A new history of ecclesiastical writers containing an account of the authors of the several books of the Old and New Testament, of the lives and writings of the primitive fathers, an abridgement and catalogue of their works ... also a compendious history of the councils, with chronological tables of the whole / written in French by Lewis Ellies du Pin.

SIRICIUS.

SIRICIUS succeeded Pope Damasus in the Year 385, and govern'd the Church of Rome till the Year 398. The Letters of this Pope, are the First Decretals which are truly the Pope's whose * 1.1 Name they bear.

The First Letter he wrote soon after he was promoted to the Pontifical Dignity, in answer to Hi∣merius Bishop of Tarracon, upon some Questions which he had propos'd to Damasus Predecessor to Siricius.

The First Question was, Whether the Arians must be Re-baptiz'd who were readmitted into the Church. Siricius answers, That this was by no means to be permitted, because the Apostle forbids it, because the Canons condemn it, and because it was forbidden by the Constitutions of his Prede∣cessor Liberius, which were sent to all the Churches of the World, after the Annulling of the Coun∣cil of Ariminum.

Wherefore, adds he, in obedience to what was Ordain'd, by a Synod, We re∣concile them to the Church, as well as the Novatians and other Hereticks by Invocation of the Ho∣ly Spirit, and by Imposition of hands made by the Bishops: This is the Method which all the East and all the West observes, and you cannot vary from this Practice, but you will deserve to be sepa∣rated from our Society by a Synodical Sentence.

The Second Question propos'd by Hi••••rius, was about the time wherein Baptism ought to be Ad∣ministred. Siricius thinks, that in this we should follow the Custom of the Church of Rome, that this Sacrament should not be Administred but at Easter and Whitsontide; yet he excepts Infants and such as are in danger of their Life, who should be reliev'd with all speed.

For fear, says he, lest we be guilty before God of the loss of those to whom we have refus'd Baptism. He would have this Law observ'd by all the Bishops, and threatens those who shall not observe it, ••o separate them from the Apostolick Rock, upon which Christ has built his Universal Church.

Yet this Law was never punctually observ'd, neither in the East nor in the West; and nevertheless the Bishops who did not observe it, were never upon this Account separated from the Apostolick Rock upon which Christ built his Universal Church.

The Third Question is concerning those who having receiv'd Baptism had fa•••• into Apostacy. Si∣ricius ordains, that if they acknowledge their Fault, they should do Penance for the rest of their Life; but that the favour of Reconciliation should be granted them at the Point of Death.

The Fourth Question was, Whether a Man could marry a Woman that was promis'd to another. Siricius answers, that we must not suffer it to be done, because it was a kind of Sacrilege to vio∣late the Blessing which the Priest or Bishop gave to her that was to be married.

The Fifth concerns Penitents who have relaps'd into the Sins of the Flesh, after they had com∣pleated their Penance and were reconcil'd to the Church. Siricius says, that since they have no fur∣ther the benefit of Penance, he thinks it convenient to give them leave to be present at the Prayers of the Church; but upon condition that they shall be kept back from the Holy Table, that is, from the participation of the Sacrament of the Eucharist; yet he would have this Viaticum grant∣ed them at the Point of Death. He Ordains that the same Method shall be observ'd towards Wo∣men that fall into Sins of this Nature. And in fine, as to Monks and Religious Persons guilty of Uncleanness, he Ordains, that those detestable Persons shall be separated not only from the Assem∣blies of the Church, but also from the Society of Monks, and that being shut up in Prison, they shall bewail their Sin all the remainder of their Life, that so they may be capable of deserving the Commu∣nion of the Church at the Hour of Death.

After this, he speaks in the 7th. Canon against those Persons who being in Orders do not observe Ce∣libacy. And he declares, That if for the future any Bishop, Priest, or Deacon shall not continue un∣married, he is to hope for no more pardon, because it was necessary to cut off with the Knife those Sores that could not be cur'd by other Remedies.

The Eighth Canon is against those who get themselves Ordain'd after they have had several Wives.

In the Ninth, Siricius observes the several Degrees through which one must pass before he arrives at the Priesthood. He says, that he who devotes himself to the Service of the Church, should be bap∣tiz'd very young, and plac'd among the number of Readers; that if he behaves himself discreetly till he be 30 Years old, he may during that time be made an Acolyth and Sub-deacon, provided that

he does not marry above once, and then he does not marry a Widow; that after he shall be Ordain'd Deacon, if he obliges himself to live unmarried; Five Years after the Order of Priesthood may be con∣ferr'd upon him; and that in fine at the end of Ten Years, he may be made Bishop. Thus Siricius disposes of thei•• time who are design'd for the Clergy, from the First Years of their Life: But for those that would enter into Holy Orders when they are already come to Years, he says, in the Tenth Canon, that immediately after their Baptism, they should be plac'd in the Rank of Readers of Exorists, and Two Years after they should be made Acolyths and Subdeacons, at the end of Five Years Deacons, and some time after Priests, and afterwards Bishops, if the People and the Clergy should choose them. These Rules are very fine in speculation, 〈◊〉〈◊〉 it was never seen that they were exactly observ'd, and indeed it had been very difficult to do it.

In the 7th. he declares, that every Clergy-man who shall marry a Second Wife or a Widow, shall be turn'd out of Holy Orders, and reduc'd to Lay-Communion.

In the 12th. he observes, that no other Women must be suffer'd to dwell with the Clergy, but those whom the Council of Nice has allow'd.

In the 13th. he speaks of the Ordination of Monks.

We wish, says he, and desire, that those among the Monks who are recommended by the Holiness of their Lives and the Purity of their Faith, may enter into the Clergy, upon Condition that they pass through the Inferior Orders, that they be not Ordain'd Deacons or Priests till they come to a good Age, and that they do not ascend all of the sudden into the Episcopal Chair, but only after they have continued the time prescrib'd in each of the Sacred Orders.

In the 14th. he says, that as a Clergy-man 〈◊〉〈◊〉 not permitted to do publick Penance, so neither should a Lay-man be allow'd, after he has done publick Penance, to enter into the Clergy. At last, he Or∣dains in the last Canon, that considering the greater part excuse themselves as not knowing these Laws, that their Ignorance be pardon'd; but upon Condition that the Penitents and Bigamists who have been Ordain'd, shall continue in that Order wherein they are, without being capable of ascending higher. He concludes these Canons with threatning the Condemnation of the Holy See to all Metro∣politans who did not observe these Laws; and ends his whole Letter with exhorting Himerius, to ob∣serve the Canons and the Holy Decrees, and to publish them in Spain.

The Second Letter of Pope Siricius furnishes us with a good Example of the ancient Manner of Judging us'd by the Holy Apostolick See: There he acquaints the Church of Milan, that having Assembled all his Clergy, he had condemn'd Jovinian and his followers, with the Advice and Con∣sent of the Priests, Deacons, and all the Clergy. Omnium nostrum tam Presbyterorum & Diaconorum, quam etiam totius Cleri una sententia.

The Third Letter of the Pope Siricius is address'd to all the Orthodox; he exhorts them to ob∣serve the Canons of the Council of Nice in the Election of Bishops; he recommends to them, not to give Bishopricks to Persons unknown, nor to Novices, nor to Lay-men, but to Clergy-men, whose Life was unblamable.

The Fourth Letter of Siricius which is adoress'd to the Bishops of Africa, is suspected of Forgery by the most able Criticks, who prove it by very strong Conjectures a 1.2, and it contains nothing re∣markable.

The last Letter written to Anysius of Thess••lonica, and other Bishops of Illyricum, was for a long time attributed to St. Ambrose, tho he speaks there of this Father in the Third Person, and was re∣stor'd to Siricius by Holstenius. The Bishops to whom he writes had consulted him about the Cause of Bonosus, who was accus'd of saying rashly, That the Virgin Mary had Children. Siricius an∣swers Anysius and those Bishops, that the Synod of Capua having ordain'd that the neighbouring Bishops to Bonosus, and chiefly those of Macedonia, should take cognizance of the Charge that was drawn up against him, it did no longer belong to him to judge of this Cause; that it belong'd to

them to whom this Judgment was committed to give their Sentence, and that neither the Accused, nor the Accusers could avoid it; That the Synod of Capua having chosen them to Judge it, the Judgment which they should give was to be lookt upon as the Judgment of the Council; That Bono∣sus having consulted St. Ambrose, whether he could be readmitted to his Church, he had answer'd him that he must attempt nothing unseasonably; but must wait for the Judgment of those to whom the Synod of Capua had given Authority to determine this Affair: Yet in the following part of this Letter he does not omit to acquaint them with his thoughts of this Question, and to refute the Opinion of Bonosus; but he does it as a private Doctor and not as a Judge, declaring at the end of this Letter, that he waited for their Judgment upon this Affair, that he might follow it as his Rule. This is a very authentick Testimony of the Reverence which the Ancient Popes had for the Decisions of Councils.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Siricius.
• a 1.2

  By very strong Conjectures.] Blondel had before re∣jected this Letter, but with some Doubt, and without giving any convincing Reason; but Monsieur Quesnel has perfectly destroyed the Credit of it, by sapping the foundation upon which it was built, which was the Council of Telepta, wherein this Letter is quoted, and by alledging many new Conjectures against this Letter. These that follow are the chief. 1. The first Canon of this Letter has no Sence in whatever manner it be read or explain'd; for according to some it must be read, ut sine Conscientia sedis Apostolicae Primatis, nemo audeat ordinare, according to others, ut extra conscientiam sedis Apostolicae, i. e. Primatis, nemo audeat ordinare. The first is ridiculous, First, because the Popes never pretended to take cognizance of the Ordinations of all the Metropo∣litans. Secondly, because in Africk there was but one Primate only, all the other Ecclesiastical Metropolitans were the most ancient Bishops of the Province. The Second is equally ridiculous: For what probability is there, that a Pope should give to all the Metropolitan Churches the Title of the Apostolick See, which Pope Leo in Ep. 78. said could not be granted to the Bishop of Constantinople? Secondly this Letter is copied from that of Innocent to Victricius. Thirdly, the Author of this Let∣ter says impertinently, That the Bishops of Africk would have come to the Synod of Rome, if they had not been hindred by old Age or Sickness from coming thither. Fourthly, he makes Siricius speak to the Afri∣cans with too much Authority. Fifthly, he only advises Priests and Deacons to Celibacy, as a thing that they were not oblig'd to; whereas 'tis certain that Siricius lookt upon it as an indispensable Law. Six•…•…ly, what this Author has not copied from the Letter of St. Innocent is barbarous and ill-turn'd. Seventhly, the Subscription of this Letter is singular, Data Romae in Concilio Episco∣porum 80. This is always put at the beginning and ne∣ver at the end of Synodical Letters. In fine, this Let∣ter was never quoted in the African Councils, which have treated of the Continency of the Clergy, no more than that Council of Telepta, wherein it is pretended that it was quoted, 'Tis true that Ferrandus the Dea∣con has inserted the Canons of this Council, as well as those of this Letter, into his Collection; but he may be mistaken as Father Quesnel proves in this Dissertation, which is the 15th. of his Learned Dissertations upon St. Leo.