THE PATRIARCHMADE WAY FOR THE " UNIVERSAL BISHOP." 217 He also deposed Gerontius, bishop of Nicomedia, belonging to the diocese of Pontus.' Whence the fathers of Chalcedon averred, " That they had in a synod confirmed the ancient custom which the holy church of God in Constantinople had, to ordain metropolitans in the Asian, Pontic, and Thracian dioceses. "' Which custom, consistent with reason, and becoming the dignity of the empire, and grateful to the court, that great synod established, although the Roman church, out of jealousy, contested and protested against it.' But the most pertinent instances are those of the Roman, Alex- andrine, and Antiochene churches, having by degrees assumed to themselves such power over divers provinces; in imitation of which churches, the other diocesan bishops may well be thought to have enlarged their jurisdiction. This form of government is intimated in the synod of Ephesus by these words, in which dioceses and provinces are distinguished: "And the same shall be observed in all dioceses and all provinces every- where."' However, that this form of discipline was perfectly settled in the times ofthe fourth general synod is evident by two notable canons thereof, wherein it is decreed that " If any bishop have a controversy with his metropolitan of his province, he shall resort to and be judged by the exarch of the diocese, or by the see of Constantinople."5 This was a great privilege conferred on the bishop of Constanti- nople, which perhaps grounded (to be sure it made way for) the plea of that bishop to the title of " (Ecumenical Patriarch," or " Universal Bishop," which Pope Gregory so exagitated [flourished] ; and, in- deed, it sounds so fairly toward it, that the ppe has nothing com- parable to it to allege in favour of his pretences, this being the decree of the greatest synod that ever was held among the ancients, where all the patriarchs concurred in making these decrees, which Pope Gregory reverenced as one of the gospels. If any ancient synod ever constituted any thing like to universal monarchy it was this, in which a final determination of greatest causes was granted to the see of Constantinople, without any exception or reservation, I mean 1 Soz. viii. 6. 2 Tñ yáp éx ro).xaiv xpamr",oav (Aasp örep ïexev ñ Kavemavmroouraxrmwv áyia ®tor, ixx).ncía tit mó xerpamovtrV /.cnmpoaoJ.ímaç mwv Ororxñetalv Ti; ma 'AOrariç, xai navmrxñç, xai tlpaxrx: ç rcai vúv xamei ouvorx6 éxupor'eafaçv .yñpor.Syr. Chale, in Ep. adP. Leonero. Syn. Chale., Act. xvi. p. 462. 4 Tó Si aûmá zai ÉrÌ mmV aT.).4,r Srarxrjetav xa mvr iaravmaxoü irrapxZr rapaOuT.axAg- oemar.Syn. Eph., can. viii. [There is mention of dioceses in Strabo.] 5 Ei ós vrpóç mór mñç aûrÿlç irapxiat /r.nmporo).ímnr éoriezoroç ïi xT.nprxóç á/<¢roßnmoin, xama).apßavimv ñ .7.óv ïtapxov mñt ararx?7otaç, ìj máv mñf ßaeratuoúont Kavomavmrvourixtorç Spóvov, xai [r' aûmm rxaoAa._Syn. Chale., can. xix., xvii.
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=