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| Chapter XXXI. The Constancy of the Ephesine Fathers in driving away Novelty and maintaining Antiquity.
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Chapter XXXI.
The Constancy of the Ephesine Fathers in driving away
Novelty and maintaining Antiquity.
[81.] After the preceding
we added also the sentence of blessed Cyril, which is contained in
these same Ecclesiastical Proceedings. For when the Epistle of
Capreolus,521
| 521 The letter of Capreolus
is given in Labbe’s Concilia, vol. 3, col. 529
sqq. The Emperor Theodosius had written to Augustine, requiring
his presence at the Council which he had summoned to meet at Ephesus in
the matter of Nestorius. But Augustine having died while the letter was
on its way, it was brought to Capreolus, bishop of Carthage and
Metropolitan. Capreolus would have summoned a meeting of the African
bishops, that they might appoint a delegate to represent them at the
Council; but the presence of the hostile Vandals, who were laying waste
the country in all directions, made it impossible for the bishops to
travel to any place of meeting. Capreolus therefore could do no more
than send his deacon Besula to represent him and the African Church,
bearing with him the letter referred to in the text. The letter, after
having been read before the Council, both in the original Latin and in
a Greek translation, was, on the motion of Cyril, inserted in the
acts. | bishop of Carthage,
had been read, wherein he earnestly intreats that novelty may be driven
away and antiquity maintained, Cyril made and carried the proposal,
which it may not be out of place to insert here: For says he, at the
close of the proceedings, “Let the Epistle of Capreolus also, the
reverend and very religious bishop of Carthage, which has been read, be
inserted in the acts. His mind is obvious, for he intreats that the
doctrines of the ancient faith be confirmed, such as are novel,
wantonly devised, and impiously promulgated, reprobated and
condemned.” All the bishops cried out, “These are the words
of all; this we all say, this we all desire.” What mean
“the words of all,” what mean “the desires of
all,” but that what has been handed down from antiquity should be
retained, what has been newly devised, rejected with
disdain?
[82.] Next we expressed our admiration of the humility
and sanctity of that Council, such that, though the number of priests
was so great, almost the more part of them metropolitans, so erudite,
so learned, that almost all were capable of taking part in doctrinal
discussions, whom the very circumstance of their being assembled for
the purpose, might seem to embolden to make some determination on their
own authority, yet they innovated nothing, presumed nothing, arrogated
to themselves absolutely nothing, but used all possible care to hand
down nothing to posterity but what they had themselves received from
their Fathers. And not only did they dispose satisfactorily of the
matter presently in hand, but they also set an example to those who
should come after them, how they also should adhere to the
determinations of sacred antiquity, and condemn the devices of profane
novelty.
[83.] We inveighed also against the wicked presumption
of Nestorius in boasting that he was the first and the only one who
understood holy Scripture, and that all those teachers were ignorant,
who before him had expounded the sacred oracles, forsooth, the whole
body of priests, the whole body of Confessors and martyrs, of whom some
had published commentaries upon the Law of God, others had agreed with
them in their comments, or had acquiesced in them. In a word, he
confidently asserted that the whole Church was even now in error, and
always had been in error, in that, as it seemed to him, it had
followed, and was following, ignorant and misguided
teachers. E.C.F. INDEX & SEARCH
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