§ 141. THE ECUMENICAL COUNCIL OF CIIALCEDON. 743
the sanctuary. On tlie left sat the R nnan delegates, who, for the first time at an ecumenical council, conducted the internal proceedings, as spiritual presidents ; next them sat Anatoliua^ of Constantinople, Maximus, of Antioch, and most of the bishops of the East ; — all opponents of Eutychianism. On the right sat Dioscurus, of Alexandria (who, however, soon had to give up his place and sit in the middle), Juvenal, of Jerusalem, and the other bishops of Egypt, lUyricum, and Palestine ; — the Eutychians.,
The proceedings were, from the outset, very tumultuous, and the tlieological fanaticism of the two parties broke out at times in full blaze, till the laymen present were compelled to remind tlie bishops of their clerical dignity.* When Theodoret, of Cyrus, was introduced, the Orientals greeted him with enthusiasm, while the Egyj^tians ci-ied : " Cast out the Jew, the enemy of God, the blasphemer of Christ ! " The others retorted, with equal passion : " Cast out the murderer Dioscurus ! Who is tliere that knows not his crimes'?" The feeling against Xestorius was so strong, that Theodoret could only quiet tlie council by resolving (in the eighth session) to utter the anathema against his old friend, and against all who did not call Mary "mother of God," and who divided the one Christ into two sons. But the abhorrence of Eutyches and the Council of Kobbers was still stronger, and was favored by the court. Under these influences most of the Egyptians soon went over to the left, and confessed their error, some excusing themselves by the violent measures brought to bear upon them at the Robber Synod. The records of that Synod, and of the previous one at Constantinople (in 448), with other official documents, were read by the secretaries, but were continually interrupted by incidental debates, acclamations, and imprecations, in utter opposition to all our modern conceptions of parliamentary decorum, though experience is continually presenting us with fresh examples of tiie uncontrollable vehemence of human [)assions in excited assemblies.
So early as the close of the first session the decisions of tho
' Such tumultuous outcries (eK/3o^o-6iv STj^aoriKoi), said the commissioners a; i senators, ill-beseemed bishops, and were of no advantage to either side.
744 xniED PERIOD. A.n. 311-590.
Robber Synod bad been annulled, the martyr Flavian declared orthodox, and Dioscnrus of Alexandria, Juvenal of Jerusalem, and other chiefs of Eutychianisui, deposed. The Orientals exclaimed: "Many years to the Senate! Holy God, holj mighty, holy innnortal God, have mercy upon us. Many yeai's to the emperors! Tiie impious must always be overthrown ! Dioscurus, the murderer [of Flavian], Christ hi\& deposed ! This is a righteous judgmentj a righteous senate, a righteous council ! "
Dioscurus was in a subsequent session three times cited in vain to defend himself against various charges of avarice, injustice, adultery, and other vices, and divested of all spiritual ftinctions ; while the five other deposed bishops acknowledged their error, and were readmitted into the council.
At the second session, on the 10th of October, Dioscmnis having already departed, the Nica^no-Constantinopolitan symbol, two letters of Cyiil (but not his anathemas), and the famous Jipistola Dogmatica of Leo to Flavian, were read before the council amid loud applause — the bishops exclaiming: "That is the faith of the fathers! That is the faith of the apostles ! So we all believe ! So the ortlujdox believe ! Anathema to him who believes otherwise ! Through Leo, Peter has thus spoken. Even so did Cyril teach ! That is the true faith." '
At the fifth and most important session, on the 22d of October, the positive confession of faith was adopted, which embraces the Nicaeno-Constantinopolitan symbol, and then, passing on to the point in controversy, expresses itself as follows, almost in the words of Leo's classical epistle : *
" Following the holy fathers, we unanimously teach one and the same Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, complete as to his (Jodhead. ;iiid complete as to his maniiood ; truly God, and truly man, of a reasonable soul and human flesh subsisting ; consubstantial with the Father as to his Godhead, and
' Mansi, tOin. vi. 971 : hvrri -ij ttiVti^ tuu Tar(pcou, uiItt) t) irinrts tuiv a.TrocTT6^a;y, nitrrti ouToi Tzianvojxfv^ ol 6p^6So^<t outo) tnaTtxiovcnv, ava^efia rw ix'i) oina> iriffrcujp
Tl, K.T.K
* Complete in Mansi, torn. vii. f. 111-118. The Creed is also given by Evagiiua, A. 4.