274 METROPOLITAN BISHOPS HAD NOT A NEGATIVE. in ecclesiastical assemblies, where he concurred; yet had he no casting vote or real advantage above others, all things passing by majority of votes. This is supposed as notorious in the acts of the fifth council. " This," say they, " is to be taken for granted, that in councils we must not regard the interlocution of one or two, but those things which are commonly defined by all, or by the ma- jority."' So also in the fifth council, George, bishop of Constantinople, says, " That seeing everywhere the counsel of the multitude, or of the majority, prevails, it is necessary to anathematize the persons before mentioned."' 3. Metropolitan bishops in their provinces had far more power, and more surely grounded, than the pope had in the whole church; for the metropolitans had an unquestioned authority, settled by cus- tom, and confirmed by synodical decrees: yet had not they a nega- tivevoice in synodical debates; for it is decreed in theNicene synod, that in the designation of bishops, which was the principal affair in ecclesiastical administrations, " plurality of votes should pre- vail."' It is indeed there said, that none should be ordained x0)p4 yvwiang, " without theopinion of the metropolitan;" but that does not im- port a negative voice in him, but that the transaction should not pass in his absence, or without his knowledge, advice, and suffrages for so the apostolical canon (to which the Nicene fathers there al- luded and referred, meaning to interpret it) appoints that the me- tropolitan should " do nothing," ¿vEV r4'ç grcivrwv yen, " without the opinion of all ; "4 that is, without suffrage of the most concluding all, for surely that canon does not give to each one a negative voice. And so the synod of Antioch (held soon after that of Nice, which, therefore, knew best the sense of the Nicene fathers, and how the custom went) interprets it, decreeing " That a bishop should not be ordained without a synod, and the presence of the metropolitan of the province:"" in which synod yet they determine that "plurality of votes should carry it ;"e no peculiar advantage in the case being granted to the metropolitan. i Illo certe constituto, quod in conciliis non unius vel secundi interlocutionem at- tendere oportet, sed hæo gum communiter ab omnibus vel amplioribus definiuntur. Concil. V. Collat. 6, p. 263. 2 'EorErañ 4oty xl4Aaus, floor 4w1 oroxxwv m'av4axaü 4 (3ouxñ zpamtí', ávayzaióv iç -, óvotcao4i 4á XIXAivea 9rpóowaa ávaAE/ca4roQmvar. VI. Syn., Act. xvi. p. 249. KpaiEí4al 4 4,, Xa.E(óveav ,ñp,ç.Conccc. Nie., can. vi. Ka4ie zavÓVa Ézz%.n0(ac...m ÓV, &x).á (L990ì ixsT ng avww 499; 4 , 91-2v4WV 1/1,4po99E ,r0,Eí401 4r. Apost. Can. xxxiv. 'Earioaoarov pLi9 XErp040vE70901 Siga o,,ui,u, ,,ai arapauoias Tau iv 457 tcnrpoxó?Er 4ñs éaap- zías.Syn. Ant., can. xix. 6 xDa4Eîv 447, 4NV 9rr1EríVWV tf%p,y.Ibid. Kpa4Ei-a 'i 4m, orT.Erávav +1"4Qos Syn. .? ic., can. vi.
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