LETTER LVI. [A.D. 392.]

A NOTE in p. 71 gives a brief outline of the schism in the Church of Antioch up to the time of the Council of Aquileia, which made some efforts to bring about a settlement. Meletius was then succeeded by Flavian, so that there still remained two rival Bishops, Flavian and Paulinus. Another opportunity for closing the schism came at Paulinas' death, at the end of 388 A.D., but so far from allowing the wound to be so healed Paulinus on his deathbed consecrated Evagrius as his successor in violation of the Canons of Nicaea, (Theod. H.E. v. 23) which 'do not allow a Bishop to appoint his successor, but require all the Bishops of the province to be summoned to elect, and forbid consecration without at least three consecrating Bishops.' The western Bishops therefore continued to press Theodosius to call a Council to deal with the matter, which was accordingly assembled at Capua. Flavian, though ordered by the Emperor, did not appear, and the Council referred the question to the decision of Theophilus of Alexandria and the Bishops of Egypt, who were not committed to either side, and in this letter S.Ambrose replies to Theophilus who had written to him that Flavian still refused to submit himself to their decision and again appealed to the Emperor, and urges him to summon Flavian once more, and endeavour to bring the matter to a peaceful issue, advising him to consult also Siricius, the Bishop of Rome. He points out that both parties rely rather on the weakness of their opponent's case than on the soundness of their own, and expresses a hope that an end may be put to the schism, and peace restored to the Church. Tillemont, in note 41 on the Life of S, Ambrose, discusses the date of the Synod of Capua, and fixes it at the end of A.D. 391, chiefly on the ground that Theodosius did not return to Constantinople from Milan till November of that year, while it must have been held before the disturbance in the west occasioned by the revolt of Arbogastes and the death of Valentinian, which took place in the spring of A.D. 392.

AMBROSE TO THEOPHILUS.

1. EVAGRIUS has no good ground for preferring his claim, Flavian has cause to fear, and therefore avoids the trial. Let our brethren pardon our just grief, for on account of these men the whole world is agitated, yet they do not sympathize with our grief. Let them at least patiently suffer themselves to be censured by those whom they perceive to have been for so long a time harassed by their obstinacy. For between these two who would agree upon nothing which appertains to the peace of Christ, a grievous discord has arisen and spread through the whole world.

2. To this shipwreck of pious peace the holy Council of Capua had at length opened an haven of tranquillity; that communion should be given to all throughout the East who profess the Catholic faith, and that the cause of these two men should be referred to the judgment of your Holiness, and to our brethren and fellow-bishops of Egypt, as assessors. For we deemed your judgment likely to be true, in that, having embraced the communion of neither party, it would be inclined by no favour towards either side.

3. But while we were hoping that by these most equitable decrees of the Council a remedy was now provided, and an end put to discord, your Holiness writes word that our brother Flavian has again had recourse to the aid of prayers, and to the support of Imperial Rescripts. And thus the toil of so many Bishops has been spent to no purpose; we must have recourse once more to the civil tribunals, to the Imperial Rescripts, once more must they cross the seas, once more, though weak in body, exchange their own country for a foreign soil, once more must the Holy Altars be deserted that we may travel to distant lands, once more crowds of indigent Bishops, whose poverty was before no burthen to them, but who now need external aid, must suffer want themselves, or at any rate use for their journey what else had fed the poor.

4. Meanwhile Flavian, alone exempt, as he fancies, from the laws, does not come when all others are assembled. The money-lender and debtor meet each other, these men alone cannot meet: Flavian by his own will deprives himself of Episcopal fellowship, and will not appear in person either at the Imperial order, or when cited by his brethren.

5. Nevertheless, even this cause of offence does not induce me to consider our brother Evagrius entirely in the right, although he seems to himself the more defensible either because Flavian avoids him, or because he thinks his opponent to be in no better case than himself, each of them relying more on the defects of his opponent's ordination than on the validity  06-4  4. a The word 'bonis' must certainly here be inserted in the text, 'uterque alienae magis ordinationis vitiis quam suis bonis fretus,' as suggested by the Benedictine Editors. It occurs just below in tbe corresponding sentence, 'suis potius bonis quam alieno vitio defendi.' of his own. We however would recall them to a better course, wishing them to be aided rather by the goodness of their own cause than by the defects of others.

6. Now since you have stated in your letter that some form may be devised touching this matter, whereby the discord of our brethren may be removed; and as the holy Synod has trusted the right of cognizance to the unanimous judgment of yourself and our other fellow-bishops from Egypt, it is fitting that you should again summon our brother Flavian, so that, if he should persist in not choosing to appear, you may then without prejudice to the decrees of the Council of Nice, and also of the Synod of Capua, take such measures for the preservation of general peace as may not destroy what has been built up:  For if I destroy what I have built, or build again what I destroyed, I make myself a transgressor. Let the grace of that peace which has been obtained be thus preserved by all, and the refusal of either party to appear will not have the effect of frustrating it.

7. Moreover we are of opinion that it will be well for you to refer to our holy brother the Bishop of the Roman Church; for we do not doubt that what you shall determine he also will approve. For the resolution that is come to will be useful, and our peace and quiet will be secure, if such a decree is made by your advice as shall not create discord in our communion. And thus we also, receiving the series of your decrees, and assured that the Roman Church has given its undoubting approbation to what has been done, shall with gladness participate in the result of this trial.

1006 EPISTOLA LVI.

 Dolet AMBROSIUS  contentionibus Evagrii ac Flaviani  1170A  Capuanum concilium finem afferre non potuisse. Flavianum, quod imperatori preces obtulerit, incusat: sed ita tamen ut hoc ipsius juri nolit officere. Postremo Theophilum quomodo judicium hoc a Capuana synodo illi commissum exerceat, monet; ut ea de re imprimis ad Romanum pontificem referat suadens. 

AMBROSIUS THEOPHILO.

1. Non habet quod urgeat Evagrius, et habet quod metuat Flavianus, ideoque refugit examen. Dent fratres veniam dolori justo; quia propter ipsos universus orbis concutitur, et illi tamen nostro non compatiuntur dolori. Perstringi saltem se aequanimiter ferant ab iis, quos vident sua per tantorum curricula temporum vexari intentione. Inter hos  1170B etenim duos nihil, quod ad Christi pacem pertineat, eligentes gravis toto orbe stabat discordia.

2. Cui bonae pacis naufragio sancta synodus Capuensis tandem obtulerat portum tranquillitatis; ut omnibus per totum Orientem daretur communio catholicam confitentibus fidem, et duobus istis tuae sanctitatis examen impertiretur, fratribus et consacerdotibus nostris Aegyptiis pariter considentibus; quia hoc verum judicium futurum arbitrati sumus, quod neutri parti sociata communione, aliquo favore propenderet.

3. Cum ex his igitur aequissimis synodi constitutis speraremus jam remedium datum, finemque allatum discordiae, scribit sanctitas tua iterum fratrem nostrum Flavianum ad precum auxilia, et imperialium  1170C rescriptorum suffragia remeavisse. Frustra ergo tantorum sacerdotum fusus labor, iterum ad hujus saeculi judicia revertendum, iterum ad rescripta, iterum vexabuntur sacerdotes senes, transfretabunt maria, iterum invalidi corpore patriam peregrino mutabunt solo, iterum sacrosancta altaria deserentur, ut in longinqua proficiscamur, iterum pauperum turbae episcoporum, quibus ante onerosa  1171A paupertas non erat, externae opis egentes, compellentur inopiam gemere, aut certe victum inopum itineris usurpare.

1007 4. Interea solus exlex Flavianus, ut illi videtur, non venit, quando omnes convenimus. Fenerator et debitor invicem sibi occurrunt, isti sibi non possunt occurrere: solus exsors Flavianus, ut ipse vult, sacerdotalis consortii, qui nec imperialibus decretis, nec sacerdotum conventui praesentiam faciat sui.

5. Nec tamen etiam hoc moti dolore, fratri Evagrio donamus speciem bonae causae, qui eo defensabilior sibi videtur, quod eum refugit Flavianus, aut quod habere se alterum arbitratur aequalem, uterque alienae magis ordinationis vitiis, quam suis  1171B fretus. Quos tamen nos in meliorem vocamus viam; ut malimus eos suis potius bonis, quam alieno vitio defendi.

6. Qua de re quoniam propriis texuisti litteris posse typum reperiri aliquem, quo possit auferri fratrum discordia, cum sancta Synodus cognitionis jus unanimitati tuae, caeterisque ex Aegypto consacerdotibus nostris commiserit: iterum oportet fratrem nostrum Flavianum convenias; ut si in eo perseveraverit, quo veniendum non putet, salvis concilii Nicaeni, sed etiam synodi Capuensis statutis, illibata pace universorum ita consulas, ut non videamur  1172A destruere quod aedificatum est:  Si enim quod aedificavi, destruo, praevaricatorem me ipse constituo; ac si quae destruxi, iterum aedificem (Gal. II, 18). Servetur ergo impertitae pacis gratia inter universos, et nihilominus declinatio partis alterius frustrandi effectum habere non possit.

7. Sane referendum arbitramur ad sanctum fratrem nostrum Romanae sacerdotem Ecclesiae; quoniam praesumimus ea te judicaturum, quae etiam illi displicere nequeant. Ita enim utile erit consultum sententiae, ita pacis et quietis securitas; si id vestro statuatur consilio, quod communioni nostrae dissensionem non afferat; 1008 ut nos quoque, accepta vestrorum serie statutorum, cum id gestum esse cognoverimus, quod Ecclesia Romana haud dubie  1172B comprobaverit, laeti fructum hujusmodi examinis adipiscamur.