244 THE EMPEROR, AND NOT THE POPE, CONVENED, COUNCILS. churches (the seventh by most ofthe western churches, the eighth by the eastern), so that even divers popes after them did not reckon them for general councils;1 and all the rest have been only assemblies of western bishops, celebrated after the breach between the oriental and occidental churches. Yet even that second synod of Nice, which is called the seventh synod, avows itself to have " convened by the emperor's command;" and in the front of each action, as also of their Synodical Definition, the same style is retained. Hitherto it is evident that all general synods were convocated by the imperial authority; and about this matter divers things are ob- servable. It is observable in how peremptory a manner the emperors re- quired the bishops to convene at the time and place appointed by them. Constantine, in his letter indicting the synod of Tyre, has these words: " If any one, presuming to violate our command and sense,"' &c. Theodosius II. summons the bishops to the Ephesine synod in these terms: " We, taking a great deal of care about these things, will not suffer any one, if he be absent, to gounpunished; nor shall he find excuse either with God or us, who presently without delay does not by the time set appear in the place appointed."4 In like terms he called them to the second Ephesine synod: "If any one shall choose to neglect meeting in a synod so necessary and grateful to God, and by the set time do not with all diligence ap- pear in the place appointed, he shall find no excuse,' &c. Marcian thus indicts the synod of Nice (after by him translated to Chalcedon) : " It seems good to our clemencythat an holy synod meet in the city of Nice, in the province of Bithynia. "e Again, we may observe that in the imperial edicts or epistles, whereby councils effectually were convened, there is nothing signified concerning the pope's having any authority to call them. It is not P. Joh. VIII., Ep. ccxlvii. ; P Nic. I, Ep. vii., vx. ; P. Hadr. II., Ep. xxvi. 2 narra iayía oúvoSat ñ 74&72 lúexíav esaS, vrpooráZsr r6 mñt Orxozpíorou úpawv ßaoD.siat ouvFa.Aorkoa.Act. vii. p. 831, i. 519, ii. 551, iii. 586, iv. 609, v. 696, vi. 722, vii. 812; Defin. Synod., Act. vii. p. 817. $ Euseb. de Vit. Const. iv. 42; Vid. in v. p. 30. 4 Kai ;10E4 aórav oroxxñv xarúasvor QpavrSa asroar,axávsaAar oúSiva Qopnrñt ávsEólasAi aeelpíav rF ¡If/ ap71t 01711,, oúSÈ srpáç ñ¡.cros áyroxoyíav, ó ¡cit aapa,añpaa xaria 4711, apoFrpnpaévov xarpóv, sit róv IupapraAívra róyrov oyrouSaíat aapaysvól4svat.Theod. Jun., Ep. ad Cyril. Cone. Eph., pars i. p. 2, 6. 6 Ei Si ,ris m11, oïra+t ávayxaíav xa rr es.? exnv aaprSlrv Dorma rúvoSov. xaJ ¡ti7 aáa?t Sová/.cFr xa4ia rim aposrpnpaEVOV xarpóv r71v 4apraAévraa xaraxáßar róyrav, aúSspFíav 2,u srp71s m71 x1,272'244, ñ apòt 4ñv ñposrípav siaéßsrav áaaxayíav.Theod. in Ep. ad Diosc. in Conc. Chale., Act. i. p. 35. Touro iárxmt 45 ñ¡aFrip;c 'v,'psasv ñptlpórmry lia 2yia rt:voóat iv rp` Nrxar.av aia.sF rzt úrOti- 1.1% daapxíat ruyxpornó"n.In Eg adLpisc. Syn. Chale., pars i, p. 34.
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