Presbyters Uniwersytet Warszawski
ID
ER 1686
Letter of Pope Leo the Great to Bishop Flavian of Constantinople on the two natures of Christ, commonly known as the Tome, is carried to Constantinople by the Presbyter Renatus from the titular church of St Clement. Letter 28 of Pope Leo the Great "Lectis dilectionis", written in Rome, AD 449.
Letter 28
 
The Tome consists of the sixth chapters:
1.on ignorance and lack of the knowledge of the Scriptures of Eutyches;
2. on the twofold nativity and nature of Christ;
3. on faith and counsel of God in regard to the Incarnation of the Word;
4. on the properties of the twofold nativity and nature of Christ;
5. on reality of Christ's flesh proven by the Scriptures;
6. on wrong confession of Eutyches and on the terms on which he may be restored to communion.
The letter ends with the information about the deputies sent to Constantinople:
 
6. [...] Ad omnem vero caussam pie ac fideliter exequendam, fratres nostros Julium episcopum et Renatum presbyterum tituli sancti Clementis, sed et filium meum Hilarum diaconem vice nostra direximus. Quibus Dulcitium notarium nostrum, cuius fides nobis est probata, sociavimus: confidentes adfuturum Divinitatis auxilium, ut is, qui erraverat, damnata sensus sui pravitate, salvetur. Deus te incolumem custodiat, frater carissime. Data Idibus Junii, Asturio et Protogene viris clarissimis consulibus.
 
Greek version as known from the Acts of the Council of Chalcedon:
 
6. [...] Πρὸς δὲ τὸ πᾶσαν τὴν ὑπόθεσιν εὐσεβῶς, καὶ πιστῶς ἐξανυσθῆναι, τοῦς ἀδελφοὺς ἡμῶν Ἰουλιὸν τὸν ἐπίσκοπον, καὶ Ῥενάτον τὸν πρεσβύτερον ἔτι γε μὴν καὶ τὸν υἱόν μου Ἱλάρον τόν διάκονον, εἰς τὸν ἡμῶν ἀπεστάλκαμεν τόπον. Οἵς Δουλκίτον τὸν νοτάριον τὸν ἡμέτερον, οὗ τὴν τοῦ Θεοῦ παρεσομένην βοήθειαν, ὥστε τὴν πλανηθέντα καταδικάσαντα τὴν σκαιότητα τοῦ φρονήματος τοῦ οἰκείου σωθῆναι. Ὁ Θεὸς ἐῤῥωμένον σε διαφυλάττοι, ἀδελφὲ προσφιλέστατε. Ἐδόθη εἰδοῖς Ἰοθνίαις.
 
(Patrologia Latina 54, 755-782 = Ballerini 1753: 801-838)
Letter 28
 
The Tome consists of the sixth chapters:
1.on ignorance and lack of the knowledge of the Scriptures of Eutyches;
2. on the twofold nativity and nature of Christ;
3. on faith and counsel of God in regard to the Incarnation of the Word;
4. on the properties of the twofold nativity and nature of Christ;
5. on reality of Christ's flesh proven by the Scriptures;
6. on wrong confession of Eutyches and on the terms on which he may be restored to communion.
The letter ends with the information about the deputies sent to Constantinople:
 
6. [...] Now for the loyal and faithful execution of the whole matter, we have appointed to represent us our brothers Julius Bishop and Renatus, presbyter of the Title of Saint Clement, as well as my son Hilary, deacon.  And with them we have associated Dulcitius our notary, whose faith is well approved:  being sure that the Divine help will be given us, so that he who had erred may be saved when the wrongness of his view has been condemned.  God keep you safe, beloved brother. The 13 June, AD 449, in the consulship of the most illustrious Asturius and Protogenes.
 
(trans. Ch. Lett Feltoe 1895: 44)

Place of event:

Region
  • Rome
  • East
City
  • Rome
  • Constantinople

About the source:

Author: Leo the Great
Title: Letters, Epistulae
Origin: Rome (Rome)
Denomination: Catholic/Nicene/Chalcedonian
Leo the Great was the bishop of Rome from AD 440 to his death in AD 461. We have the collection of 173 letters of Leo.
 
Eutyches was a presbyter and an archimandrite in Constantinople who got involved in the theological discussions against Nestorius and was inclined toward the monophysite Christology. These views were considered heretical by Bishop Flavian of Constantinople and Eutyches was excommunicated by the so-called Home Synod in AD 448 (σύνοδος ἐνδημοῦσα, the synod of the bishops who happened to be in the capital). Eutyches sent in protest the letters to the bishops all over the world, from which the letter to Pope Leo is still extant. Eutyches also tried to obtain the support of the Emperor Theodosius. In fact, the emperor eventually agreed on organizing the Council which was supposed to condemn Bishop Flavian and his supporters. Leo was warned of the preparations by Bishop Flavian and in June AD 449 he sent his legacy consisting of Bishop Julius of Puteoli, the Presbyter Renatus, and the Deacon Hilary. He entrusted to the envoys the dogmatical letter on Christ, the present Tomus ad Flavianum. Although Leo tried to prevent through the letters the gathering, the council met in Ephesus on 8 August 449. The legates from Rome tried to read out the Tome at the council but were successfully hindered by Dioscorus of Alexandria and Eutyches (see Grillmeier 1975: 523-528).
 
There was a long scholarly discussion about the possible participation of Prosper of Aquitaine in the composition of the Tome of Leo, see Green 2008: 193-201.
 
 
Edition:
P. and G. Ballerini eds., Sancti Leoni Magni Romani pontificis opera, vol. 1, Venice 1753
Patrologia Latina, vol. 54
 
Translation:
Bibliography:
B. Green, The soteriology of Leo the Great, Oxford; New York 2008.
A. Grillmeier, Christ in Christian tradition, v. 1, Atlanta 1975.

Categories:

Travel and change of residence
Described by a title - Presbyter/πρεσβύτερος
Ecclesiastical administration - Ecclesiastical envoy
Relation with - Bishop/Monastic superior
Please quote this record referring to its author, database name, number, and, if possible, stable URL: M. Szada, Presbyters in the Late Antique West, ER1686, http://www.presbytersproject.ihuw.pl/index.php?id=6&SourceID=1686