesse one, and the same sonne our Lorde Iesus Christe, and vvith one generall consent vve saye that he is perfecte God and perfecte man, true God and true man of a reasonable soule and humane fleshe subsistinge: of one substance vvyth the
father according vnto his diuinitye, but of one substance with vs according vnto his humanitye: like vnto vs in all things, sinne onely excepted: begotten of the father before all worlds, accor∣ding vnto his godhead, but borne in these later dayes for our sakes, and for our saluation of the virgine mary, & the mother of God according vnto his manhood: one & the same Iesus Christ, the sonne, the Lord, the onely begotten: of two natures, knowen without confounding of thē, without mutation, without diuision without separation: the distinctiō of natures not remoued for all the vniting of them, but the proprietie of both natures vvholly retayned and coupled to∣gether in one person, or as the Grecians say, in one 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 not seuered & parted into tvvo per∣sons, but one and the selfe same onely begotten sonne, God the vvorde, and the Lorde Iesus Christe, euen as the Prophetts of olde, and Christe him selfe aftervvardes haue instructed vs of him and the same hath the faith of the fathers deliuered vnto vs. Seeinge we haue sifted out the trueth of these thinges with great care and diligence, the sacred and generall councell hath de∣creed that it shall be lavvfull for no man, eyther to alleage or to vvrite, or to frame, or to be∣leeue, or to teache any other fayth. Moreouer this councell commaundeth suche as presume to deuise any other fayth, or to bringe forth, or to teache, or to publishe any other creede vn∣to suche as turne eyther from paganisme, or from Iudaisme, or from any other secte whatsoe∣uer, vnto the knowledge of the trueth, if they be byshops, that they be deposed of their byshop∣like dignities: if priests, that they be vnministred: if monks and lay people, that they shoulde be accursed. After the reading of these decrees, Martianus the Emperour, who was present at the councell of Chalcedon, who made there also an Oration, returned to Constantinople. Iuue∣nalis and Maximus, Theodoritus and Ibas, who had bene deposed, were restored to their bysho∣pricks. other thinges there were handled by the councell, the whiche shall be layde downe (as I* 1.11 saide before) in the ende of this hooke. They decreed besides all the aforesaide that the byshopps seae of New Rome, that is of Constantinople, because she enioyed the second honor after Olde Rome, shoulde be chiefe and in honor aboue all other cities.
The suppli∣cation o•• Eu¦sebius by∣shop of Do∣rylaeum ex∣hibited vnto valentinian{us} and Martia∣nus the em∣perours.
The censure of the sena∣tors in the councell of Chalcedon.
The sentēce which Pasca sianus, Lu∣centius and Boniface (substitutes of Leo b. of Rome) gaue of Diosco∣rus.
The actes & decrees of the councell held at Chal¦cedon.
Against Ne∣storius.
Against Eu∣tyches.
The Nicene creed is confirmed. Against Ma∣cedonius o∣pinion the creede of the councel held at Constanti nople is ra∣tified.
The synodi∣call epistles of Cyrill approued.
The epistle of Leo vnto Flauianus allowed.
The creede of the coun¦cel helde at Chalcedon.
Constantino¦ple the secōd patriarchship