Letter 22: The first from Flavian, Bp. of Constantinople to Pope Leo. I.

The first letter from Flavian, Bishop of Constantinople, to Pope Leo. I. The devil's scheming has led Eutyches astray To the most holy and God-loving father and fellow bishop Leo: Flavian sends greetings in the Lord. Nothing can restrain the devil's wickedness -- that restless evil, full of deadly poison (James 3:8). "Above and below it prowls, seeking whom it may devour" (1 Peter 5:8). Therefore we must be watchful, sober in prayer, drawing near to God, shunning foolish controversies, and following the Fathers rather than transgressing the ancient boundaries. This we have learned from Holy Scripture. And so I set aside my overwhelming grief and bitter tears over the capture of one of the clergy under my charge, whom I could not save or snatch from the wolf, though I was ready to lay down my life for him. How was he caught? How did he leap away, hating the voice of the one who called him, turning his back on the memory of the Fathers, and thoroughly despising their ways? Let me now give my account. II. The seductions of heretics ensnare the unwary There are some who come "in sheep's clothing, but inwardly are ravenous wolves" (Matthew 7:15), whom we recognize by their fruit. These men seem at first to be of us, "but they are not of us; for if they had been of us, they would have continued with us" (1 John 2:19). But when they spew out their impiety, throwing off the disguise that concealed them, they seize upon the weaker and those whose understanding of divine truth is untrained, and drag them along to destruction -- twisting and abusing the Fathers' teaching, just as they distort the Holy Scriptures to their own ruin. We must be on our guard against them, lest some be misled by their wickedness and shaken in their firmness. For "they have sharpened their tongues like serpents; the poison of vipers is under their lips" (Psalm 140:3), as the prophet has cried out concerning them. III. The heresy of Eutyches stated Just such a man has now revealed himself among us: Eutyches, for many years a presbyter and archimandrite, who pretended to hold the same faith as ours and to have right belief within him. He resists the blasphemy of Nestorius and feigns a quarrel with him; but the creed composed by the 318 holy Fathers, and the letter that Cyril of holy memory wrote to Nestorius, and Cyril's further letter on the same subject to the Eastern bishops -- all writings to which the whole Church has given its assent -- Eutyches has attempted to overturn, reviving the old, wicked doctrines of the blasphemous Valentinus and Apollinaris. He has not feared the warning of the True King: "Whoever causes one of these little ones to stumble, it would be better for him that a millstone were hung around his neck and he were cast into the depths of the sea" (Matthew 18:6). Casting aside all shame and throwing off the cloak that covered his error, he openly persisted before our holy synod in saying that our Lord Jesus Christ ought not to be understood as having two natures after the Incarnation, nor that the flesh of the Lord is of the same substance as ours. He confessed that the holy Virgin is of the same substance as ourselves, but asserted that the Lord did not take flesh of the same substance as ours from her, so that the Lord's body is not truly the body of a man -- though it appeared to men as a human body. When Eutyches was asked to accept the creed of the 318 Fathers and the letters of Cyril, he refused. Accordingly, he was deposed by the synod and stripped of all priestly dignity for his estrangement from the true faith, as the acts of the synod, which we have sent to Your Holiness, will make clear. We have written this account so that what has been done here may be known to Your Holiness, and so that, since this matter concerns the faith of the whole Church, you may make known to us and to all what you decide, for the confirmation of what has been rightly done.

The first from Flavian, Bp. of Constantinople to Pope Leo. I. The designs of the devil have led Eutyches astray. To the most holy and God-loving father and fellow bishop, Leo, Flavian greeting in the Lord. There is nothing which can stay the devil's wickedness, that restless evil, full of deadly poison James 3:8 . Above and below it goes about, seeking whom it may strike, dismay, and devour 1 Peter 5:8 . Whence to watch, to be sober unto prayer, to draw near to God, to eschew foolish questionings, to follow the fathers and not to go beyond the eternal bounds, this we have learned from Holy Writ. And so I give up the excess of grief and abundant tears over the capture of one of the clergy who are under me, and whom I could not save nor snatch from the wolf, although I was ready to lay down my life for him. How was he caught, how did he leap away, hating the voice of the caller and turning aside also from the memory of the Fathers and thoroughly detesting their paths. And thus I proceed with my account. II. The seductions of heretics capture the unwary. There are some in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves Matthew 7:15: whom we know by their fruit. These men seem indeed at first to be of us, but they are not of us: for if they had been of us, they would no doubt have continued with us 1 John 2:19 . But when they have spewed out their impiety, throwing out the guile that is in them, and seizing the weaker ones, and those who have their senses unpractised in the divine utterances, they carry them along with themselves to destruction, wresting and doing despite to the Father.' doctrines, just as they do the Holy Scriptures also to their own destruction: whom we must be forewarned of and take heed lest some should be misled by their wickedness and shaken in their firmness. For they have sharpened their tongues like serpents: adder's poison is under their lips , as the prophet has cried out about them. III. Eutyches' heresy stated. Such a one, therefore, has now shown himself among us, Eutyches, for many years a presbyter and archimandrite , pretending to hold the same belief as ours, and to have the right Faith in him: indeed he resists the blasphemy of Nestorius, and feigns a controversy with him, but the exposition of the Faith composed by the 318 holy fathers, and the letter that Cyril of holy memory wrote to Nestorius, and one by the same author on the same subject to the Easterns, these writings, to which all have given their assent, he has tried to upset, and revive the old evil dogmas of the blasphemous Valentinus and Apollinaris. He has not feared the warning of the True King: Whoever shall cause one of the least of these little ones to stumble, it was better that a millstone should be hanged about his neck, and that he should be sunk in the depth of the sea. But casting away all shame, and shaking off the cloak which covered his error , he openly in our holy synod persisted in saying that our Lord Jesus Christ ought not to be understood by us as having two natures after His incarnation in one substance and in one person: nor yet that the Lord's flesh was of the same substance with us, as if assumed from us and united to God the Word hypostatically: but he said that the Virgin who bore him was indeed of the same substance with us according to the flesh, but the Lord Himself did not assume from her flesh of the same substance with us: but the Lord's body was not a man's body, although that which issued from the Virgin was a human body, resisting all the expositions of the holy Fathers. IV. He has sent Leo the minutes of their proceedings that he may see all the details. But not to make my letter too long by detailing everything, we have sent your holiness the proceedings which some time since we took in the matter: therein we deprived him as convicted on these charges, of his priesthood, of the management of his monastery and of our communion: in order that your holiness also knowing the facts of his case may make his wickedness manifest to all the God-loving bishops who are under your reverence; lest perchance if they do not know the views which he holds, and of which he has been openly convicted, they may be found to be in correspondence with him as a fellow-believer by letter or by other means. I and those who are with me give much greeting to you and to all the brotherhood in Christ. The Lord keep you in safety and prayer for us, O most God-Loving Father. About this page Source. Translated by Charles Lett Feltoe. From Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, Second Series, Vol. 12. Edited by Philip Schaff and Henry Wace. (Buffalo, NY: Christian Literature Publishing Co., 1895.) Revised and edited for New Advent by Kevin Knight. <https://www.newadvent.org/fathers/3604022.htm>. Contact information. The editor of New Advent is Kevin Knight. My email address is feedback732 at newadvent.org. (To help fight spam, this address might change occasionally.) Regrettably, I can't reply to every letter, but I greatly appreciate your feedback — especially notifications about typographical errors and inappropriate ads.