SYMEON
377
SYMMACHUS
Paris. 1S98). Regarding the liturgy sec: Thalhofer. Liturgik
Freiburg, 1SS3) : Frere, Principles of Religious Ceremonial (Lon-
loD. 1906); HuLME, .•iymbolixm in Christian Art (London, 1899).
)n the emblems of the saints see; Cahier, Caractiristiques dee
aints (Paris, 1S87); Detzel, Chrisiliche Ikonographie (Freiburg,
894); Pfleideker, Die Attributen der Heiligen (Ulm, 1898);
Iadowitz, The Saints in Art (Rome, 1898); Jameson, Sacred
nd Legendary Art (London, 1848), and other worisa; Greene,
minis and Their St/mboh (London, 1904). The great storehouse
'i medieval symbolism is the Rationale divinorum officiorum of
)tJKANDTJ9 (modern ed., Naples, 1859), parts of which have been
ranslated (Leeds, 1843, and London. 1899).
Herbert Thurston.
Symeon Metaphrastes.
See Metaphrastes,
Symeon Stylites, Saint. See Simeon.
Symmachus, Saint, Pope (498-514), date of birth inknown; d. 19 July, 514. According to the "Liber lontificalis" (ed. Duchesne, I, 260) he was a native f Sardinia and his father was named Fortunatus. lymmachus wa.s baptized at Rome (Thiel, "Epi.st. lont. rem.", I, 702), entered the ranks of the clergy f Rome, anci was ordained deacon. Directly after he death of Pope Anastasius II, Symmachus was lected his successor by a majority of the Roman lergy at the Lateran Basilica on 22 November, 498. ?he election was approved by a part of the Roman !enate and he was at once consecrated Bishop of tome. Later on the same day a minority of the lergy who were friendly to the .Byzantines and were upported bj- a party in the Senate met in the Basilica f Santa Maria Maggiore and elected the Roman arch- iresbyter Laurent ius as antipope. According to 'heodorus Lector (P. G., LXXXVI, 193), the Lauren- ian party was aided with money supplied chiefly by he rich Senator Festus, who hoped that Laurentius .'ould he influenced by this to sign the "Hcnotikon", he edict of faith of the Emperor Zeno. The other uthorities do not speak of such motives, which are ery probable, and the testimony of Theodorus can ery readily be accepted. Both parties, however, greed that the two candidates should appear at tavenna before the Gothic king Theodoric, the ruler f Italy, and abide by his decision. Theodoric pro- ouncing in favour of Symmachus on the ground that e was elected first and by the majority of the clergy, /aurentius submitted to the deci.sion. At a synod eld at Rome on 1 March, 499, the Acts of which ave been preserved, Symmachus, who was now uni- ersally acknowledged, bestowed on Laurentius the Jiocese of Nocera in Campania. The synod ordained hat any Roman cleric who sought to gain votes for , successor to the papacy during the lifetime of the lope, or who called conferences and held consulta- ions for that purpose, should be deposed. King ^"heofloric was given a vote of thanks by acclamation or his unpartizan deci.sion. When the king came to lome in the following year he had a brilliant recep- ion both from the pope and the people. However, he Byzantine party, headed by the two senators ■"estus and Probinus, did not abandon its hostility .nd hope of overthrowing the pope and gaining the )apal see for Laurentius. The opportunity occurred n the following year, .501. Pope Symmachus cele- )rated Easter on 25 March, following the old Roman lycle, while the Byzantines and others observed the ca.st on 22 April, according to a new reckoning. The ^aurentian party appealed to King Theodoric against he pope, making other accusations besides this iigression in the celebration of Easter. Theodoric lummoiicd the pupe and Symmachus set out to meet lim. At Rimii\i Symniaclius learned the contents )f the indictment and, refusing to acknowledge the ting .as his juilge, returned home. The opposing >arty now accused him of squandering the property )f the Church ;ind other matters. It gained in (trength and occupied the Lateran palace, .so that the pope was obliged to live near the Church of St.
Peter outside the city walls. His opponente re-
quested the king to call a sjmod for the investigation
of the accusations and to appoint a visitor for Rome.
Symmachus agreed to the calling of a synod, but he
and his adherents protested against the sending of a
visitor. Theodoric, however, sent as visitor Bishop
Peter of Altinum in upper Italy, who was to admin-
ister the Roman Church in the place of the accused
pope. Peter came to Rome and, contrary to the
commands of the king, allowed himself to be won over
by the adherents of Laurentius, so that Theodoric at
a later date dismissed him. Not long after Easter,
between May and July, 502, the synod met in the
basilica of Julius (Santa Maria in Trastevere). The
pope declared before the synod that it had been called
with his consent and that he was ready to answer the
accu.sations before it, if the visitor were removed and
he were re-established as the administrator of the
Church. To this the majority of the bishops agreed
and sent an embassy to the king to demand the execu-
tion of these conditions. Theodoric, however, re-
fused, and demanded, first of all, an investigation of
the accusations against the pope. A second session
of the synod was held, therefore, on 1 September,
502, in the Sessorian basilica (Santa Croce in Geru-
salemme), and the minority had the indictment made
by the Laurentian party read aloud. Symmachus
desired to go from St. Peter's to the synod in order to
defend himself, but on the way there he was attacked
by his opponents and maltreated, and, escaping only
with great difficulty, returned to St. Peter's; several
priests who were with him were killed or severely
wounded. The Goths sent by Theodoric promised
him a reliable escort but the pope now refused to
appear before the synod, although invited three times.
Consequently the assembled bishops declared at the
third session, held about the middle of September,
they could not pass judgment upon the pope, because
he had appeared twice before his judges, and because
there was no precedent showing that an occupant
of the Roman See had been subjected to the judgment
of other bishops. They called upon the opposing
clergj' to submit to the pope, and requested the king
to permit the bishops to return to their dioceses. All
these steps were in vain ; the majority of the clergy and
people sided indeed with Symmachus, but a minority
of the clergy and a majority of the Senators were
at that time partizans of Laurentius. A fourth session,
therefore, was held on 23 October, 502, called the
"Synodus Palmaris" (Palmary synod) either from
the place where it was held (ad Palmaln, Palma), or
because it was the most important session (palmnrix) .
At this session it was decided that on account of the
reasons given earlier the decision must be left to the
judgment of God; Symmachus was to be regarded
as free from all the crimes of which he was accused,
and therefore entitled to the full exercise of his epis-
copal office; the whole property of the Church was to
be transferred to him ; whoever returned to his obedi-
ence should escape punishment, but whoever under-
took ecclesiastical functions at Rome without papal
permission was to be regarded as a schismatic. The
decision was signed by seventy-five bishops, among
them the bishops of Milan and Ravenna. Many
bishops now returned to their dioceses. The majority,
however, met with the Roman prie.-its in St. Peter's
for a fifth session under the presidency of Symmachus
on 6 November, 502. The edict issued by the prefect
Basilius, in 483, regulating the administnition of the
po.s.ses.sions of the Church was declared iiiv:ilid and
Symmachus issued a new edict respecting the admin-
istration of this property, and especiallj' in regard to
its sale.
King Theodoric, not satisfietl with the decision of the synod, although the great majority of the It.alian episcopate was on the side of the rightful pope, did nothing to carry out the new ordinances. Con-
