FROM THE ORIGINAL DOCUMENTS. BY THE RIGHT REV. CHARLES JOSEPH HEFELE, D.D., BISHOP OF ROTTENBURG, FORMERLY PROFESSOR OF THEOLOGY IN THE UNIVERSITY OF TUBINGEN.

VOLUME TO THE CLOSE OF THE COUNCIL OF NICAEA A.D. 325. Translated from the German, with the Author’s approbation, and Edited by the Editor of Nagenbach’s history of Doctrines.

PREFACE. “No portion of Church History has been so much neglected in recent times as the History of the Councils. With the exception of a few monographs on particular synods, nothing of importance has appeared on this subject in our days. It is high time that this state of things should be altered, and altered not by a mere adaptation of old materials, but by a treatment of the subject suited to the wants of the present day. This has become less difficult, inasmuch as new documents have been brought to light, and we live in an age when many errors have been abandoned, many prejudices have been put on one side, great progress has been made in critical studies, and a deeper insight into the development of the Christian Church has undoubtedly been gained. “I have been. employed for a good many years 3, the composition of a History of the Councils of the Church , which should be of a comprehensive character, and founded upon original documents. I may affirm that I have spared no pains to secure accuracy, and have done my best to consult all the literature which bears upon the subject.”

The hopes which Dr. Hefele thus expressed in his preface to the first volume of his History have been abundantly fulfilled. He has not only supplied an acknowledged want in his own country in a manner which leaves little to desire, but he has brought within the reach of all German scholars an amount of information in connection with the ancient councils which is to be found only in part even in those large collections of Hardouin and Mansi, which are seldom to be met with in private libraries.

It is to be hoped that the interest manifested in that portion of his work which is translated in this volume may induce the publishers to carry it forward at least to the close of the fourth Oecumenical Council.

The Translator was at first in doubt as to the best form in which to present this History to the English public — whether in the form of a paraphrase, in which case it must have been almost an original work, or as a simple translation. Various considerations induced him to adopt the latter course.

There was little difficulty in doing so, as Dr. Hefele's German style, unlike that of many of his Protestant fellow-countrymen, is generally lucid and intelligible. The Editor, when he first undertook the work of preparing the History for English readers, intended to add a number of notes from writers who regard the subject from a different point of view. This he afterwards found to be unnecessary, and the additional notes are accordingly very few. Dr. Hefele is so fair in the statement of facts, that every reader may very easily draw his conclusions for himself.

All possible care has been taken to make the references and quotations correct. It is almost certain, however, that slight mistakes may still be found in these pages; and the Editor will gratefully receive any corrections which may be forwarded to him, and make use of them should a second edition of the work be called for.

Since writing the above, the Editor has received a very kind letter from the Author, which he desires to acknowledge the more gratefully, from the fact that he had delayed to write to Dr. Hefele until after the work of translation was considerably advanced. This delay was not, however, voluntary. At the time when the translation was begun, the Bishop had gone to Rome to take part in the Vatican Council, and it was felt that at such a time it would be unsuitable to address him. After the close of the Council, the Editor was himself engaged in various ways; but he has now the satisfaction of making public various corrections which have been most kindly forwarded to him by the Author, too late indeed to be inserted in their proper place, but which the reader is requested to notice in perusing the volume. At p. 15, line 13, for “867” read “869.” The next correction is one of some length, and of greater importance. At p. 50, line 4, the author wishes the following passage to be substituted for that which previously appeared. Erase from “Martin v.” (line 4) to “a general theory” (line 15); and substitute: “When, therefore, Martin v. declared at the last session of the Council of Constance, that he approved and ratified all that had been decreed by the present holy Oecumenical Council of Constance in materiis fidei conciliariter (that is, by the whole Council, and not merely by individual nations), this approval had immediate reference only to the special matter of Falkenberg (see vol. 7:p. 368 of Hefele's Conciliengeschichte ): he said nothing at all on the decrees respecting the superiority of an Oecumenical council to the Pope; and if this Pope, in the bull of the 22d February 1418, required of every one the recognition of the Council of Constance as being Oecumenical, and that all which it had decreed in favorem fidei et salutem animarum must be received and believed (vol. 7: p. 347), he evidently avoided giving it a complete and universal confirmation, His words, which we have quoted above, have a decidedly restrictive character. He indicated by them that he excluded some of the decrees of the Council from his approbation (evidently those referring to the superiority of the Council); but for the sake of peace, he did not choose to express himself more clearly. His successor, Eugenius IV., declared himself with greater distinctness in 1446, when he accepted the whole Council of Constance, and all its decrees, absque tamen praejudicio juris, dignitatis, et praeeminentiae sedis apostolicae . There can be no question that by this he intended to exclude from his approbation the decrees of Constance respecting the superiority of an Oecumenical synod to the Pope.”

At p. 138, in canon 1, for Placuit inter “eos,” read “nos;” read “idololaturus” for “idolaturus,” and place a comma after “fecerit,” and not after “accesserit.” In the translation, for “sacrificed to idols,” read “entered an idol's temple,” and strike out the word “thus.” P. 146, can. 23, for “was a degree of austerity,”, etc., read “was an extension or prolongation of the fast beyond the usual duration (until the evening).” P. 184, for “the larger dioceses,” etc., read , “the government of the larger diocese (majoris diceceseos gubernacula ),” etc. P. 227, can. 8, translation, for “her sin is openly known,” read “she is convicted of the sin.” P. 318, line 4 ab im ., for “Library” read “Museum.” P. 423, line 4 ab im ., after “first church,” add in parenthesis, (“according to Balsamon, exclusion from communio clericalis .”) P. 426, n. 1, add, “and my contributions to Church History, Archaeology, etc.” [Beitrage zur Kirchengeschichte, Archaologie, u. s. w .], B. I. S. 31.