Letter 24

From: Hilary of Rome, deacon (later Pope) To: Pulcheria Augusta, Empress of the Eastern Roman Empire Date: ~449 AD Context: Pope Hilary's letter 1 — written before he became pope, when he was the chief deacon of Rome and a legate to the Council of Ephesus (449), known as the "Robber Council." Hilary had dramatically escaped from the council after refusing to sign its decrees and hiding in the tomb of St. John. Hilary, deacon of the Roman church, to Pulcheria Augusta, greetings. I write to explain why the letters of the most holy Bishop Leo were not delivered to your piety by me in person, as had been intended. The circumstances at Ephesus were such that delivery in person was not possible. What I witnessed at Ephesus was the violence of those who came determined to achieve a predetermined result regardless of what the evidence and the faith required. Dioscorus of Alexandria presided over the proceedings with the manner of a man who knows that soldiers with drawn swords are more persuasive than arguments, and the outcome was accordingly decided before the discussion began. Bishop Flavian of Constantinople, who opposed the heresy of Eutyches [who taught that Christ had only one nature after the incarnation, not two] and who was faithful to the orthodox teaching, was condemned and treated with a violence that I cannot describe without grief. He died shortly after from the injuries he received. I refused to sign what was done. I am alive to write this letter only because I was able to escape, through God's mercy, before those who would have prevented me from doing so could act. I ask the Augusta to support the appeal to the Emperor and to the apostolic see that this situation requires. Hilary, deacon of Rome

S. Hilari Romaiiae ecclesiae diaconi ad Pnlcheriam Auga9tam.a.449. *p.l. Cmr ad ipsam lilieras s. Leonis non tulerit exponit; quantum vioientiae Ephesi episcopui Alexandrinus conwUserit, ei quomodo cuncta, quae ibi facta, a praedicto papa Romano et Occidentaii concilio reprohata sinty brevibus memorat. T^ q^iJiavd^tfGinordrri xccl (jloriosissimae et piissi- €v6£fi€6tdry Tlovk- mae') Pulcheriae Au- XBQla AvyoviSra ^lka- giistae Hilarus diaeo- qI&v dtdxovog. nus. 1. Zxovi-qv ftoe ysysv^a^aL, 1. Studium mihi fuisse, post ^ra rifv 6vvodov xaQayavic^ai synodum advenire Constautinopo- ^ Hoc loco singQlis epiBtolis paginam moniti praevii Bignabimus. 128 S. HILARI PAPAE xccta rrjv KovOravtivovTtoliv^ kiyBLV ovx otpeiXoj ineiSrinBQ (pavEQa ^v dvdyxtjj rjrig ra ygd^- ^ara rotJ> (laxaQiordrov Ildna TtQos rfiv vfieriQav q^ikavd^Qomav dnocrakivta SovvaC ft£ tc3 dia- xo^Ctpvrt r^vdyxaisv^ iv a^a xal r^g v^sriQag evaepeiag xal rot) drim]rov XQiOriavixordrov /3a- OiXiog ro xad-fjxov^ oicbq SfpeikoVy ro xard ri}r ^Qfi^xeCav ivaQyog dnorCoai, ^Akkd rfj jCQO&iaei rfj ifif} rfi ovrcag leQa nQoai^noSov iyivero ixeivo^ ro icdvrGiv rov dya^ov ix^^Qov xal o XQiOria- vcSv 1} Stdd^ecig dnoSvQerai^ 6 ^AXe^avSQeCag inCaxonog 6 inl rrj xaraSixi] rc5v dvevd^vvcav Sv- varog. Merd yaQ ro ^e rij dSCxo avrov yvci^y xal dnotpdaet xoi- vovetv jxi) Svvaad^ai^ avvijkaaeV eig akkriv avvoSov^ dnstkatg xal . ini^ovkatg nQoaxakov^evog * nQog rd |ti£, onsQ dniaro^ ij i^ dnd- trig awaiviaai slg ro xataSixd- aai tov ayicitatov Okafiiavov rov inCaxonoVj 17 dvd^tatd^evov xatixeiv^ Iva ftot ft^ yivoito ftijrt rou ixSQa^etv nQog r^v evai- ^eiav rijv v^etiQav xal tfjv Kov- atavtivovnokiv , 17 dvaSQafietv slg triv ^Pd^rig ixxkriaCav naQa- a%s^sCri aSsuc, 2. '^Ofiog ts^d^^rixa^ ^or^^ovv- rog rov XQiatov tov r^^stiQov d^sovy dno tijg xataSCxr^g tov sv- Xafisatdtov xal 6aCov dvSQog d^oov fis xal dxiQaiov tpvkd- lim, dicere non debeo, quoniam manifesta neeessitas erat, qoae me litteras beatissimi papae ad vestram clementiam directas of- ferre compelleret, ut pariter et vestrae pietati ac invictissimo et christianissimo principi officium quod debebam venerationis exsol- verem. Sed huic congruo meo pro- posito illud impedimentum evenit, quod omnium bonorum inimicum est et Christianorum ingemiscit affectus, hoc est, Alexandrinus episcopus in damnatione virorum inculpabilium potentissimus. Nam posteaquam injustae ejus volun- tati atque sententiae communi- care noti potui, ad aliud conci- lium*) terroribus atque insidiis me evocare conatus est: quatenus me, quod absit, aut seductionibus faceret consentire ad condemnan- dum sanctissimum Flavianum episcopum, aut resistentem tene- ret, ut mihi noii esset licentia ad pietatem vestram Constanti- nopolim percurrere, aut ad Roma- nam ecclesiam remeare. 2. Verumtamen confidens de^) auxilio Christi nostri Dei, a damnatione reverentissimi et san- ctissimi viri innocentem me in- tegrumque servavi; licet nulla '} di consiiium, quod coutextus flagitare videtur, sed nec codex uUqb neo GraeeuB interpres habet. ') Ita d* secundum exemplaria coIlectioniB CalchedonenBiB, Yenei. 79 et textum Graecum, nisi quod Yat. 4166 et Venet. 79 omittunt Christi nosiri. d * de auxilio Christi, quod attinct ad damnatiQnem reverendissimi etc. EPI8T0LA 1. 129 |at' €1 xal oti ovdl ^la (idcri^ ovdi ^doavog iqdvvaro ^s rg ddi- xa airrcSv dnoq)d6H noulv 6vv- atvtHai, dXXd ndvrov xara- kBiqy&ivxciv ixet&sv dvB%(6Qovv^ did dyvGHfrtov xal dvoSsvrfDV r6- xcn^ sig riqv 'Pci^riv dTtijX^oVj ra €iiXap€6rdrG} Ildna ndvrcav rcoly iv ^EkpiOfp nsnQayiiivav ^Cx a- vag fASinljvvraL.yjv^v^sriQa Mgotfxwfirrf q^ikav^QGinCa (lav- ^avirG}^ lietd xdayjg rrig dvrLxijg {ifvvodov) daodoxiiid^at ndvra xa fv 'Eg)i6a Tcard riav xavovtov duL ^^Qvfiov xal (Ucovg ^mri- xov dxo ^lioOxoQOv roi; ini6x6- xov ysvofieva^ xal ^ridevLX6ya xairta vno8e%%r^vaL Svvaad-ai dxo x&v iieQmv rovtcav^ aneQ naxa dwaateiav tov nQoeiQTj^i- vovy ovx avev ^kdfirig tr^g ni- 6X£mgj eignQOXQifuc rovayiov dv- dQogxal d^dov ^inki^iiL^ikriae. ' Kal cbteQ rg ara^riQa xal ia%vQa av^evxia vnhQ rijs niarecDg a%e- dov aii iyuov yLeykiflfvrai ^ neQir- rov xfyovyLai keyeiv xal yaQ dno xc5v yoanLyLdxmv rov evkafieard- xov ndxa [ux^aea^e. "Od-ev dicnoiva inupaveardrri xal (pc- kav^QCjnordrri Avyovara^ i} nQog- xwfixr^ aov evai^eia^ rj rtg xal xi^ AqXtIV kap6vra xaraki(ind- veiv ovx otpeiketj roi; evkapovg x^g axetfaiov niarecag gijAa) ^io- vcfU9 diavoitf awraidra. flagella, iiullatonnenta mepossent a. 449. facere ejus consentire sententiae, sed omnibus derelictis exiiide discessi, per incognita et invia locaRomam veniens, et^) reveren- tissimo papae omniuni, quae in ' Epheso gesta sunt, idoneus nun- tiator exsistens. Vestra itiique ve- neranda clementia cognoscat, ^ ^i^^vvzriq. praefato papa cum omni Occiden- tali concilio reprobata^) omnia, quae in Epheso contra canones per tumultus et odia saecularia a Dioscoro episcopo gesta sunt, et nulla ratione haec in his par- tibus suscipi posse, quae per po- tentiam praedicti non sine lae- sione fidei et praejudicio sanctis- simi viri innoxiique commissa sunt. Quae vero constanti ac forti auctoritate pro fide a me nuntiata sunt, superfluum credo narrare: nam haec ex litteris * *^";^'*" beatissimi papae potentis agno- scere. Unde Domina^) splendi- dissima atque clementissima Au- gusta, adoranda vestra pietas in quibus libenter fecit initium, re- linquere non debet, sed haec zelo religioso fidei constanti volun- tate servare'). •) Ita d« aec. codd., editi reprohari. Concinit etiam Graecus tcxtns, tjx quo hic locns reddendiM esset: Quem (cf. papam) vestra veneranda clementia sciat cum Mk» OceidenUtH synodo reprohasse omnia. «» Verba Domina splendidissima atque clementissima Augusta Graecorum pro- pha ex Graeco dimanarunt. ^> Veron. 67 serpate, BPXSTOI.AS nOUAM, POIITIF. I. 9