unlawful are washed away in the font of baptism, so what are allowed or lawful are not done away.

4

we may show ourselves in all things like those whose privileges we wish to enjoy. We wish you to imitate your last predecessor but one as well as of your immediate predecessor who is known equally with the former to have both IV. The Metropolitans must not ordain hastily deserved and employed this privilege: so that nor without consulting their Primate. we may rejoice in the progress of the churches Let none be ordained a priest throughout which we commit to you in our stead. For as these churches inconsiderately; for by this the conduct of matters progresses creditably means ripe judgments will be formed about when committed to one who acts well and those to be elected, if your scrutiny, brother, carries out skilfully the duties of the priestly is dreaded. But let any bishop who, contrary position, so it is found to be only a burden to to our command, is ordained by his metrohim who, when power is entrusted to him, politan without your knowledge, know that he uses not the moderation that is due. has no assured position with us, and that those who have taken on themselves so to do must III. Ordinees must be carefully selected with render an account of their presumption 5. But especial reference to the Canons of the Church. as to each metropolitan is committed such And so, dear brother, hold with vigilance power that he has the right of ordaining in his the helm entrusted to you, and direct your province, so we wish those metropolitans to be mind's gaze around on all which you see put ordained, but not without ripe and well-conin your charge, guarding what will conduce to sidered judgment. For although it is seemly your reward and resisting those who strive to that all who are consecrated priests should be upset the discipline of the canons. The sanc-approved and well-pleasing to GOD, yet we tion of God's law must be respected, and the wish those to have peculiar excellence whom decrees of the canons should be more es- we know are going to preside over the fellowpecially kept. Throughout the provinces com- priests who are assigned to them. And we mitted to thee let such priests be consecrated admonish you, beloved, to see to this the more to the LORD as are commended only by their diligently and carefully, that you may be proved deserving life and position among the clergy. to keep that precept of the Apostles which Permit no licence to personal favour, nor to can- runs, "lay hands suddenly on no man "." vassing, nor to purchased votes. Let the cases of those who are to be ordained be investigated V. Points which cannot be settled at the provincial carefully and let them be trained in the discipline of the Church through a considerable period of their life. But if all the requirements of the holy Fathers are found in them, and if they have observed all that we read the blessed Apostle Paul to have enjoined on such, viz., that he be the husband of one wife, and that she was a virgin when he married her, as the authority of God's law requires, [then ordain them 3]. And this we are extremely anxious should be observed, so as to do away with all place for excuses, lest any one should believe himself able to attain to the priesthood who has taken a wife before he obtained the grace of Christ, and on her decease joined himself to another after baptism. Seeing that the former wife cannot be ignored, nor the previous marriage put out of the reckoning, and that he is as much the father of the chil dren whom he begat by that wife before baptism as he is of those whom he is known to have begotten by the second after baptism. For as sins and things which are known to be

2 Prædecessoris tui. Anysius is said to have lived on into the time of Innocent. Anastasius' immediate predecessor, selected by Innocent (decessoris tui in the next line), was named Rufus.

3 These words are not found in the MSS. apparently, but are necessary to the sense. For the requirement cf. Letter IV. chapter iii.

synod are to be referred to Rome.

'Any of the brethren who has been summoned to a synod should attend and not deny himself to the holy congregation: for there especially he should know that what will conduce to the good discipline of the Church must be settled. For all faults will be better avoided if more frequent conferences take place between the priests of the LORD, and intimate association is the greatest help alike to improvement and to brotherly love. There, if any questions arise, under the LORD's guidance they will be able to be determined, so that no bad feeling remains, and only a firmer love exists among the brethren. But if any more important question spring up, such as cannot be settled there under your presidency, brother, send your report and consult us, so that we may write back under the revelation of the LORD, of whose mercy it is that we can do ought, because He has breathed favourably upon us7: that by our decision we may vindicate

4 Here the word is antistes, and no doubt it signifies "bishop," as the next sentence clearly shows.

5 The organization of the province then included (1) the bishops under (2) metropolitans of districts, under (3) one supreme primate of the province, who was in his turn responsible to the Bishop of Rome. 61 Tim. v. 22.

7 The word is aspiraverit (the notion of which is to favour), not inspiraverit (to inspire), as we might have expected.

our right of cognizance in accordance with oldestablished tradition and the respect that is due to the Apostolic See: for as we wish you to exercise your authority in our stead, so we reserve to ourselves points which cannot be decided on the spot and persons who have made appeal to us.

VI. Priests and deacons may not be ordained on

weekdays any more than bishops.

have lifted those who have acknowledged their fault from the pit of their iniquity by granting them room for repentance 3. A good many, however, who had so deeply involved themselves that no remedy could assist them, have been subjected to the laws in accordance with

of the LORD is driven off from our flocks through our care, should spread among your churches before you are forewarned, and are still ig norant of what is happening, and should find means of stealthily burrowing into your midst, and thus what we are checking in the City should take hidden root among you and grow up. Our search has discovered in the City a great many followers and teachers of the Manichæan impiety, our watchfulness has proYou shall take order that this letter reach claimed them, and our authority and censure the knowledge of all the brethren, so that no has checked them: those whom we could reone hereafter find an opportunity to excuse form we have corrected and driven to condemn himself through ignorance in observing these Manichæus with his preachings and teachings things which we command. We have directed by public confession in church, and by the our letter of admonition to the metropolitans subscription of their own hand, and thus we themselves also of the several provinces, that they may know that they must obey the Apostolic injunctions, and that they obey us in beginning to obey you, brother, our delegate according to what we have written. We hear, indeed, and we cannot pass it over in silence, that only bishops are ordained by certain the constitutions of our Christian princes, and brethren on Sundays only; but presbyters and deacons, whose consecration should be equally solemn 9, receive the dignity of the priestly office indiscriminately on any day, which is a reprehensible practice contrary to the canons and tradition of the Fathers, since the custom ought by all means to be kept by those who have received it with respect to all the sacred orders so that after a proper lapse of time he who is to be ordained a priest or deacon2 may be advanced through all the ranks of the clerical office, and thus a man may have time to learn that of which he himself also is one day to be a teacher. Dated the 12th of January, in the consulship of Theodosius (18th time, and Albinus (444).

8 Viz., Letter V.

lest they should pollute the holy flock by their contagion, have been banished into perpetual exile by public judges. And all the profane and disgraceful things which are found as well in their writings as in their secret traditions, we have disclosed and clearly proved to the eyes of the Christian laity 4 that the people might know what to shrink from or avoid so that he that was called their bishop was himself tried by us, and betrayed the criminal views which he held in his mystic religion, as the record of our proceedings can show you. For this, too, we have sent you for instruction: and after reading them you will be in a position to understand all the discoveries we have made.

II. The bishops of Italy must not allow those Manichaeans who have quitted the city to escape or lie concealed.

And because we know that a good many of those who are involved here in too close an accusation for them to clear themselves have

escaped, we have sent this letter to you, beloved, by our acolyth: that your holiness, dear brothers, may be informed of this, and see fit to act with diligence and caution, lest the men of the Manichæan error be able to find opportunity of hurting your people and of teaching their impious doctrines. For we can

not otherwise rule those entrusted to us unless

9 Circa quos par consecratio fieri debet. I take this as a valuable statement in the mouth of Leo, who so seldom refers speci-cated them, but, dealing leniently, we have given them opportunity fically to the lower orders of the ministry.

There seems to be no canon on the point before Leo's time but he alludes to the tradition again in Letter IX. chap. 1 and CXI. chap. 2 (q.v.).

2 Qui sacerdos (? secundi ordinis here) vel levita (= diaconus) ordinandus est.

3 Pænitentiam concedendo, i.e. we have not finally excommuniof reinstating themselves in the peace of the Church, by going through a due course of penance satisfactio. It is important to explain this clearly to those who, in the present day, are ignorant of the strict discipline of the early Church and are liable to forget that penance was then a valuable means to repentance. 4 Plebei.

out doubt both disciple and master drew but one Spirit from the same fount of grace, and the ordained could not hand on aught else than what he had received from his ordainer. We do not therefore allow it that we should differ in anything, since we confess ourselves to be of one body and faith, nor that the institutions of the teacher should seem different to those of the taught.

we pursue with the zeal of faith in the LORD those who are destroyers and destroyed: and with what severity we can bring to bear, cut them off from intercourse with sound minds, lest this pestilence spread much wider. Wherefore I exhort you, beloved, I beseech and warn you to use such watchful diligence as you ought and can employ in tracking them out, lest they find opportunity of concealment anywhere. For as he will have a due recompense of reward from GOD, who carries out what conduces to the health of the people committed to him; so before the LORD's judgment-seat That therefore which we know to have been no one will be able to excuse himself from very carefully observed by our fathers, we wish a charge of carelessness who has not been wil-kept by you also, viz. that the ordination of ling to guard his people against the propagators priests or deacons should not be performed at of an impious misbelief. Dated 30 January, random on any day but after Saturday, the in the consulship of the illustrious Theodosius commencement of that night which precedes Augustus (18th time) and Albinus (444).

LETTER VIII.

THE ORDINANCE OF VALENTINIAN III.
CONCERNING THE MANICHEANS.

(The Manichæans are to be turned out of the
army and the City, and to lose all their
rights as citizens.)

LETTER IX.

TO DIOSCORUS, BISHOP OF ALEXANDRIA.

II. Fixed days should be observed for ordaining priests and deacons.

the dawn of the first day of the week should be chosen on which the sacred benediction should be bestowed on those who are to be consecrated, ordainer and ordained alike fasting. This observance will not be violated, if actually on the morning of the LORD's day it be celebrated without breaking the Saturday fast: for the beginning of the preceding night forms part of that period, and undoubtedly belongs to the day of resurrection as is clearly laid down with regard to the feast of Easter?. For besides the weight of custom which we know rests upon the Apostles' teaching, Holy

Leo, the bishop, to Dioscorus, bishop of Writ also makes this clear, because when Alexandria, greeting.

I. The churches of Rome and Alexandria should be at one in everything.

the Apostles sent Paul and Barnabas at the bidding of the Holy Ghost to preach the gospel to the nations, they laid hands on them fasting and praying: that we may How much of the divine love we feel for know with what devoutness both giver and you, beloved, you will be able to estimate receiver must be on their guard lest so from this, that we are anxious to establish blessed a sacrament should seem to be careyour beginnings on a surer basis, lest. any-lessly performed. And therefore you will thing should seem lacking to the perfection piously and laudably follow Apostolic preceof your love, since your meritorious acts of spiritual grace, as we have proved, are already in your favour. Fatherly and brotherly conference, therefore, ought to be most grateful to you, holy brother, and received by you in the same spirit as you know it is offered by us. For you and we ought to be at one in thought and act, so that as we reads, in us also there may be proved to be one heart and one mind. For since the most blessed Peter received the headship of the Apostles from the LORD, and the church of Rome still abides by His institutions, it is wicked to believe that His holy disciple Mark, who was the first to govern the church of Alexandria, formed his decrees on a different line of tradition: seeing that with

5 Sc. in Acts iv. 32.

dents if you yourself also maintain this form of ordaining priests throughout the churches over which the Lord has called you to preside: viz. that those who are to be consecrated should never receive the blessing except on the day of the Lord's resurrection, which is commonly held to begin on the evening of Saturday, and which has been so often hallowed in the mysterious dispensations of GOD that all the more notable institutions of the LORD were accomplished on that high day. On it the world took its beginning. On it through the resurrection of Christ death received its destruction, and life its commencement. On it the apostles take from the LORD's hands the trumpet of the gospel

7 That is to say, the weekly resurrection festival (Sunday) the case in the yearly festival of Easter at least in Western use.

6 S. Mark, the evangelist and disciple of S. Peter, is the radi begins with the vespers of the preceding evening: this is notably ional founder of the church of Alexandria.

it to you, brother; he has so often taken part in our ceremonials and ordinations, and has been sent to us so many times that he knows quite well what Apostolic authority we possess in all things. Dated 21 June (? 445).

LETTER X.

which is to be preached to all nations, and given this letter to our son Possidonius, a receive the sacrament of regeneration which presbyter, on his return, that he may bear they are to bear to the whole world. On it, as blessed John the Evangelist bears witness when all the disciples were gathered together in one place, and when, the doors being shut, the LORD entered to them, He breathed on them and said: "Receive the Holy Ghost: whose sins ye have remitted they are remitted to them and whose ye have retained, they shall be retained 9." On it lastly the Holy Spirit that had been promised to the Apostles by the LORD came: and so we know it to have been suggested and handed down by a kind of heavenly rule, that on that day we ought to celebrate the mysteries of the blessing of priests on which all these gracious gifts were conferred.

III. The repetition of the Holy Eucharist on

TO THE BISHOPS OF THE PROVINCE OF VIENNE.
IN THE MATTER OF HILARY, Bishop
OF ARLES4.

To the beloved brothers, the whole body of bishops of the province of Vienne, Leo, bishop of Rome.

I.

The solidarity of the Church built upon the rock of S. Peter must be everywhere maintained.

Our LORD Jesus Christ, Saviour of mankind, instituted the observance of the Divine rethe great festivals is not undesirable. ligion which He wished by the grace of GoD Again, that our usage may coincide at all to shed its brightness upon all nations and points, we wish this thing also to be observed, all peoples in such a way that the Truth, viz. that when any of the greater festivals has which before was confined to the announcebrought together a larger congregation than ments of the Law and the Prophets, might usual, and too great a crowd of the faithful through the Apostles' trumpet blast go out for has assembled for one church' to hold them the salvation of all men 5, as it is written : all at once, there should be no hesitation "Their sound has gone out into every land, about repeating the oblation of the sacrifice: and their words into the ends of the world"." lest, if those only are admitted to this service But this mysterious function7 the LORD wished who come first, those who flock in afterwards, to be indeed the concern of all the apostles, should seem to be rejected: for it is fully in but in such a way that He has placed the accordance with piety and reason, that as principal charge on the blessed Peter, chief often as a fresh congregation has filled the of all the Apostles and from him as from the church where service is going on, the sacri- Head wishes His gifts to flow to all the body: fice should be offered as a matter of course. so that any one who dares to secede from Whereas certain portion of the people must Peter's solid rock may understand that he be deprived of their worship, if the custom has no part or lot in the divine mystery. For of only one celebration be kept, and only He wished him who had been received into those who come early in the day can offer the partnership in His undivided unity to be sacrifice3. We admonish you, therefore, be-named what He Himself was, when He said: loved, earnestly and affectionately that your carefulness also should not neglect what has become a part of our own usage on the pattern of our fathers' tradition, so that in all things we may agree together in our beliefs and in our performances. Consequently, we have

8 Sacramentum regenerationis: the reference in the first part of the sentence seems to be S. Mark xvi. 15, and here in the latter part to S. Matt. xxviii. 19, and both these records seem to refer to the same manifestation. S. Matthew says it was to the eleven disciples" in Galilee, in "the mountain where Jesus had appointed them," that He gave the comn and, if indeed vv. 16-25 of the xxviiith chapter form one continuous narrative. The author of S. Mark xvi. 9-20 says it was to the eleven "as they sat at meat.” Is it possible that Leo took ȧvaxeμévous to mean as they were partaking of the Holy Eucharist? if not, what countenance is there for his assertion of its being on the first day of the week? 9 S. John xx. 22, 23.

Basilica, q.v. in Smith's Dict. of Christian Antiquities.

a Missa.

3 It can hardly escape notice that the people here are distinctly said "to offer the sacrifice" in the person of their representative and mouthpiece, the priest. And this is the language and intention of all Liturgies (ancient and modern) of the Church.

"Thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build My Church9:" that the building of the eternal temple by the wondrous gift of God's grace might rest on Peter's solid rock : strengthening His Church so surely that neither could human rashness assail it nor the gates of hell prevail against it. But this most holy firmness of the rock, reared, as we have said, by the building hand of GoD, a man must wish to destroy in over-weaning

4 Cf. Introduction, p. vi.

5 Per Apostolicam tubam in salutem universitatis (Gk. S oixovuévms) exiret, cf. Letter IX. chap. ii. apostoli a Domino prædicandi omnibus gentibus evangelii iubam sumunt. 6 Ps. xix. 4.

1 Huius muneris sacramentum, his mind is running forward to his favourite sacramentum, that of Peter as the rock-man of the Church. 8 Cf. Letter XXVIII. chap. v. a principali petra (B. Petrus), soliditatem et virtutis traxit et nominis, etc.: also Cyprian de unit. eccl. chap. iv.

9 S. Matt. xvi. 18.

wickedness when he tries to break down its power, by favouring his own desires, and not following what he received from men of old for he believes himself subject to no law, and held in check by no rules of GOD's ordinances, and breaks away, in his eagerness for novelty, from your use and ours, by adopting illegal practices, and letting what he ought to keep fall into abeyance.

headship must be denied to Peter, cannot really diminish his dignity: but is puffed up with the breath of his pride, and plunges hinìself into the lowest depth.

III. Celidonius has been restored to his bishopric, the charges against him having been found false.

Accordingly the written record of our proceedings shows what action we have taken in II. Hilary is disturbing the peace of the Church the matter of Celidonius, the bishop, and

by his insubordination.

what Hilary said in the presence and hearing But with the approval, as we believe, of of the aforesaid bishop. For when Hilary had GOD, and retaining towards you the fulness of no reasonable answer to give in the council of our love which the Apostolic See always, as you the holy priests, "the secrets of his heart 5 remember, expends upon you, holy brethren, gave vent to utterances such as no layman we are striving to correct these things by could make and no priest listen to. We were mature counsel, and to share with you the task grieved, I acknowledge, brothers, and enof setting your churches in order, not by inno- deavoured to appease the tumult of his mind vations but by restoration of the old; that we by patient treatment. For we did not wish to may persevere in the accustomed state which exasperate those wounds which he was inflictour fathers handed down to us, and please our ing on his soul by his insolent retorts, and GOD through the ministry of a good work by strove rather to pacify him whom we had taken removing the scandals of disturbances. And up as a brother, although it was he who was so we would have you recollect, brethren, as entangling himself by his replies, than to cause we do, that the Apostolic See, such is the him pain by our remarks. Celidonius, the reverence in which it is held, has times out of bishop, was therefore acquitted, for he had number been referred to and consulted by the proved himself wrongfully deposed from the priests of your province as well as others, and priesthood, by the clear replies of his witnesses in the various matters of appeal, as the old made in his own presence: so that Hilary, who usage demanded, it has reversed or confirmed remained with us, had no opposition to offer. decisions and in this way "the unity of the The judgment, therefore, was rescinded, which spirit in the bond of peace " has been kept, was brought forward and read to the effect and by the interchange of letters, our honourable that, as the husband of a widow, he could proceedings have promoted a lasting affection: not hold the priesthood. Now this rule we, for "seeking not our own but the things of maintaining the legal constitutions 7, have wished Christ 2, we have been careful not to do scrupulously adhered to, not only in respect of despite to the dignity which GOD has given priests but also of clergy of the lower ranks : both to the churches and their priests. But that those who have contracted such a marriage, this path which with our fathers has been or those who are proved not to be the husalways so well kept to and wisely maintained, Hilary has quitted, and is likely to disturb the position and agreement of the priests by his novel arrogance: desiring to subject you to his power in such a way as not to suffer himself to be subject to the blessed Apostle Peter, claiming for himself the ordinations of all the churches throughout the provinces of Gaul, and transferring to himself the dignity which is due to metropolitan priests; he diminishes even the reverence that is paid to the blessed Peter himself with his proud words: for not only was the power of loosing and binding given to Peter before the others, but also to Peter more especially was entrusted the care of feeding the sheep 3. Yet any one who holds that the Vesontis (Besançon): see Perthel, p. 25.

bands of only one wife contrary to the apostle's discipline, should not be suffered to enter the sacred service 3. But though we decree that those, whom their own acts condemn, must either not be admitted at all, or, if they have, must be removed, so those who are falsely so accused we are bound to clear after examination held, and not allow to lose their office. For the sentence pronounced would have remained against him, if the truth of the charge had been proved. And so Celidonius, our fellow-bishop, was restored to his church and to that dignity which he ought not to have

4 Celidonius was probably either bishop of Vienne or of

5 Quesnel well refers this phrase to 1 Cor. xiv. 25.
6 Cf. Letter IV. chap. ii.

7 Servantes legalia constituta, these are taken to be not so much the canons of the Church as the provisions of the Mosaic Law, e.g. Lev. xxi. 14; Ezek. xliv. 22.

8 Militiam (lit. military service).