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.

Against the Title of Universal Patriarch.

ST. Gregory does not only oppose this Title in the Patriarch of Constantinople, but he maintains also that it cannot agree to any other Bishop, and that the Bishop of Rome neither ought nor can assume it. John the younger Patriarch of Constantinople, had taken upon him this Title in a Coun∣cil held in 586, in the time of Pope Pelagius. which oblig'd this Pope to null the Acts of this Coun∣cil. St. Gregory wrote of it also to this Patriarch; but this made no impression on him, and John would not abandon this fine Title, B. 4. Ep. 36. St. Gregory address'd himself to the Emperor Mau∣ritius, and exhorted him earnestly to employ his Authority for redressing this Abuse, and to force him who assumed this Title to quit it. He remonstrates to him in his Letter, That although Jesus Christ had committed to St. Peter the Care of all his Church, yet he was not called Universal Apostle: That the Title of Universal Bishop is against the Rules of the Gospel, and the Appointment of the Canons; that there cannot be an Universal Bishop, but the Authority of all the other will be de∣stroy'd or diminish'd: That if the Bishop of Constantinople were Universal Bishop, and it should happen that he should fall into Heresie, it might be said, that the Universal Church was fall'n into destruction: That the Council of Chalcedon had offer'd this Title to St. Leo, but neither he nor his Successors would accept it, lest by giving something peculiar to one Bishop only, they should take a∣way the Rights which belong to all the Bishops: That it belongs to the Emperor, to reduce by his Authority him who despises the Canons, and does injury to the Universal Church by assuming this singular Name, B. 4. Ep. 32. These Remonstrances had no effect; for the Emperor would not meddle in this Affair, and had even authorized John the younger, and therefore the Pope com∣plain'd of it to the Empress, Ep. 34. of the same Book. He wrote also to other Patriarchs, who were, it seems, concern'd to oppose this new Title: But they did not take the Matter so heinously as St. Gregory, and suffer'd the Patriarch of Constantinople to enjoy this Title, which did them no preju∣dice. Nay, Anastasius the Patriarch of Antioch, had the boldness to remonstrate to St. Gregory, that he must not be angry for a Matter of so little consequence: But St. Gregory gave him to understand,

that he did not take the Matter to be so Cyriacus succeeding to John in the See of Constantinople, continued to assume the same Title, yet he wrote to St. Gregory, immediately after his Promotion. This Pope would not refuse his Letter; but he gave him notice that he should quit that Ambitious Title of Universal Patriarch, if he would prevent a Rupture between them, and wrote to the Em∣peror, that his Legat should not Communicate with Cyriacus till he had parted with this vain Title, B. 6. Ep. 4. & 5. 23, 24, 25, 28, 30 & 31. He exhorts the Bishop of Thessalonica not to approve this Title, B. 7. Ind. 2. Ep. 70. Yet Cyriacus would not quit it, and St. Gregory was also oblig'd to write to him about the end of his Pontificat, B. 11. Ep. 43.