Imatges de pàgina
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A. D. 381. in the morning he related his dream to one of his friends, who told him that it was plain and not enigmatical; and indeed in a few days after he was associated in the empire by Gratian. Theod. v. 7. Therefore when the Bishops assembled for the Council of Constantinople came to Theodosius in the palace, he forbad any to shew him Meletius; but he easily knew him, and leaving all the rest ran to embrace him, kissing his eyes, his mouth, his breast, and the hand which had crowned him, and related the vision which he had seen. He likewise expressed abundance of friendship for all the rest, and entreated them as his Fathers to take the affairs of the Church into their consideration.

can. 4. tom.

Sozom. 7.9.

The most urgent affair was the appointing a Bishop at Constantinople. They began with giving their opinion concerning the Ordination of Maximus, which was declared void; and Conc. C. P. they made a canon on purpose, to this effect: That Maximus 2.col.947.c. the Cynic never was, nor is at this time a Bishop; that all persons ordained by him into any rank of the Clergy whatsoever, ought not to be esteemed such, and that whatever has been enacted either by him or for him, is of none effect. Afterwards the Emperor, who admired the virtue of Gregory Nazianzen, desired that he might be appointed Bishop of Constantinople, though he himself opposed it, even having recourse to cries and tears; but at length he suffered himself to be prevailed upon, being in hopes, as he himself says, that the situation of Constantinople would give him an opportunity of reuniting the East and West, which had long been divided on account of the schism of Antioch. He was thereP5754. V. fore solemnly made Bishop of Constantinople by St. Meletius and the rest of the Bishops of the Council, according to the Emperor's desire.

Tom. ii. Carm. i. p. 24. D.

1535.)

II.
Death of St.
Meletius.

St. Greg.
Nys. Orat.

in Melet.

tom. 2. P.

St. Meletius died soon after at Constantinople, where he had preached several times for the instruction of the people; and he exhorted his friends to peace with his last breath. His body was embalmed with a great quantity of perfumes, wrapped in linen and silk, and laid in the Church of the Apostles, until it should be conveyed to Antioch. The funeral St. Greg. was very magnificent, in respect of the concourse of people, B. (p. 756. the number of lights, and the Psalms that were sung by v. 1578.) several choirs in divers languages: they laid linen cloths upon

1024.

[tom. 3. 587.Bened.]

Naz. p. 25.

tom. ii.

the Saint's face, which were afterwards distributed amongst the A. D. 381. people, who looked upon them as preservatives. All the Bishops of the Council that were noted for their eloquence, Theod. v. 8. made funeral orations upon him. But we have none remaining but that of St. Gregory of Nyssa, wherein he contents himself with bewailing the loss which the Church then received, and mentioning the particulars of his funeral; because those who spoke before him had sufficiently extolled his virtues and combats for the faith. St. Gregory forgot not to comfort the faithful people by saying of St. Meletius: He now speaks to God face to face, and he prays for us and the ignorance of the people.

(ibid. v.

1581.)

St. Meletius' relics were afterwards carried to Antioch; Soz. vii. 10. Greg. Naz. the whole city of Constantinople went out of the gates to con- ii. p. 25. duct them; all along the road they were attended by two choirs singing Psalms; and the Emperor gave express orders for all the cities on the way to receive this holy body, contrary to the custom of the Romans, who did not suffer any dead bodies to remain within their walls. He was buried near St. Babylas, in the church which he himself had caused to be built in honour of that Martyr. St. Meletius governed the Church of Antioch twenty years; the whole East made great encomiums upon him, and he was usually styled the divine Meletius. There is no adding to what is said of him by St. Basil, St. Gregory Nazianzen, St. Gregory of Nyssa, St. Chrysostom and Theodoret. Even St. Epiphanius, though in communion Tom. i. with Paulinus, greatly commends his virtues, in his Treatise Hr. 73. of Heresies, which he wrote before that Saint's death; and he

d Before Christianity brought in the doctrine of the Resurrection of the flesh, a dead body was esteemed a pollution. This natural feeling we find countenanced in the Divine Law given to Moses. Numb. 19. 11-22: Hagg. 2. 13. At Rome it was forbidden by the Law of the XII Tables to burn or bury the dead within the City. Cic. Legg. ii. 22, 23; Serv. in Æn. vi. 150. This was enforced by Hadrian under a fine of forty pounds (Voet. ad Pand. Tit. de Sep. Viol. § 2. vol. ii. p. 1006.) The Law was in process of time less strictly enforced. Towns too rose around the sepulchral churches of Martyrs, which yet continued to be used as burial places by those who felt

it a privilege to repose near the departed
Saints. In consequence Theodosius
issued a Law against this, and especially
forbade under severe penalties the
interment of any body within the walls
of Constantinople. Cod. Theod. ix. Tit.
17. § 6. Justinian allowed burial in
monasteries and convents, and at last
the practice was allowed without limi-
tation by the Emperor Leo. Voet. 1.
c. § 2. vol. 2. p. 1005.

The Panarium or Treatise against
Heresies, was begun by St. Epiphanius
in the eleventh year of Valens and Va-
lentinian, A. D. 374.

f St. Babylas was Bishop of Antioch, and died in prison A. D. 251, during the Decian persecution. Euseb. vi. 39.

$ 35.

A. D. 381. therein has preserved the first Sermon which St. Meletius preached at Antioch, which is all that remains of his writings. In short, the West and the Roman Church, though for some time prejudiced against Meletius in favour of Paulinus, has at last done him justice, and has received him amongst the Martyrol. Saints, whose protection she implores, on the same day that he is honoured by the Greeks, that is to say, on the 12th of February. And yet the Roman Church has not done the same honour to Paulinus.

Rom. Feb.

12.

III. Election of Flavian.

Soz. vii. 3.

The death of St. Meletius seemed to have put an end to the Schism of Antioch; because it had been agreed that the Soer. v. 3. survivor, whether he or Paulinus, should remain the only Bishop of the Catholics. It is even said that they had caused this agreement to be sworn to by six Priests of Meletius' party, upon whom the choice was most likely to fall, and amongst the rest by Flavian; and that they had promised by an oath not only not to strive for that place, but even not to accept it, if offered them. Paulinus therefore was, without farther trouble, to be acknowledged sole Bishop of Antioch; there not being so much as an Arian Bishop who disputed it with him; Philistorg. for Dorotheus had been driven from thence by order of the Emperor Theodosius, and had retired into Thrace, his native country. All the Arians that remained there, were only governed by two Priests, Asterius and Crispinus, who could not even be admitted to communion with Eunomius, so much were the Arians divided amongst themselves.

ix. 19. and x. 1.

ii. p. 25. c. (p. 758. v. 1583.)

Notwithstanding all these reasons for acknowledging Paulinus, the Bishops assembled at Constantinople deliGreg. Naz. berated about the choice of a person to succeed St. Meletius. St. Gregory Nazianzen strenuously opposed it; and the more, because they would have him lay hands upon the person that was to be elected; for after the death of St. Meletius he was at the head of the Council. "You only consider," said he, "one city, instead of having regard to the universal Church. "Though they were two Angels who disputed, it would not be "reasonable that the whole world should be disturbed by their "division. Whilst Meletius was alive, we might excuse the

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'separation of those of the West, and hope that he might win "them by his gentleness. But now God hath given us peace "let us keep it, let us leave Paulinus in the See which he

"enjoys; he is old, and his death will soon put an end to the A. D. 381. "matter. It is sometimes well to suffer ourselves to be over"come; and that I may not be thought to speak through "interest, I desire no other favour of you, than to have liberty "to quit my See, and to spend the rest of my life free from "ambition and danger."

ii. p. 27. A.

The young Bishops opposed St. Gregory's advice, and Greg. Naz. drew the elder along with them. They could not think of (p. 762. v. yielding to those of the West, though they could allege no 1682.) better reason that the East ought to prevail, than this, viz. that Jesus Christ thought fit to appear there. So that Flavian a Priest of Antioch was elected to succeed St. Meletius, by all the Bishops of the East, and with the consent of the Church of Antioch; but this must be understood as excepting Paulinus' party. Although Flavian was very worthy of this place, St. Gregory Nazianzen continued resolute, and would not approve his election, notwithstanding all the endeavours of his best friends; on the contrary, his resolution still grew stronger for quitting the See of Constantinople. He began with absenting himself from their assemblies, which he per- Ibid. p. 28. A. ceived to be full of confusion, and his ill state of health 1745, &c.) (p. 766. v. afforded him sufficient pretence; he even changed his lodging, quitted the house which joined to the church where the Council was held, and which probably was his Episcopal palace. Those of his flock who had the greatest affection for him, perceiving that he really designed to leave them, besought him with tears in their eyes not to quit the work which he had so successfully begun, but to devote the remainder of his life to the service of his Church; they touched him sensibly, but could not prevail with him, and a fresh incident helped to determine him entirely.

The Bishops of Egypt and Macedon were called to the Ibid.p.28.D. Council, as being able to contribute to the peace, and accord- (P. 768 v. 1800, &c.) ingly they came on a sudden. At the head of the Egyptian Bishops came Timotheus of Alexandria, who had lately (380) Soz. vii, 7. succeeded his brother Peter, the successor of St. Athanasius, and who as well as Peter was in communion with the Bishops Ep. Conc. Aquil. tom. of the West. The most considerable of the Macedonian ii. p. 1000. Bishops was Ascholius of Thessalonica. These Bishops both C. D. of Egypt and Macedon being come to Constantinople, seemed

A. D. 381. greatly exasperated against St. Gregory and those of the East, who on their side were no less angry. The Western Bishops, for as such the Egyptians and Macedonians were looked upon by the rest, complained that they had not observed the canons, in ordaining Gregory Bishop of Constantinople, he having already another See. But he alleged that these canons could at this time hardly be urged, that it was a great while since he had quitted the See of Sasima, and that as for Ruffin. Hist. Nazianzus, he had never been Bishop of that city, although he was reproached with it. The Egyptians and Macedonians Orat. XLIX, made this complaint rather in opposition to those of the East, Greg. Naz. than from any aversion to St. Gregory, or the desire of putting another in his place, as they privately told him.

xi. 9.

Præfatio
Ruff. in

tom. ii. p.

727.

IV.

Retreat of

tom. ii.
p. 29. B.
(p. 770. v.
1828, &c.)

For his part he gladly embraced this opportunity of St. Gregory, obtaining the liberty which he had long desired. He went Theod. v.8. into the assembly, and told them that he desired nothing Greg. Naz. so earnestly as to contribute to the union of the Church. "If my election disturbs you," adds he, "I will become Jonas: "throw me into the sea to appease the storm, although I "did not raise it. If the rest would follow my example, all the "disorders of the Church would be soon appeased. My age "and distempers afford me sufficient reason to desire repose; I "only wish that my successor may have zeal enough to defend "the Faith." Thus he went out of the assembly, rejoicing at being eased of so heavy a burden, but concerned at leaving his flock whom he loved tenderly. All the Bishops consented to this proposal, more readily than seemed fit for Ibid. p. 30. them. St. Gregory went afterwards to wait on the Emperor, and in the presence of several persons said to him, “O Theo"dosius, I have a favour to beg of you, as well as the rest. It is "neither gold, nor marble, nor rich stuffs to adorn the Holy "Table, nor places for my relations; for I think that I deserve "something more considerable. Give me leave to give way to "envy; I am odious to every body, even to my friends; "because I cannot have respect unto any person but God. You

A. (p. 774. v. 1879.)

See Can. Apost. xiii. Labb. 1. 28. C. See also Can. XV. and XVI. Conc. Nicæn. A. D. 325, and Can. I. Conc. Sardic. A. D. 347. The Apostolical canon does not make translation absolutely unlawful, and, besides, the case of St. Gregory does

not seem to be a case of translation, though the Western Bishops employed this canon against him. One reason for their disliking his appointment would be, that Meletius, who defended his election, was not in communion with them.

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