The Church of England cleared from the charge of Schism: Upon Testimonies of Councils and Fathers of the first six centuriesAllies, T. W. (Thomas William)
Religion
The Church of England cleared from the charge of Schism: Upon Testimonies of Councils and Fathers of the first six centuries
Allies, T. W. (Thomas William)
Continuity of the church -- Anglican Communion; Episcopacy -- History of Doctrines; Papacy -- History -- To 1309
"Both the Emperor affirmed, and the Bishops confessed, that this was done
according to the Ecclesiastical Canons. And so all, and Coelestine himself,
prepared themselves for the Council. Cyril does no more, though named by
Coelestine to execute the pontifical decree. Nestorius remained in his
original rank; the sentence of the universal Council is awaited; and the
Emperor had expressly decreed, 'that before the assembling and common
sentence of the most holy Council, no change should be made in any matter
at all, on any private authority.' Rightly, and in order; for this was
demanded by the majesty of an universal Council. Wherefore, both Cyril
obeyed and the Bishops rested. And it was established, that although the
sentence of the Roman Pontiff on matters of faith, and on persons judged
for violation of the faith, had been passed and promulged, all was
suspended, while the authority of the universal Council was awaited. This
we have seen acted on by the Emperor, acquiesced in by the Bishops and the
Pope himself. The succeeding acts will declare that it was approved in the
Ecumenical Council itself.
"Having gone over what preceded the Council, we review the acts of the
Council itself, and begin with the first course of proceeding. After,
therefore, the Bishops and Nestorius himself were come to Ephesus, the
universal Council began, Cyril being president, and representing
Coelestine, as being appointed by the Pontiff himself to execute his
sentence. In the first course of proceeding this was done. First, the
above-mentioned letter of the Emperor was read, that an Ecumenical Council
should be held, and all proceedings in the mean time be suspended: this
letter, I say, was read, and placed on the acts, and it was approved by the
Fathers, that all the decrees of Coelestine in the matter of Nestorius had
been suspended until the holy Council should give its sentence. You will
ask if it was the will of the Council merely that the Emperor should be
allowed to prohibit, in the interim, effect being given to the sentence of
the Apostolic See. Not so, according to the acts; but rather, by the
intervention of a General Council's authority, (the convocation of which,
according to the discipline of those times, was left to the Emperor,) the
Council itself understood that all proceedings were of course suspended,
and depended on the sentence of the Council. Wherefore, though the decree
of the Pontiff had been promulged and notified, and the ten days had long
been past, Nestorius was held by the Council itself to be a Bishop, and
called by the name of Most Religious Bishop, and by that name, too, thrice
cited and summoned to take his seat with the other Bishops in the holy
Council; for this expression, to take his seat, is distinctly written; and
it is added, in order to answer to what was charged against him. For it was
their full purpose that he should recognise, in whatever way, the
Ecumenical Council, as he would then afterwards be, beyond doubt,
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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