Presbyters Uniwersytet Warszawski
ID
ER 1793
Bishop Anatolius of Constantinople informs Pope Leo the Great that he sends to Rome his legates together with the Roman legate the Presbyter Boniface so that they can give account of the decisions of the Council of Chalcedon, AD 451. Letter 101 in the collection of letters of Pope Leo the Great, written in Constantinople, AD 451.
Letter 101 [inc. "Τῆς μὲν ὑμετέρας ἁγιωσύνης"]
 
Anatolius of Constantinople praises Leo's zeal that led to the condemnation of heresies in Chalcedon. Then he announces the dispatch of the legates to Rome which will give account of the Council to the Pope:
 
1. [...] καὶ ἔδει ἅπαντα εἰς γνῶσιν τῆς σῆς ἁγιότητος ἀνενεχθῆναι τὰ παρακολουθήσαντα ἀναγκαίως· ἀποστέλλοντες αὐτόθι, κατ᾽ἐπιλογὴν τὸν θεοφιλέστατον ἀδελφὸν, καὶ συνεπίσκοπον ἡμῶν Λουκιανὸν, τόν τε εὐλαβέστατον διάκονον Βασίλειον γράφομεν καὶ αὖθις, ταῦτα δηλοῦντες, ὡς ἤδη μὲν ὁ θεοφιλέστατος ἀδελφὸς καὶ συνεπίσκοπος ἡμῶν Λουκιανὸς· ἅμα τῷ θεοσεβεστάτῳ πρεσβυτέρῳ ἡμῶν Βονιφατίῳ σὺν Μαρκιανῷ τῷ εὐλαβεστάτῳ διακόνῳ φενεροὺς χάρτας περιέχοντας τὰ ἐν τῇ ἁγίῳ, καὶ οἰκουμενικῇ συνόδῳ πεπραγμένα λαβὼν ταύτης τῆς βασιλευούσης ἐξεδήμησε πόλεως.
 
Anatolius announces that Lukianos and Basileios will bring also another letter to Leo and refers to the condemnation of Dioscorus of Alexandria, to the letter sent by all the Fathers of the Council [1789], to the definition of faith and other decisions taken by the Council. Then he tells about the declaration of the privilege of the see of Constantinople as the bishopric second to Rome that has jurisdiction over the ordination of the bishops in the provinces of Pontus, Asia, and Thracia, and on the protest of the papal legates:
 
5. Οὕτω τε πάντων καλῶς προβάντων, καὶ εἰς εὐφροσύνην ληξάντων, οἱ εὐσεβέστατοι αὐτόθεν ἐπίσκοποι Πασχασῖνος, καὶ Λουκίνσιος, καὶ εὐλαβέστατος πρεσβύτερος Βονιφάτιος πολλάκις μὲν περὶ τούτου αὐτοῦ παρ᾽ἡμῶν διδαχτέντες· ἀγνοοῦντες δὲ τὸν σκοπὸν τῆς ὑμετέρας ἁγιωσύνης. ὅν ἔχετε περὶ τὴν Κωνσταντινουπόλεως ἁγιωτάτην Ἐκκλησίαν μετὰ τὸ τυπῶσαι τὴν ἁγίαν σύνοδον, καὶ δι᾽ὑπογραφῆς βεβαιῶσαι τὸν τοιοῦτον ὅρον, ἀνασοβοῦσι μὲν τὴν σύνοδον, ταράττουσι δὲ καὶ συγχύσεως πληροῦσι τὸ συνέδριον, τὸν θρόνον τοῦτον ἐξουθενοῦντες, καὶ πάντα ποιοῦντες ὅσα ὕβρεως αἴτια, ἐμοί τε, καὶ τῇ Κωνσταντινουπόλεως ἁγιωτάτῃ Ἐκκλησίᾳ. [...]
(ed. E. Schwartz ... : Patrologia Latina 54, 951-965 = Ballerini 1753: 1088-1106)
Letter 101 [inc. "Τῆς μὲν ὑμετέρας ἁγιωσύνης"]
 
Anatolius of Constantinople praises Leo's zeal that led to the condemnation of heresies in Chalcedon. Then he announces the dispatch of the legates to Rome which will give account of the Council to the Pope:
 
1. [...] And it is necessary to bring to the knowledge of your Sanctity what has happened [at the council]. Sending straight away the selected legates, our most beloved in God brother and fellow-bishop Lukianos and our most pious deacon Basileios we write to you disclosing again what has been already told you by the most beloved in God brother and our fellow-bishop Lukianos together with the most religious presbyter Boniface together with the most prudent deacon Markianos who had the letters which described clearly what had been done at the holy and ecumenical council when they were leaving this imperial city.
 
Anatolius announces that Lukianos and Basileios will bring also another letter to Leo and refers to the condemnation of Dioscorus of Alexandria, to the letter sent by all the Fathers of the Council [1789], to the definition of faith and other decisions taken by the Council. Then he tells about the declaration of the privilege of the see of Constantinople as the bishopric second to Rome that has jurisdiction over the ordination of the bishops in the provinces of Pontus, Asia, and Thracia, and on the protest of the papal legates:
 
5. And when all those things were going so well approaching the happy end, then the most religious Bishops Paschasinos and Lukinsios and the most pious Presbyter Boniface, although we informed them about this thing many times, ignoring the purpose of your Sanctity which you have toward the most holy Church of Constantinople, after subscribing to the holy council and confirming by the signatures its decisions, they disturbed and upset the council, and filled the gathering with disorder having the throne [of Constantinople] for nothing, and doing everything that was a cause of outrage for me and for the most holy Church of Constantinople. [...]
 
Anatolius informs that despite the protest of the Roman legates the decisions of the Council were corroborated as valid by the Emperor and the judges. Nevertheless, he asks Leo to confirm the privilege of the Constantinopolitan see.
 
(trans. M. Szada)

Discussion:

The letter was written at the same time as Letter 100 dated to the year of consulship of the Emperor Marcian, that is 451.

Place of event:

Region
  • Rome
  • East
City
  • Rome
  • Constantinople

About the source:

Author: Anatolius of Constantinople
Title: Letters, Epistulae
Origin: Constantinople (East)
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.
Edition:
P. and G. Ballerini eds., Sancti Leoni Magni Romani pontificis opera, vol. 1, Venice 1753
Patrologia Latina, vol. 54
 
Translation:
Bibliography:
S. Wessel, Leo the Great and the spiritual rebuilding of a universal Rome, Leiden and Boston 2008.

Categories:

Travel and change of residence
Described by a title - Presbyter/πρεσβύτερος
Ecclesiastical administration - Participation in councils and ecclesiastical courts
Ecclesiastical administration - Ecclesiastical envoy
Conflict
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, ER1793, http://www.presbytersproject.ihuw.pl/index.php?id=6&SourceID=1793