[Context: In the name of our Lord, Jesus Christ. In the twenty-sixth year of the reign of our august lord, the Emperor Constantine, in the fifth year of his consulship, the 25th of October, the fourteenth indiction, the holy and blessed Pope Zacharias presided over a council held in the Lateran Basilica, at which the following bishops and venerable priests were present: Epiphanius of Selva Candida, Benedict of Mentana, Venantius of Palestrina, Gregory of Porto, Nicetas of Gabii, Theodore of Ostia, Gratiosus of Velletri, the archpriest John, Gregory, Stephen, Dominic, Theodore, Anastasius, George, Sergius, Jordan, Leo, another Leo, Gregory, Stephen, Eustathius, Procopius and Theophanius. After the holy Gospels had been placed in the middle of the assembly, Gregory, the regional notary and nomenclator, announced in the presence of the deacons and the whole body of the clergy: The devout priest Denehard, who has been sent to Your Apostolic Holiness by Boniface, the Bishop of the province of Germany, is waiting behind the veil and begs for admittance. What is your command? The order was given: Let him come in. When he came in, Zacharias, the blessed Pope of the Holy, Catholic, Apostolic Church of the city of Rome, said: You brought us a document some days ago from our revered and holy brother, the Archbishop Boniface. In that document he gave his opinion regarding the best course to follow. Why, then, have you asked a second time to be present at our meeting? Then Denehard, the priest, replied: My Lord, when Bishop Boniface, your devoted servant and my master, convoked the synod in the Frankish province in accordance with your injunction, he discovered there two false priests, heretics and schismatics, named Aldebert and Clement. After he had deprived them of their episcopal dignity he obtained the approval of the Frankish princes to put them into custody. They are not performing their penance in accordance with the sentence passed upon them but, on the contrary, they are still leading the people astray. For this reason I have been despatched with this letter from my master and offer it to Your Apostolic Holiness that it may be read out this sacred council. The reply was: Let the letter be taken up and read in presence. Then Theophanius, the regional notary and treasurer, took letter and read it aloud as follows: "]
To the Supreme Father and Apostolic Pontiff, who holds the power and authority of Peter, Prince of the Apostles, Boniface, the lowest servant of the servants of God, warm greetings in the love of Christ.
Ever since I dedicated myself, nearly thirty years ago, to the service of the Apostolic See, which I did at the instance and with the approval of Pope Gregory II, it has been my custom to relate to the Supreme Pontiff all my joys and sorrows so that in joy we might unite together to praise God and in sorrow I might be comforted by his counsel. Let it be so now. I come as a suppliant to Your Holiness, for the Scripture says: 'Ask thy Father and he will instruct thee, thy elders and they will tell thee.'
"I wish you to know, Holy Father, that after you had ordered me, unworthy as I am, to preside at the episcopal council synod and of the Franks, an arrangement in which they concurred, I had to suffer many insults and much persecution particularly from false bishops, adulterous priests and deacons and vicious clerics. My greatest difficulties arose from the opposition of two well-known heretics, blasphemers against God and the Catholic faith. One is called Aldebert, a Gaul by birth, the other an Irishman called Clement. In the form that their heresy takes they differ from each other, but they are. Alike in their degree of error.
"Since I am weak, I beg Your Apostolic Holiness to protect me against them by your authority and to lead back the Franks and Gauls to the right path by a written statement, so that they may no longer accept the fables, false miracles and prophecies of the precursors of Antichrist but turn once more to sober truth. If after reading my account of their doctrines you consider it justified, order them to be thrust into prison. Let no one communicate with them for fear of becoming contaminated with their errors and perish in so doing, but make them live apart and hand them over to Satan for the overthrow of their corrupt nature, so that their spirits may find salvation in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. If they will not listen to the Church, let them be counted as publicans and heathens, until they learn not to blaspheme and to rend the tunic of Christ. On their account I suffer persecution, enmity and the reproaches of many people, while the work of the Church is hindered in its faith and teaching.
"Of Aldebert they say that I have deprived them of a saintly apostle and robbed them of a patron and intercessor, a doer of good deeds and a worker of miracles. But hear first the story of his life and judge for yourself whether or not he is a wolf in sheep's clothing.
"Quite early in life he deceived many people by saying that an angel in the guise of a man had brought him from the other end of the world relics of extraordinary but rather suspect holiness, and that through their efficacy he could obtain from God whatever he desired. By such pretence he was able by degrees, as St. Paul says, to make his way into house after house, captivating weak women whose consciences were burdened by sin and swayed by shifting passions. He also deceived great numbers of simple folk who thought that he was a man of truly apostolic character because he had wrought signs and wonders. He bribed ill-instructed bishops to consecrate him, in defiance of canon law and, finally, with unbridled arrogance, put himself on the level of the Apostles. He insolently refused to consecrate churches to the honour of the Apostles and martyrs and used to ask people what they expected to gain by going on pilgrimage to the tombs of the Apostles. Later, he dedicated small chapels to himself - or, to speak more truthfully, desecrated them. In the fields or near springs or wherever he had a mind he erected crosses and small chapels and ordered prayers to be recited there. As a result, throngs of people absented themselves from the established churches, flouted the injunctions of the bishops and held their services in those places, saying: 'The merits of St. Aldebert will help us.'
"He distributed his hair and fingernails for veneration and had them carried round in procession with the relics of St. Peter the Apostle. Finally, he committed what I consider to be the greatest crime and blasphemy against God. Whenever anyone came to him and fell at his feet desiring confession he would say: 'I know all your sins: your secret deeds are open to my gaze. There is no need to confess, since your past sins are forgiven. Go home in peace: you are absolved.'
"In his dress, his bearing, his behaviour., in fact, in all the details described by Holy Scripture, he imitated the hypocrites.
"The other heretic, whose name is Clement, is opposed to the Church, denies and refuses to acknowledge the sacred canons and rejects the teaching of the holy Fathers St. Jerome, St. Augustine and St. Gregory. He despises all synodal decrees and declares on his own authority that, even though he has had two children born to him during his episcopate, he can still exercise the functions of a Christian bishop. He accepts the Old Testament ruling that a man can if he wishes, marry his brother's widow and considers that the same doctrine is applicable to Christians. Contrary to the teaching of the Fathers, he affirms that Christ descended into hell to deliver all those, believers and unbelievers, servants of Christ as well as worshippers of idols, who were confined there. On the question of predestination he holds a number of damnable opinions which are contrary to Catholic belief.
"For these reasons I beg you to write to Duke Carloman about this heretic and have him put into prison so that he may be prevented from disseminating his doctrines more widely. Otherwise, one diseased sheep will infect the whole flock.
" I hope Your Holiness will enjoy good health, continued prosperity and long life."
When this was read out, Pope Zacharias said: " You have heard, my dear brethren, what has been stated in this letter concerning the heretics who proclaim to the people that they are apostles. This they do to their own condemnation." The holy bishops and the venerable priests replied: " We have heard, indeed. They are not apostles, they are the slaves of the devil and the precursors of Antichrist. For what Apostle ever distributed his hair or fingernails to the people as relics as did this sacrilegious and pestilent Aldebert? Your Holiness must punish these crimes, both in the case of Aldebert and in that of Clement, who shows contempt for the sacred canons and rejects the teachings of the Fathers, St. Ambrose, Augustine and the others. They should receive a sentence commensurate with their crimes."
Zacharias, the Pope, said: " It is rather too late today, but at the next session, when we have heard the account of his life, the prayer he composed for himself and the rest of his malpractices, we may, by the help of God, come to a unanimous decision on the best course to be followed in this matter."
The Second Session
In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. In the twenty-sixth year of the reign of our august lord, the Emperor Constantine the Great, in the fifth year of his consulship, the 25th of October, the fourteenth indiction, the holy and blessed Pope Zacharias presided over a council held in the Lateran Basilica of Theodore at which the following bishops and venerable priests were present: Epiphanius of Selva Candidal Benedict of Mentana, Venantius of Palestrina, Gregory of Porto, Nicetas of Gabii, Theodore of Ostia, Gratiosus of Velletri, the archpriest John, Gregory, Stephen, Dominic, Theodore, Anastasius, George, Sergius, Jordan, Leo, another Leo, Gregory, Stephen, Eustathius, Procopius and
Theophanius.
After the holy Gospels had been placed in the middle of the assembly, Gregory, the regional notary, announced: " In accordance with the instructions given by Your Holiness in the last session, Denehard, the priest, awaits behind the veil for admittance. What is your command?" The order was given: let him come in."
***
When he came in, Zacharias, the holy and blessed Pope, said: "Bring forward the life-story of the infamous man Aldebert, together with his writings which you had in your hands at the last session, and cause them to be read out before the present gathering." Then Theophanius, the regional notary and treasurer, took them and read aloud the following opening sentences:
"In the name of Jesus Christ. Here begins the life of the holy and blessed servant of God, Bishop Aldebert, born by the will of God. He was sprung from simple parents and was crowned by the grace of God. For Whilst he was in his mother's womb the grace of God came upon him, and before his birth his mother saw, as in a vision, a calf issuing from her right side. This calf symbolized the grace which he had received from an angel before he came forth from the womb."
When the book had been read through to the end Zacharias, the Pope, asked: " What reply do you make to these blasphemies? "
Epiphanius, the holy Bishop of Selva Candida answered: Apostolic Father, you were indeed acting under divine inspiration when you commanded our holy brother Archbishop Boniface and the Frankish princes to convoke an episcopal council in those provinces after so long an interval in order that these schisms and blasphemies should no longer be concealed from your Apostolic Holiness."
Zacharias, the holy and blessed Pope, said: " If Denehard, the priest, has anything further to bring to our notice which should be read out let him produce it."
Denehard, the priest, answered: " I have a letter here which he made use of in his teaching, saying that it was written by Jesus and came down from heaven."
Then Theophanius, the regional notary and treasurer, took it up and read out the following words:
"In the name of God. Here begins the letter of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, which fell from heaven in Jerusalem and was discovered by the archangel Michael near the gate of Ephraim. This very copy of the letter came into the hands of a priest named Icore, who read it and sent it to a priest named Talasius in the city of Jeremias. Talasius passed it on to another priest Leoban, who was living in a town of Arabia. Leoban sent the letter to the city of Westphalia, where it was received by a priest Macrius. He sent the letter to Mont St. Michel. In the end, through the intervention of an angel, the letter reached Rome, even the tombs of the Apostles, where the keys of the kingdom of heaven are. And the twelve dignitaries who are in the city of Rome fasted, watched and prayed for three days and three nights," etc.
Zacharias, the saintly and blessed Pope, said: "There is no doubt, beloved brethren, that this fellow Aldebert is out of his senses. Anyone who could pin his faith to such a letter must he childish, lacking in intelligence and like an hysterical woman. But to prevent him. from deceiving simple-minded folks we must not delay to discuss the case against him and to pronounce sentence."
Then the holy bishops and venerable priests replied: We know that Your Holiness receives illumination from God and that all your utterances proceed from the Holy Ghost. Therefore, as you shall see fit., let judgment be pronounced against them both."
Zacharias, the Pope, said: " The matter must be considered in common with Your Reverences and not merely according to my own judgment. If it please God, sentence shall be promulgated at the next session on the basis of the documents laid before us, founded on the claims of justice and the inspiration of God."
Third Session
In the name of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. In the twenty-sixth year of the reign of our august lord and emperor, Constantine the Great, in the fift year of his consulship, the 25th of October, the fourteenth indiction, the holy and blessed Pope Zacharias presided over a council assembled in the Lateran Patriarchate, in the basilica which is named after Theodore, at which the following bishops and priests were present: Epiphanius of Selva Candida, Benedict of Mentana, Venantius of Palestrina, Gregory of Porto, Nicetas of Gabii, Theodore of Ostia, Gratiosus of Velletri, the archpriest John, Gregory, Stephen, another Stephen, Dominic, Theodore, Anastasius, George, Sergius, Jordon, Leo, another Leo, Gregory, Stephen, Eustathius, Procopius and Theophanius.
When the Holy Gospels had been placed in the middle of the assembly, Gregory, the regional notary and nomenclator, announced in the presence of the deacons and the clergy: " In accordance with the command given by Your Holiness in the last session that Denehard, the priest, should appear before you today, he is waiting outside the door. What is your command? " The order was given: cc I..et him enter."
When he had come in, Zacharias, the Pope, said: " Have you any other writings belonging to those renegades which you ought to hand over to be read? " Denehard, the priest, replied: " Yes, my Lord. I have a prayer which Aldebert tried to compose for his own use. Here it is in my hand. Pray, take it."
And Theophanius, taking it, read it aloud, beginning with the following words:
"O Lord, Omnipotent God, Father of Christ, the Son of God., and our Lord Jesus Christ, alpha et omega, who sittest on the seventh throne above the cherubim and seraphim, immense love and wonderful sweetness is with Thee. O Father of the holy angels, who hast created heaven and earth, the sea and all the things that are in them, I invoke Thee, I cry out and summon thee to my aid, wretch that I am. Thou hast deigned to say: Whatsoever you shall ask the Father in my name, that will I give. To Thee I pray, to Thee aloud I cry, to the Lord Christ I commend my soul."
And as he was reading from beginning to end, he came to the passage where it said: "I pray and entreat and besecch you, angel Uriel, Raguel, Tubuel, Michael, Adinus, Tubuas, Sabaoc, Sirniel. .. ."
When he had read this sacrilegious prayer to the end, Zacharias, the Pope, said: " What is your comment upon this, dear brethren? 11 The holy bishops and venerable priests replied: " What else can we do except consign these writings, which have been read out to us, to the flames and to strike their authors with anathema? The names of the eight angels whom Aldebert invokes in his prayer are., with the exception of Michael, not angels but demons whom he has called to his aid. As we know from the teaching of the Apostolic See and divine authority, there are only three angels, Michael, Gabriel and Raphael. He has introduced demons under the guise of angels."
Zacharias, the Pope, replied: " Wisely have Your Reverences decided that his writings should be burned. But in order that they may serve for his condemnation and his everlasting confusion, it may be useful to preserve them in our archives. Now that the discussion is at an end, we will proceed to pass sentence upon the two delinquents mentioned earlier."
The whole assembly decreed: "As regards Aldebert, whose deeds and abominable writings have been read out to us, who thought fit to call himself an apostle and gave his hair and nails to the people as relics, leading them astray into various errors, who summoned demons to his aid under the guise of angels, let him be deprived of his episcopal office, do penance for his sins and cease to seduce the people any longer. If he persists in his errors and continues to deceive the faithful, let him be anathema and condemned by the eternal judgment of God, he and any other who agrees with him., or accepts his teaching or associates with him. In the same way let Clement, who in his foolhardiness rejected the decrees of the Fathers, accepted the Old Testament regulations in so far as he allowed a man to marry his brother's widow, and furthermore affirmed that our Lord Jesus Christ descended into hell to deliver all the godly and the ungodly, let hint., we say, be stripped of his episcopal office, excommunicated and condemned by the everlasting judgment of God. This applies also to anyone who agrees with his sacrilegious teaching."
ZACHARIAs, Bishop of the Holy Church of God and of the apostolic city of Rome. EPIPHANIUS, Bishop of Selva Candida. BENEDICT, Bishop of Mentana. VENANTISU, Bishop of PaLestrina. GREGORY, Bishop of Porto. NICETAS, Bishop of Gabii. THEODORE, Bishop of Ostia. GRATIOSUS, Bishop of Velletri. JOHN, Archpriest of Santa Susanna. etc.
In the name of our Lord, Jesus Christ. In the twenty-sixth year of the reign of our august lord, the Emperor Constantine, in the fifth year of his consulship, the 25th of October, the fourteenth indiction, the holy and blessed Pope Zacharias presided over a council held in the Lateran Basilica, at which the following bishops and venerable priests were present: Epiphanius of Selva Candida, Benedict of Mentana, Venantius of Palestrina, Gregory of Porto, Nicetas of Gabii, Theodore of Ostia, Gratiosus of Velletri, the archpriest John, Gregory, Stephen, Dominic, Theodore, Anastasius, George, Sergius, Jordan, Leo, another Leo, Gregory, Stephen, Eustathius, Procopius and Theophanius.
After the holy Gospels had been placed in the middle of the assembly, Gregory, the regional notary and nomenclator, announced in the presence of the deacons and the whole body of the clergy: The devout priest Denehard, who has been sent to Your Apostolic Holiness by Boniface, the Bishop of the province of Germany, is waiting behind the veil and begs for admittance. What is your command? The order was given: Let him come in.
When he came in, Zacharias, the blessed Pope of the Holy, Catholic, Apostolic Church of the city of Rome, said: You brought us a document some days ago from our revered and holy brother, the Archbishop Boniface. In that document he gave his opinion regarding the best course to follow. Why, then, have you asked a second time to be present at our meeting?
Then Denehard, the priest, replied: My Lord, when Bishop Boniface, your devoted servant and my master, convoked the synod in the Frankish province in accordance with your injunction, he discovered there two false priests, heretics and schismatics, named Aldebert and Clement. After he had deprived them of their episcopal dignity he obtained the approval of the Frankish princes to put them into custody. They are not performing their penance in accordance with the sentence passed upon them but, on the contrary, they are still leading the people astray. For this reason I have been despatched with this letter from my master and offer it to Your Apostolic Holiness that it may be read out this sacred council.
The reply was: Let the letter be taken up and read in presence.
Then Theophanius, the regional notary and treasurer, took letter and read it aloud as follows:
"To the Supreme Father and Apostolic Pontiff, who holds the power and authority of Peter, Prince of the Apostles, Boniface, the lowest servant of the servants of God, warm greetings in the love of Christ.
Ever since I dedicated myself, nearly thirty years ago, to the service of the Apostolic See, which I did at the instance and with the approval of Pope Gregory II, it has been my custom to relate to the Supreme Pontiff all my joys and sorrows so that in joy we might unite together to praise God and in sorrow I might be comforted by his counsel. Let it be so now. I come as a suppliant to Your Holiness, for the Scripture says: 'Ask thy Father and he will instruct thee, thy elders and they will tell thee.'
"I wish you to know, Holy Father, that after you had ordered me, unworthy as I am, to preside at the episcopal council synod and of the Franks, an arrangement in which they concurred, I had to suffer many insults and much persecution particularly from false bishops, adulterous priests and deacons and vicious clerics. My greatest difficulties arose from the opposition of two well-known heretics, blasphemers against God and the Catholic faith. One is called Aldebert, a Gaul by birth, the other an Irishman called Clement. In the form that their heresy takes they differ from each other, but they are. Alike in their degree of error.
"Since I am weak, I beg Your Apostolic Holiness to protect me against them by your authority and to lead back the Franks and Gauls to the right path by a written statement, so that they may no longer accept the fables, false miracles and prophecies of the precursors of Antichrist but turn once more to sober truth. If after reading my account of their doctrines you consider it justified, order them to be thrust into prison. Let no one communicate with them for fear of becoming contaminated with their errors and perish in so doing, but make them live apart and hand them over to Satan for the overthrow of their corrupt nature, so that their spirits may find salvation in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. If they will not listen to the Church, let them be counted as publicans and heathens, until they learn not to blaspheme and to rend the tunic of Christ. On their account I suffer persecution, enmity and the reproaches of many people, whilst the work of the Church is hindered in its faith and teaching.
"Of Aldebert they say that I have deprived them of a saintly apostle and robbed them of a patron and intercessor, a doer of good deeds and a worker of miracles. But hear first the story of his life and judge for yourself whether or not he is a wolf in sheep's clothing.
"Quite early in life he deceived many people by saying that an angel in the guise of a man had brought him from the other end of the world relics of extraordinary but rather suspect holiness, and that through their efficacy he could obtain from God whatever he desired. By such pretence he was able by degrees, as St. Paul says, to make his way into house after house, captivating weak women whose consciences were burdened by sin and swayed by shifting passions. He also deceived great numbers of simple folk who thought that he was a man of truly apostolic character because he had wrought signs and wonders. He bribed ill-instructed bishops to consecrate him, in defiance of canon law and, finally, with unbridled arrogance, put himself on the level of the Apostles. He insolently refused to consecrate churches to the honour of the Apostles and martyrs and used to ask people what they expected to gain by going on pilgrimage to the tombs of the Apostles. Later, he dedicated small chapels to himself - or, to speak more truthfully, desecrated them. In the fields or near springs or wherever he had a mind he erected crosses and small chapels and ordered prayers to be recited there. As a result, throngs of people absented themselves from the established churches, flouted the injunctions of the bishops and held their services in those places, saying: 'The merits of St. Aldebert will help us.'
"He distributed his hair and fingernails for veneration and had them carried round in procession with the relics of St. Peter the Apostle. Finally, he committed what I consider to be the greatest crime and blasphemy against God. Whenever anyone came to him and fell at his feet desiring confession he would say: 'I know all your sins: your secret deeds are open to my gaze. There is no need to confess, since your past sins are forgiven. Go home in peace: you are absolved.'
"In his dress, his bearing, his behaviour., in fact, in all the details described by Holy Scripture, he imitated the hypocrites.
"The other heretic, whose name is Clement, is opposed to the Church, denies and refuses to acknowledge the sacred canons and rejects the teaching of the holy Fathers St. Jerome, St. Augustine and St. Gregory. He despises all synodal decrees and declares on his own authority that, even though he has had two children born to him during his episcopate, he can still exercise the functions of a Christian bishop. He accepts the Old Testament ruling that a man can if he wishes, marry his brother's widow and considers that the same doctrine is applicable to Christians. Contrary to the teaching of the Fathers, he affirms that Christ descended into hell to deliver all those, believers and unbelievers, servants of Christ as well as worshippers of idols, who were confined there. On the question of predestination he holds a number of damnable opinions which are contrary to Catholic belief.
"For these reasons I beg you to write to Duke Carloman about this heretic and have him put into prison so that he may be prevented from disseminating his doctrines more widely. Otherwise, one diseased sheep will infect the whole flock.
" I hope Your Holiness will enjoy good health, continued prosperity and long life."
When this was read out, Pope Zacharias said: " You have heard, my dear brethren, what has been stated in this letter concerning the heretics who proclaim to the people that they are apostles. This they do to their own condemnation." The holy bishops and the venerable priests replied: " We have heard, indeed. They are not apostles, they are the slaves of the devil and the precursors of Antichrist. For what Apostle ever distributed his hair or fingernails to the people as relics as did this sacrilegious and pestilent Aldebert? Your Holiness must punish these crimes, both in the case of Aldebert and in that of Clement, who shows contempt for the sacred canons and rejects the teachings of the Fathers, St. Ambrose, Augustine and the others. They should receive a sentence commensurate with their crimes."
Zacharias, the Pope, said: " It is rather too late today, but at the next session, when we have heard the account of his life, the prayer he composed for himself and the rest of his malpractices, we may, by the help of God, come to a unanimous decision on the best course to be followed in this matter."
The Second Session
In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. In the twenty-sixth year of the reign of our august lord, the Emperor Constantine the Great, in the fifth year of his consulship, the 25th of October, the fourteenth indiction, the holy and blessed Pope Zacharias presided over a council held in the Lateran Basilica of Theodore at which the following bishops and venerable priests were present: Epiphanius of Selva Candidal Benedict of Mentana, Venantius of Palestrina, Gregory of Porto, Nicetas of Gabii, Theodore of Ostia, Gratiosus of Velletri, the archpriest John, Gregory, Stephen, Dominic, Theodore, Anastasius, George, Sergius, Jordan, Leo, another Leo, Gregory, Stephen, Eustathius, Procopius and
Theophanius.
After the holy Gospels had been placed in the middle of the assembly, Gregory, the regional notary, announced: " In accordance with the instructions given by Your Holiness in the last session, Denehard, the priest, awaits behind the veil for admittance. What is your command?" The order was given: let him come in."
***
When he came in, Zacharias, the holy and blessed Pope, said: "Bring forward the life-story of the infamous man Aldebert, together with his writings which you had in your hands at the last session, and cause them to be read out before the present gathering." Then Theophanius, the regional notary and treasurer, took them and read aloud the following opening sentences:
"In the name of Jesus Christ. Here begins the life of the holy and blessed servant of God, Bishop Aldebert, born by the will of God. He was sprung from simple parents and was crowned by the grace of God. For Whilst he was in his mother's womb the grace of God came upon him, and before his birth his mother saw, as in a vision, a calf issuing from her right side. This calf symbolized the grace which he had received from an angel before he came forth from the womb."
When the book had been read through to the end Zacharias, the Pope, asked: " What reply do you make to these blasphemies? "
Epiphanius, the holy Bishop of Selva Candida answered: Apostolic Father, you were indeed acting under divine inspiration when you commanded our holy brother Archbishop Boniface and the Frankish princes to convoke an episcopal council in those provinces after so long an interval in order that these schisms and blasphemies should no longer be concealed from your Apostolic Holiness."
Zacharias, the holy and blessed Pope, said: " If Denehard, the priest, has anything further to bring to our notice which should be read out let him produce it."
Denehard, the priest, answered: " I have a letter here which he made use of in his teaching, saying that it was written by Jesus and came down from heaven."
Then Theophanius, the regional notary and treasurer, took it up and read out the following words:
"In the name of God. Here begins the letter of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, which fell from heaven in Jerusalem and was discovered by the archangel Michael near the gate of Ephraim. This very copy of the letter came into the hands of a priest named Icore, who read it and sent it to a priest named Talasius in the city of Jeremias. Talasius passed it on to another priest Leoban, who was living in a town of Arabia. Leoban sent the letter to the city of Westphalia, where it was received by a priest Macrius. He sent the letter to Mont St. Michel. In the end, through the intervention of an angel, the letter reached Rome, even the tombs of the Apostles, where the keys of the kingdom of heaven are. And the twelve dignitaries who are in the city of Rome fasted, watched and prayed for three days and three nights," etc.
Zacharias, the saintly and blessed Pope, said: "There is no doubt, beloved brethren, that this fellow Aldebert is out of his senses. Anyone who could pin his faith to such a letter must he childish, lacking in intelligence and like an hysterical woman. But to prevent him. from deceiving simple-minded folks we must not delay to discuss the case against him and to pronounce sentence."
Then the holy bishops and venerable priests replied: We know that Your Holiness receives illumination from God and that all your utterances proceed from the Holy Ghost. Therefore, as you shall see fit., let judgment be pronounced against them both."
Zacharias, the Pope, said: " The matter must be considered in common with Your Reverences and not merely according to my own judgment. If it please God, sentence shall be promulgated at the next session on the basis of the documents laid before us, founded on the claims of justice and the inspiration of God."
Third Session
In the name of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. In the twenty-sixth year of the reign of our august lord and emperor, Constantine the Great, in the fift year of his consulship, the 25th of October, the fourteenth indiction, the holy and blessed Pope Zacharias presided over a council assembled in the Lateran Patriarchate, in the basilica which is named after Theodore, at which the following bishops and priests were present: Epiphanius of Selva Candida, Benedict of Mentana, Venantius of Palestrina, Gregory of Porto, Nicetas of Gabii, Theodore of Ostia, Gratiosus of Velletri, the archpriest John, Gregory, Stephen, another Stephen, Dominic, Theodore, Anastasius, George, Sergius, Jordon, Leo, another Leo, Gregory, Stephen, Eustathius, Procopius and Theophanius.
When the Holy Gospels had been placed in the middle of the assembly, Gregory, the regional notary and nomenclator, announced in the presence of the deacons and the clergy: " In accordance with the command given by Your Holiness in the last session that Denehard, the priest, should appear before you today, he is waiting outside the door. What is your command? " The order was given: cc I..et him enter."
When he had come in, Zacharias, the Pope, said: " Have you any other writings belonging to those renegades which you ought to hand over to be read? " Denehard, the priest, replied: " Yes, my Lord. I have a prayer which Aldebert tried to compose for his own use. Here it is in my hand. Pray, take it."
And Theophanius, taking it, read it aloud, beginning with the following words:
"O Lord, Omnipotent God, Father of Christ, the Son of God., and our Lord Jesus Christ, alpha et omega, who sittest on the seventh throne above the cherubim and seraphim, immense love and wonderful sweetness is with Thee. O Father of the holy angels, who hast created heaven and earth, the sea and all the things that are in them, I invoke Thee, I cry out and summon thee to my aid, wretch that I am. Thou hast deigned to say: Whatsoever you shall ask the Father in my name, that will I give. To Thee I pray, to Thee aloud I cry, to the Lord Christ I commend my soul."
And as he was reading from beginning to end, he came to the passage where it said: "I pray and entreat and besecch you, angel Uriel, Raguel, Tubuel, Michael, Adinus, Tubuas, Sabaoc, Sirniel. .. ."
When he had read this sacrilegious prayer to the end, Zacharias, the Pope, said: " What is your comment upon this, dear brethren? 11 The holy bishops and venerable priests replied: " What else can we do except consign these writings, which have been read out to us, to the flames and to strike their authors with anathema? The names of the eight angels whom Aldebert invokes in his prayer are., with the exception of Michael, not angels but demons whom he has called to his aid. As we know from the teaching of the Apostolic See and divine authority, there are only three angels, Michael, Gabriel and Raphael. He has introduced demons under the guise of angels."
Zacharias, the Pope, replied: " Wisely have Your Reverences decided that his writings should be burned. But in order that they may serve for his condemnation and his everlasting confusion, it may be useful to preserve them in our archives. Now that the discussion is at an end, we will proceed to pass sentence upon the two delinquents mentioned earlier."
The whole assembly decreed: "As regards Aldebert, whose deeds and abominable writings have been read out to us, who thought fit to call himself an apostle and gave his hair and nails to the people as relics, leading them astray into various errors, who summoned demons to his aid under the guise of angels, let him be deprived of his episcopal office, do penance for his sins and cease to seduce the people any longer. If he persists in his errors and continues to deceive the faithful, let him be anathema and condemned by the eternal judgment of God, he and any other who agrees with him., or accepts his teaching or associates with him. In the same way let Clement, who in his foolhardiness rejected the decrees of the Fathers, accepted the Old Testament regulations in so far as he allowed a man to marry his brother's widow, and furthermore affirmed that our Lord Jesus Christ descended into hell to deliver all the godly and the ungodly, let hint., we say, be stripped of his episcopal office, excommunicated and condemned by the everlasting judgment of God. This applies also to anyone who agrees with his sacrilegious teaching."
ZACHARIAs, Bishop of the Holy Church of God and of the apostolic city of Rome. EPIPHANIUS, Bishop of Selva Candida. BENEDICT, Bishop of Mentana. VENANTISU, Bishop of PaLestrina. GREGORY, Bishop of Porto. NICETAS, Bishop of Gabii. THEODORE, Bishop of Ostia. GRATIOSUS, Bishop of Velletri. JOHN, Archpriest of Santa Susanna. etc.
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[Context: In the name of our Lord, Jesus Christ. In the twenty-sixth year of the reign of our august lord, the Emperor Constantine, in the fifth year of his consulship, the 25th of October, the fourteenth indiction, the holy and blessed Pope Zacharias presided over a council held in the Lateran Basilica, at which the following bishops and venerable priests were present: Epiphanius of Selva Candida, Benedict of Mentana, Venantius of Palestrina, Gregory of Porto, Nicetas of Gabii, Theodore of Ostia, Gratiosus of Velletri, the archpriest John, Gregory, Stephen, Dominic, Theodore, Anastasius, George, Sergius, Jordan, Leo, another Leo, Gregory, Stephen, Eustathius, Procopius and Theophanius. After the holy Gospels had been placed in the middle of the assembly, Gregory, the regional notary and nomenclator, announced in the presence of the deacons and the whole body of the clergy: The devout priest Denehard, who has been sent to Your Apostolic Holiness by Boniface, the Bishop of the province of Germany, is waiting behind the veil and begs for admittance. What is your command? The order was given: Let him come in. When he came in, Zacharias, the blessed Pope of the Holy, Catholic, Apostolic Church of the city of Rome, said: You brought us a document some days ago from our revered and holy brother, the Archbishop Boniface. In that document he gave his opinion regarding the best course to follow. Why, then, have you asked a second time to be present at our meeting? Then Denehard, the priest, replied: My Lord, when Bishop Boniface, your devoted servant and my master, convoked the synod in the Frankish province in accordance with your injunction, he discovered there two false priests, heretics and schismatics, named Aldebert and Clement. After he had deprived them of their episcopal dignity he obtained the approval of the Frankish princes to put them into custody. They are not performing their penance in accordance with the sentence passed upon them but, on the contrary, they are still leading the people astray. For this reason I have been despatched with this letter from my master and offer it to Your Apostolic Holiness that it may be read out this sacred council. The reply was: Let the letter be taken up and read in presence. Then Theophanius, the regional notary and treasurer, took letter and read it aloud as follows: "]
To the Supreme Father and Apostolic Pontiff, who holds the power and authority of Peter, Prince of the Apostles, Boniface, the lowest servant of the servants of God, warm greetings in the love of Christ.
Ever since I dedicated myself, nearly thirty years ago, to the service of the Apostolic See, which I did at the instance and with the approval of Pope Gregory II, it has been my custom to relate to the Supreme Pontiff all my joys and sorrows so that in joy we might unite together to praise God and in sorrow I might be comforted by his counsel. Let it be so now. I come as a suppliant to Your Holiness, for the Scripture says: 'Ask thy Father and he will instruct thee, thy elders and they will tell thee.'
"I wish you to know, Holy Father, that after you had ordered me, unworthy as I am, to preside at the episcopal council synod and of the Franks, an arrangement in which they concurred, I had to suffer many insults and much persecution particularly from false bishops, adulterous priests and deacons and vicious clerics. My greatest difficulties arose from the opposition of two well-known heretics, blasphemers against God and the Catholic faith. One is called Aldebert, a Gaul by birth, the other an Irishman called Clement. In the form that their heresy takes they differ from each other, but they are. Alike in their degree of error.
"Since I am weak, I beg Your Apostolic Holiness to protect me against them by your authority and to lead back the Franks and Gauls to the right path by a written statement, so that they may no longer accept the fables, false miracles and prophecies of the precursors of Antichrist but turn once more to sober truth. If after reading my account of their doctrines you consider it justified, order them to be thrust into prison. Let no one communicate with them for fear of becoming contaminated with their errors and perish in so doing, but make them live apart and hand them over to Satan for the overthrow of their corrupt nature, so that their spirits may find salvation in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. If they will not listen to the Church, let them be counted as publicans and heathens, until they learn not to blaspheme and to rend the tunic of Christ. On their account I suffer persecution, enmity and the reproaches of many people, while the work of the Church is hindered in its faith and teaching.
"Of Aldebert they say that I have deprived them of a saintly apostle and robbed them of a patron and intercessor, a doer of good deeds and a worker of miracles. But hear first the story of his life and judge for yourself whether or not he is a wolf in sheep's clothing.
"Quite early in life he deceived many people by saying that an angel in the guise of a man had brought him from the other end of the world relics of extraordinary but rather suspect holiness, and that through their efficacy he could obtain from God whatever he desired. By such pretence he was able by degrees, as St. Paul says, to make his way into house after house, captivating weak women whose consciences were burdened by sin and swayed by shifting passions. He also deceived great numbers of simple folk who thought that he was a man of truly apostolic character because he had wrought signs and wonders. He bribed ill-instructed bishops to consecrate him, in defiance of canon law and, finally, with unbridled arrogance, put himself on the level of the Apostles. He insolently refused to consecrate churches to the honour of the Apostles and martyrs and used to ask people what they expected to gain by going on pilgrimage to the tombs of the Apostles. Later, he dedicated small chapels to himself - or, to speak more truthfully, desecrated them. In the fields or near springs or wherever he had a mind he erected crosses and small chapels and ordered prayers to be recited there. As a result, throngs of people absented themselves from the established churches, flouted the injunctions of the bishops and held their services in those places, saying: 'The merits of St. Aldebert will help us.'
"He distributed his hair and fingernails for veneration and had them carried round in procession with the relics of St. Peter the Apostle. Finally, he committed what I consider to be the greatest crime and blasphemy against God. Whenever anyone came to him and fell at his feet desiring confession he would say: 'I know all your sins: your secret deeds are open to my gaze. There is no need to confess, since your past sins are forgiven. Go home in peace: you are absolved.'
"In his dress, his bearing, his behaviour., in fact, in all the details described by Holy Scripture, he imitated the hypocrites.
"The other heretic, whose name is Clement, is opposed to the Church, denies and refuses to acknowledge the sacred canons and rejects the teaching of the holy Fathers St. Jerome, St. Augustine and St. Gregory. He despises all synodal decrees and declares on his own authority that, even though he has had two children born to him during his episcopate, he can still exercise the functions of a Christian bishop. He accepts the Old Testament ruling that a man can if he wishes, marry his brother's widow and considers that the same doctrine is applicable to Christians. Contrary to the teaching of the Fathers, he affirms that Christ descended into hell to deliver all those, believers and unbelievers, servants of Christ as well as worshippers of idols, who were confined there. On the question of predestination he holds a number of damnable opinions which are contrary to Catholic belief.
"For these reasons I beg you to write to Duke Carloman about this heretic and have him put into prison so that he may be prevented from disseminating his doctrines more widely. Otherwise, one diseased sheep will infect the whole flock.
" I hope Your Holiness will enjoy good health, continued prosperity and long life."
When this was read out, Pope Zacharias said: " You have heard, my dear brethren, what has been stated in this letter concerning the heretics who proclaim to the people that they are apostles. This they do to their own condemnation." The holy bishops and the venerable priests replied: " We have heard, indeed. They are not apostles, they are the slaves of the devil and the precursors of Antichrist. For what Apostle ever distributed his hair or fingernails to the people as relics as did this sacrilegious and pestilent Aldebert? Your Holiness must punish these crimes, both in the case of Aldebert and in that of Clement, who shows contempt for the sacred canons and rejects the teachings of the Fathers, St. Ambrose, Augustine and the others. They should receive a sentence commensurate with their crimes."
Zacharias, the Pope, said: " It is rather too late today, but at the next session, when we have heard the account of his life, the prayer he composed for himself and the rest of his malpractices, we may, by the help of God, come to a unanimous decision on the best course to be followed in this matter."
The Second Session
In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. In the twenty-sixth year of the reign of our august lord, the Emperor Constantine the Great, in the fifth year of his consulship, the 25th of October, the fourteenth indiction, the holy and blessed Pope Zacharias presided over a council held in the Lateran Basilica of Theodore at which the following bishops and venerable priests were present: Epiphanius of Selva Candidal Benedict of Mentana, Venantius of Palestrina, Gregory of Porto, Nicetas of Gabii, Theodore of Ostia, Gratiosus of Velletri, the archpriest John, Gregory, Stephen, Dominic, Theodore, Anastasius, George, Sergius, Jordan, Leo, another Leo, Gregory, Stephen, Eustathius, Procopius and
Theophanius.
After the holy Gospels had been placed in the middle of the assembly, Gregory, the regional notary, announced: " In accordance with the instructions given by Your Holiness in the last session, Denehard, the priest, awaits behind the veil for admittance. What is your command?" The order was given: let him come in."
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When he came in, Zacharias, the holy and blessed Pope, said: "Bring forward the life-story of the infamous man Aldebert, together with his writings which you had in your hands at the last session, and cause them to be read out before the present gathering." Then Theophanius, the regional notary and treasurer, took them and read aloud the following opening sentences:
"In the name of Jesus Christ. Here begins the life of the holy and blessed servant of God, Bishop Aldebert, born by the will of God. He was sprung from simple parents and was crowned by the grace of God. For Whilst he was in his mother's womb the grace of God came upon him, and before his birth his mother saw, as in a vision, a calf issuing from her right side. This calf symbolized the grace which he had received from an angel before he came forth from the womb."
When the book had been read through to the end Zacharias, the Pope, asked: " What reply do you make to these blasphemies? "
Epiphanius, the holy Bishop of Selva Candida answered: Apostolic Father, you were indeed acting under divine inspiration when you commanded our holy brother Archbishop Boniface and the Frankish princes to convoke an episcopal council in those provinces after so long an interval in order that these schisms and blasphemies should no longer be concealed from your Apostolic Holiness."
Zacharias, the holy and blessed Pope, said: " If Denehard, the priest, has anything further to bring to our notice which should be read out let him produce it."
Denehard, the priest, answered: " I have a letter here which he made use of in his teaching, saying that it was written by Jesus and came down from heaven."
Then Theophanius, the regional notary and treasurer, took it up and read out the following words:
"In the name of God. Here begins the letter of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, which fell from heaven in Jerusalem and was discovered by the archangel Michael near the gate of Ephraim. This very copy of the letter came into the hands of a priest named Icore, who read it and sent it to a priest named Talasius in the city of Jeremias. Talasius passed it on to another priest Leoban, who was living in a town of Arabia. Leoban sent the letter to the city of Westphalia, where it was received by a priest Macrius. He sent the letter to Mont St. Michel. In the end, through the intervention of an angel, the letter reached Rome, even the tombs of the Apostles, where the keys of the kingdom of heaven are. And the twelve dignitaries who are in the city of Rome fasted, watched and prayed for three days and three nights," etc.
Zacharias, the saintly and blessed Pope, said: "There is no doubt, beloved brethren, that this fellow Aldebert is out of his senses. Anyone who could pin his faith to such a letter must he childish, lacking in intelligence and like an hysterical woman. But to prevent him. from deceiving simple-minded folks we must not delay to discuss the case against him and to pronounce sentence."
Then the holy bishops and venerable priests replied: We know that Your Holiness receives illumination from God and that all your utterances proceed from the Holy Ghost. Therefore, as you shall see fit., let judgment be pronounced against them both."
Zacharias, the Pope, said: " The matter must be considered in common with Your Reverences and not merely according to my own judgment. If it please God, sentence shall be promulgated at the next session on the basis of the documents laid before us, founded on the claims of justice and the inspiration of God."
Third Session
In the name of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. In the twenty-sixth year of the reign of our august lord and emperor, Constantine the Great, in the fift year of his consulship, the 25th of October, the fourteenth indiction, the holy and blessed Pope Zacharias presided over a council assembled in the Lateran Patriarchate, in the basilica which is named after Theodore, at which the following bishops and priests were present: Epiphanius of Selva Candida, Benedict of Mentana, Venantius of Palestrina, Gregory of Porto, Nicetas of Gabii, Theodore of Ostia, Gratiosus of Velletri, the archpriest John, Gregory, Stephen, another Stephen, Dominic, Theodore, Anastasius, George, Sergius, Jordon, Leo, another Leo, Gregory, Stephen, Eustathius, Procopius and Theophanius.
When the Holy Gospels had been placed in the middle of the assembly, Gregory, the regional notary and nomenclator, announced in the presence of the deacons and the clergy: " In accordance with the command given by Your Holiness in the last session that Denehard, the priest, should appear before you today, he is waiting outside the door. What is your command? " The order was given: cc I..et him enter."
When he had come in, Zacharias, the Pope, said: " Have you any other writings belonging to those renegades which you ought to hand over to be read? " Denehard, the priest, replied: " Yes, my Lord. I have a prayer which Aldebert tried to compose for his own use. Here it is in my hand. Pray, take it."
And Theophanius, taking it, read it aloud, beginning with the following words:
"O Lord, Omnipotent God, Father of Christ, the Son of God., and our Lord Jesus Christ, alpha et omega, who sittest on the seventh throne above the cherubim and seraphim, immense love and wonderful sweetness is with Thee. O Father of the holy angels, who hast created heaven and earth, the sea and all the things that are in them, I invoke Thee, I cry out and summon thee to my aid, wretch that I am. Thou hast deigned to say: Whatsoever you shall ask the Father in my name, that will I give. To Thee I pray, to Thee aloud I cry, to the Lord Christ I commend my soul."
And as he was reading from beginning to end, he came to the passage where it said: "I pray and entreat and besecch you, angel Uriel, Raguel, Tubuel, Michael, Adinus, Tubuas, Sabaoc, Sirniel. .. ."
When he had read this sacrilegious prayer to the end, Zacharias, the Pope, said: " What is your comment upon this, dear brethren? 11 The holy bishops and venerable priests replied: " What else can we do except consign these writings, which have been read out to us, to the flames and to strike their authors with anathema? The names of the eight angels whom Aldebert invokes in his prayer are., with the exception of Michael, not angels but demons whom he has called to his aid. As we know from the teaching of the Apostolic See and divine authority, there are only three angels, Michael, Gabriel and Raphael. He has introduced demons under the guise of angels."
Zacharias, the Pope, replied: " Wisely have Your Reverences decided that his writings should be burned. But in order that they may serve for his condemnation and his everlasting confusion, it may be useful to preserve them in our archives. Now that the discussion is at an end, we will proceed to pass sentence upon the two delinquents mentioned earlier."
The whole assembly decreed: "As regards Aldebert, whose deeds and abominable writings have been read out to us, who thought fit to call himself an apostle and gave his hair and nails to the people as relics, leading them astray into various errors, who summoned demons to his aid under the guise of angels, let him be deprived of his episcopal office, do penance for his sins and cease to seduce the people any longer. If he persists in his errors and continues to deceive the faithful, let him be anathema and condemned by the eternal judgment of God, he and any other who agrees with him., or accepts his teaching or associates with him. In the same way let Clement, who in his foolhardiness rejected the decrees of the Fathers, accepted the Old Testament regulations in so far as he allowed a man to marry his brother's widow, and furthermore affirmed that our Lord Jesus Christ descended into hell to deliver all the godly and the ungodly, let hint., we say, be stripped of his episcopal office, excommunicated and condemned by the everlasting judgment of God. This applies also to anyone who agrees with his sacrilegious teaching."
ZACHARIAs, Bishop of the Holy Church of God and of the apostolic city of Rome. EPIPHANIUS, Bishop of Selva Candida. BENEDICT, Bishop of Mentana. VENANTISU, Bishop of PaLestrina. GREGORY, Bishop of Porto. NICETAS, Bishop of Gabii. THEODORE, Bishop of Ostia. GRATIOSUS, Bishop of Velletri. JOHN, Archpriest of Santa Susanna. etc.
Modern English rendering for readability. See the 19th-century translation or original Latin/Greek for scholarly use.