Letter 29: He notifies the appointment of his representatives at the Council of Ephesus To Cæsar Theodosius, the most religious and devout Augustus Leo pope of the CatholicChurch of the city of Rome. How much God's providence vouchsafes to consult for the interests of men is shown by your merciful care which, incited by God's Spirit, is unwilling that ther...

He notifies the appointment of his representatives at the Council of Ephesus. To Emperor Theodosius [Theodosius II], the most devout Augustus — Leo, pope of the Catholic Church of the city of Rome. How greatly God's providence watches over the interests of humanity is shown by your merciful care, which — moved by God's Spirit — is determined to prevent any disturbance or division, since the Faith, being absolutely one, cannot differ from itself in any respect. Therefore, although Eutyches [a monk and abbot in Constantinople who taught that Christ had only one nature after the incarnation — a position later condemned as the heresy of Eutychianism], as the official records of the bishops' proceedings reveal, has been caught in an ignorant and misguided error and should have abandoned his rightly condemned position, your piety — which loves the Catholic Truth with great zeal for God's honor — has called for a synodal judgment at Ephesus [the Second Council of Ephesus, 449], so that the truth to which he is blind may be made plain to this ignorant old man. I have sent my brothers Julius the Bishop, Renatus the presbyter, and my son Hilary the deacon to act as my representatives as the situation requires. They will bring with them a spirit of both justice and compassion, so that while the entire misguided error is condemned (for there can be no doubt about what constitutes the integrity of the Christian Faith), if the one who has gone astray repents and begs for pardon, he may receive the mercy of priestly forgiveness. In the appeal he sent us, he reserved the right to earn our forgiveness by promising to correct whatever our judgment disapproved of in his views. But what the Catholic Church universally believes and teaches about the mystery of the Lord's Incarnation is set out more fully in the letter I have sent to my brother and fellow bishop Flavian [Leo's famous "Tome," which would become the definitive statement on Christ's two natures at the Council of Chalcedon in 451]. Dated June 13 in the consulship of the illustrious Asturius and Protogenes (449).

He notifies the appointment of his representatives at the Council of Ephesus To Cæsar Theodosius, the most religious and devout Augustus Leo pope of the CatholicChurch of the city of Rome. How much God's providence vouchsafes to consult for the interests of men is shown by your merciful care which, incited by God's Spirit, is unwilling that there should be any disturbance or difference: since the Faith, which is absolutely one, cannot be different from itself in anything. Hence although Eutyches, as the minutes of the bishops' proceeds reveals, has been detected in an ignorant and unwise error, and ought to have withdrawn from his conviction which is rightly condemned, yet since your piety which loves the Catholic Truth with great jealousy for God's honour, has determined on a synodal judgment at Ephesus, that that Truth on which he is blind may be brought home to the ignorant old man; I have sent my brothers Julius the Bishop, Renatus the presbyter, and my son Hilary the deacon to act as my representatives as the matter requires, and they shall bring with them such a spirit of justice and kindness that while the whole misguided error is condemned (for there can be no doubt as to what is the integrity of the Christian Faith), yet if he who has gone astray repents and entreats for pardon, he may receive the succour of priestly indulgence: seeing that in his appeal which he sent us, he reserved to himself the right of earning our forgiveness by promising to correct whatever our opinion disapproved of in his opinion. But what the Catholic Church universally believes and teaches on the mystery of the Lord's Incarnation is contained more fully in the letter which I have sent to my brother and fellow bishop Flavian. Dated 13th June in the consulship of the illustrious Asturius and Protogenes (449). 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/3604029.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.