Letter 24: Hilary, deacon of the Roman church, to Pulcheria Augusta, greetings.

Hilary, deacon of the Roman church, to Pulcheria Augusta. [Year] 449. [He explains why he did not deliver to her in person the letter of Saint Leo; how great a violence the bishop of Alexandria stirred up at Ephesus; and how all the things done there were condemned by the aforesaid Roman pope and by the Western council, all of which he relates briefly.] To the most glorious and most pious Pulcheria Augusta, Hilary the deacon. 1. That it was my zeal, after the synod, to come to Constantinople, I ought not to say, since there was a manifest necessity that compelled me to offer the letters of the most blessed pope, directed to your clemency, so that I might in like manner discharge to your piety and to the most invincible and most Christian prince the duty of veneration which I owed. But to this fitting purpose of mine that impediment befell, which is the enemy of all good men and over which the affection of Christians groans, that is, the Alexandrian bishop, most powerful in the condemnation of blameless men. For after I could not be party to his unjust will and judgment, he attempted with terrors and snares to summon me to another council: so that he might, which God forbid, either by seductions make me consent to condemning the most holy bishop Flavian, or hold me back as I resisted, that I might have no liberty to hasten to your piety at Constantinople, or to return to the Roman church. 2. Nevertheless, trusting in the help of Christ our God, I kept myself innocent and whole from the condemnation of the most reverend and most holy man; although no scourges and no torments could make me consent to their unjust sentence, but, leaving all things behind, I departed from there, coming to Rome through unknown and trackless places, and proving myself a fit reporter to the most reverend pope of all the things that were done at Ephesus. Therefore let your venerable clemency know that by the aforesaid pope, together with the whole Western council, all things were condemned which were done at Ephesus against the canons, through tumults and worldly hatreds, by Dioscorus the bishop, and that these things can by no means be accepted in these parts, things which through the power of the aforesaid man were committed not without injury to the faith and prejudice to the most holy and innocent man. But the things that were reported by me with steadfast and strong authority on behalf of the faith, I think it superfluous to relate: for you may learn these things from the letters of the most blessed and powerful pope. Wherefore, O most splendid and most clement Lady Augusta, your adorable piety ought not to abandon the things in which it gladly made a beginning, but ought to preserve these things with religious zeal and a faith of steadfast will.

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