voig. Ad Philad. proaem: iav iv ivi lixriv ovv Tip lirioKOTHp Kai Tolg avv abrip TrpEc^vripoig Kai SiaKo- voig cnroCEiyp.ivovg iv yvwpy 'Inaoii Xpiarov. Ad Magnes. c. 6 : i vio$)]te Tip iwioKOTrif) Kai roig izpo- KaStipivoig. Ad Trail, c. 3: IldvTEg ivrptTrEvSip- aav Tovg CiaKovovg log ivroXi}v 'hjffoii Xpioroii Kai tov i Trio~KOTvoi> log 'hjcrovv XpiGTov Toiig Si 7rpecr/3y- ripovg wc ovviSpi.ov Heoi) Kai tl>g (yvvSEUfibv atToorb- Xiov. Ad Magnes. c. 6: 2,7rovSa%ETE iriivTa 7rpao-
GElV TTpOKaSll)ptVOV TOV inidKUTTOV Ei'g tuttov Oeov Kai
twv TrpE<Jl3vTspwv ei'c ro7rov avvESpiov twv cnrooTo- Xwv Kai tuiv SiaKovwv — 7rE7noTEV[isvwv SiaKoviav lrjaoii XpiGTob. Thus a natural want led to the foundation of the presbyterium, as a college of presby- ters and deacons of the episcopal city, to advise the bishop in the most important ecclesiastical affairs of the diocese.
The form of this college had a positive model in
! the "synedrium" of the Old Testament, the judiciary competency of which was, in the presbyterium, in- creased by the addition of the most important questions
! of administration. Chrysostom (De Sacerdot. lib. iii, c.
j 15) calls the presbyterium to tCov irptofivTEpit>v avvi- Spiov. The purpose of the institution was to secure ef-
I ficiency in the workings of the Church, as is proved by the phrase [3ovXi) ec/cXj/triac 0£oi>, by which Origen (In Joann.) designates the presbyterium. In this sim- ple constitution the presbyters and deacons of the ar- chiepiscopal city formed in the first five centuries the higher clergy, which, with its bishops, was considered as one body, as Thomassin says, ]'etus et Nova Ecclesiie Discipline (Mogunt. 1787), iii, 32: "Ergo presbyteri diaconique civitatum episcopalium, qui clerus erat su- perior diceceseos — in unum corpus, in unum senatum consiliumque cum episcopo coibat, cum eoque principe et capite suo, clericis populisque diceceseos omnibus moderabatur." As this presbyterium forms the council of the bishop, it is said to be at the head of the Church, along with the bishop. Thus, in the Council of Anti- ochia, can. 1 : "Si quis eorum, qui pmesunt ecclesias, aut episcopus, aut presbyter, aut diaconus, ei rig tHjv irpo- iutiotioi' ." The Council of Sardica, can. 13, prohibits the elevation of neophytes to the highest dignities: to the episcopate, presbyterate, and diaconate; conse- quently to the governing clergy. In the oecumenical Council of Ephesus, pt. i, c. 31, 34, and act i, we rind several letters of the bishop Cyril of Alexandria, ad- dressed to the presbyters and deacons, and to the people of Alexandria. When pope Siricius prepared to con- demn the heresy of Jovinian, he took the advice of his
j priests and deacons : " Facto ergo presby terio constitit
I Christiana? legi esse contraria. Omnium nostrum, tain presby terorum quam diaconorum. quam etiam totius cleri una suscitata fuit sententia." Pope Felix pro- claimed his sentence against. Petrus Enopheus, the un- lawful bishop of Antioch, under the formula: " Firma sit h<BC tua depositio a me et ab his, qui mecum apos- tolicum thronum regunt." Tlie presbyters and deacons of Kome deliberated in the Roman synods with the bishops who happened to be at Rome on all matters which were of interest to the Roman see. In a Ro- man council under pope Hilary, the transmutation of a Spanish bishop being in question, the account says:
I " Residentibus etiam universis presbvteris, adstantibus quoque diaconibus ;" and at the end of the council: "Ab
i universis episcopis et presbvteris acclamatum est, ut disciplina servetur, lit canones custodiantur, rogamus." The college of the cardinals is by the Romanists claimed to be a true picture of these presbyteries of the apostolic Church. If in the transaction of affairs concerning the
j Church in general the advice of the presbyteries was
1 requested, this was still more natural where the special business of the several bishoprics was concerned. The fourth Council of Carthage prescribes, can. 22 : " Ut episcopus sine consensu clericorum suorum clericos non ordinet;" and in can. 23 : " Ut episcopus nullius eausam audiat absque pnesentia clericorum suorum. Alioqui
PRESBYTER I I'M
554
PRESBYTERY
irrita erit sententia episcopi, nisi clericorum Buorum majorum sententia confirmetur." St. Jerome Bays (/« Jesa, 1,3): "El nos habeamus senatum nostrum, coet urn presby terorum ;" and Basil, Ep. 310, calls this senate to trvviSpwv ror irpeofivTsplov roi Kara rrjv -■'\iv. St. Cyprian transacted do business of anj consequence without consulting his presbytery. In the matter of the fallen ones, he says: "Deinde sic collatione consili- orum cum episcopis, presbyteris, diaconis, confessoribus pariler astantibus laicis facta, lapsorum tractare ratio- nem." In lib. iii. ep. l<c "Ad id vero, quod scripserunl
( ipresbyteri nostri, solus rescribere nihil potui, cum a
primordio episcopates mei statuerim, nihil sine consilio
vestro et sin< isensu plebis, me privatim sententia
gerere. St. [gnatius i Ep. ad Trallianos) calls the pres- byters the counsellors of the bishop: oififiovkot Kal avveSpevTat roe J-iw»rw> g/g twoi* ovvtSpiov t&v aTTooTuXwr. The difference between the presbyteries ami tho cathedra] chapters, which were <>t' later institu- tion, i< thus defined by Thomassin (c l,p. 36, nr. 8 sq. I : "1. Non constabat clerus ille nisi presbyteris et dia- conis. 2. Presbyteri et diaconi hi, parochi ipsi eranl et pastores omnium civitatis ecclesiarum, aut si necdum essent divulsse a cathedrali parochise, in eo ipsi parocho- rnm munia omnia Lmplebant. ;.!. Ipsa sua ordinatione hunc gradura el hunc dignitatem consequebantur. Nam presbyteratus el diaconatus peraeque ac episcopatus be- lii li, ia i rant, non ordines tantum; et id genus eranl be- neficia, quibus incumberet salutis animarum cura, pro sin. certe modo. 1. < ilerus etiam nunc Romanse ecclesise formam i >r;i- se ferl splendidissiraam expressissimamque ejus cleri, qui olim singulis in cathedralibus ecclesiis episcopo copulabatur. Constat enim Romani pontihcis clerus presbyteris, diaconisque cardinalibus, seu titulari- bus ecclesiarum omnium Romse parochialium parochis, cum pontifice, et sub pontifice conspirantibus et collabo- rantibus Romano in consistorio, de negotiis omnibus, qua? ex pontifioia spirituali ditione, ex universo, in- quam, christiano orbe referuntur."