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.

JOHN MAXENTIUS. * 1.1

THE Monks of Scythia, who maintain'd that it was necessary to say, That One of the Persons of the Trinity was crucified, had for their Champion an Abbot call'd John Maxentius, who defend∣ed their Party very vigorously. 'Tis not well known from whence he was, whether he was from Scythia, or from some other Province of the East * 1.2, or whether he was from the West. The Party whom he defends, would make us believe that he was one of the Monks of Scythia; but his Style discovers that he was born, or at least that he had his Education in the West. I can easily believe that it was so indeed, but then he travelled into the East, where he settled among the Monks of Scythia.

He hath written many Discourses in defence of the Party, and the Opinions of these Monks. He drew up a Petition, which they presented to the Legats of Pope Hormisdas, wherein they com∣plain'd, that they were accused of adding something to the Faith, because they maintain'd the De∣cision of the Council of Chalcedon by the Judgment of the Fathers. They confess that nothing can be added to the Catholick Faith, because nothing but what is imperfect is liable to addition; But they maintain'd that it's not forbidden to explain and clear it up by such terms as the Fathers used. They bring for an instance of this St. Cyril and St. Leo, who added to the Creed the Explications of the Fathers, to discover the true sence of it. They say that they have done the same for maintain∣ing the Council of Chalcedon against those who accused it of condemning the Faith of the Fathers. They joyn'd with this Remonstrance a Confession of Faith, wherein they explain their Sentiments about the Mystery of the Incarnation, and reject the Errors of Nestorius, Eutyches and their Fol∣lowers, and endeavour to shew that we ought to say, That One Person of the Trinity was crucified, and to confirm this Expression by the Testimonies of the Fathers: But there is scarce any except Proclus who used it. They add afterwards a Confession of their Doctrine concerning Grace, the Substance whereof is this; That Adam was created a perfect Man; that he was neither mortal or im∣mortal, but capable of becoming either the one or the other; That he had a perfect liberty of Power and Will to do good or evil, but falling into sin, he had lost the Life of the Soul, as well as that of the Body, and that his sin descended upon all his Posterity: That upon this account Children are baptiz'd, not only to make them the Children of God by Adoption, or to render them worthy of the Kingdom of Heaven (as the Disciples of Pelagius, Celestius and Theodorus of Mopsuestia taught) but also that they may obtain remission of Original Sin which deserves eternal Death; That none can recover himself from this Fall, nor be saved, but by the Grace of Jesus Christ: That Free-will, since the entrance of sin, has, of it self, no other power but that of choosing some carnal good and pleasure, and that it can neither desire, nor will, nor do any thing for eternal Life, but by the Operation of the Holy Spirit: That they condemn on the one side those who say that sin is Natural, or that it's a Substance; and on the other side, they detest those who affirm, against the Doctrine of St. Paul, That it is in us to Will, but it is God that finishe•• the Work.

The Monks of Scythia receiving no satisfaction, as we have said, from the Legats of the Pope, came to Rome; but they were not much better receiv'd by Pope Hormisdas. They continued there more then a year by the order of this Pope, but finding means to withdraw, they fixed up before their departure, twelve Anathematismes, which contain'd in Substance the Doctrine comprized in their Confession of Faith. And as it is the custom of those who are persecuted and accused of He∣resie, about subtil Questions, to make many Declarations and Confessions of Faith, we have also a Confession of Faith made by John Maxentius, together with an Explication of the manner in which the two Natures are united in the Person of Jesus Christ.

After their Departure Pope Hormisdas being very angry with them, wrote to Possessor a Bishop of Afric, That he had done all that lay in his power to cure these Monks of their Error, but could not com∣pass his design; that he found them turbulent and Enemies to Peace; that they sought only to dispute upon new Questions, and that they were so proud that they would have all the Earth enslaved to their Imagi∣nations; That they were wont to spread unjust Reports, to feign Calumnies, to hate the Church, to stir up Seditions, and to maintain their Opinion with obstinacy; That they had a mind also to stir up the People, and sow their Tares at Rome. He adds to what we have now said, that which we have al∣ready reported concerning the Books of Fausius. John Maxentius having undertaken to answer this Letter which was publish'd to the World, took upon him to say, That it could not be Hormisdas's, and that it was not the Work of a Pastor of the Church, but of its Enemies, being stuff'd with nothing but falshoods, errors, contradictions and reproaches. Nevertheless he objects to Hormisdas, that he has not given a positive answer to the Monks of Scythia, although the Letter which he treats of begins with this Maxim. That it's reasonable that those who are consulted should give an Answer to those who consult them. Afterwards he accuses the Author of this Letter of being an Heretick, and a favourer

of the Nestorians. He accuses of the same Heresie Dioscorus the Pope's Legat, and the Bishop Pos∣sessor, to whom this Letter is written, because they were Enemies to those who affirm that One Person of the Trinity suffered. He defends this Expression stoutly, and proves that this Letter can∣not be Pope Hormisdas's, because the Doctrine of the Monks of Scythia is condemned in it as Hereti∣cal, although the Pope, after he had entertained them many times, and known that it was their Doctrine, had not excluded them from his Communion for the space of fourteen Months that they continued at Rome. From whence he concludes, that this Letter was supposititious, or that the Pope was corrupted by Dioscorus; but whether this Letter was his, or anothers, that the Author of it is a Heretick. Afterwards he justifies the Doctrine and Behaviour of the Monks of Scythia, and refutes the Objections which are made against them in this Letter. He maintains that the Monks did not retire from Rome of their own accord, and that they were not driven away by the People, but that the Pope being subject to Human Infirmity, understanding that Dioscorus was returning, had caused them to be forced out of Rome by his Wardens * 1.3, although he had promis'd to hear them in an Ecclesiastical Assembly, when Dioscorus should return. As to what was said in this Letter concerning the Books of Faustus, he observes that the Author should condemn them as Heretical, and not only say that the Church had not received them; but because he approved the Doctrine of St. Austin, he compares it with that of Faustus, endeavouring to prove that it's Heretical contrary to that of St. Austin, and agreeable to that of Pelagius. This he does to confound those who de∣fended the Books of Faustus as Catholick, of which number was Possessor Bishop of Afric.

The same John Maxentius wrote a Discourse against the Acephali, who said that there was but One Nature in Jesus Christ after the Union; and a Dialogue against the Nestorians, divided into two Books. In the last of them he proves stoutly, that it may be said that One Person of the Trini∣ty did suffer. These Works, and others whereof we have now spoken, are to be found in the Bi∣bliothicks of the Fathers. The Style of this Author is pure enough; he wrote with much clearness and strength.

Notes

• * 1.1

  John Maxenti∣us.
• * 1.2

  By the East here is to be understood the Em∣pire of the East, whereof Scythia was one Province.
• * 1.3

  They were a sort of Officers chosen by the Pope out of the Clergy, to defend and take care of the Patri∣mony of the Roman Church.