BONIFACE
659
BONIFACE
during the early centuries. Just after Zosiinus's
obsequies, 27 December, 418, a faction of the Roman
clergj' consisting principally of deacons seized the
Lateran basilica and elected as pope the Archdeacon
Eulalius. The higher clergj- tried to enter, but were
violently repulsed by a mob of adherents of the
Eulalian party. On the following day they met in
the church of Theodora and elected as pope, much
against his will, the aged Boniface, a priest highly
esteemed for his charity, learning, and good char-
acter. On Sunday, 29 December, both were conse-
crated, Boniface in the Basilica of St. Marcellus,
supported by nine provincial bishops and some
seventy priests; Eulalius in the Lateran basihca in
the presence of the deacons, a few priests and the
Bishop of Ostia, who was summoned from his sick-
bed to assist at the ordination. Each claimant pro-
ceeded to act as pope, and Rome was thrown into
tumultuous confusion by the clash of the rival
factions. The Prefect of Rome. Sj-mmachus, hos-
tile to Boniface, reported the trouble to the Em-
peror Honorius at Ravenna, and secured the im-
perial confirmation of Eulalius's election. Boniface
was expelled from the city. His adherents, however,
secured a hearing from the emperor who called a
sjTiod of Italian Bishops at Ravenna to meet the
rival popes and discuss the situation (February,
March, 419). Unable to reach a decision, the sj-nod
made a few practical provisions pending a general
coimcil of Italian, Gaulish, and African bishops to
be convened in May to settle the difficulty. It
ordered both claimants to leave Rome tmtil a deci-
sion was reached and forbade return under penalty of
condemnation. As Easter, 30 March, was approach-
ing, Achilleus, Bishop of Spoleto, was deputed to
conduct the paschal services in the vacant Roman
See. Boniface was sent, it seems, to the cemeterj-
of St. Felicitas on the Via Salaria, and Eulalius to
Antium. On 18 March, Eulalius boldly returned
to Rome, gathered his partisans, stirred up strife
anew, and spuming the prefect's orders to leave
the city, seized the Lateran basilica on Holy Satur-
day (29 March), determined to preside at the paschal
ceremonies. The imperial troops were required to
dispossess him and make it possible for Achilleus
to conduct the services. The emperor was deeply
indignant at these proceedings and refusing to con-
sider again the claims of Eulalius, recognized Boni-
face as legitimate pope (.3 April, 418). The latter
re-entered Rome 10 April and was acclaimed by the
people. Eulalius was made Bishop either of \epi in
Tuscany or of some Campanian see, according to
tlie conflicting data of the sources of the "Liber
Pontificalis". The schism had lasted fifteen weeks.
Early in 420, the pope's critical illness encouraged
the partisans of Eulalius to make another effort.
On his recoverj' Boniface requested the emperor
(1 July, 420) to make .some provision against possible
renewal of the schism in the event of his death.
Honorius enacted a law providing that, in contested
papal elections, neither claimant should be recog-
nized and a new election should be held.
Boniface's reign was marked by great zeal and activity in disciplinary organization and control. He reversed his predecessor's policy of endowing certain Western bishops with extraordinary papal vicariate powers. Zosimus had given to Patroclus, Bi.shop of Aries, extensive jurisdiction in the provinces of Vienna, and Narbonne, and had made him an intermediary between these provinces and the Apos- tolic See. Boniface diminished these primatial rights and restored the metropolitan powers of the chief bishops of provinces. Thus he sustained Hilarj', Arclibishop of Xarbonne in his choice of a bishop of the vacant See of Lodeve, against Patro- clus, who tried t.o intrude another (422). So, too, he insisted that Maximus, Bishop of Valence should
be tried for his alleged crimes, not by a primate,
but by a synod of the bishops of Gaul, and promised
to sustain their decision (419). Boniface succeeded to
Zosimus's difficulties with the African Church regard-
ing appeals to Rome and, in particular, the case of Api-
arius. The Council of Carthage, having heard the rep-
resentations of Zosimus's legates, sent to Boniface on
31 May, 419, a letter in reply to the commonitorium of
his predecessor. It stated that the council had been
unable to verify the canons which the legates had
quoted as Nicene, but which were later found to
be Sardican. It agreed, however, to observe them
tmtil verification could be established. This letter
is often cited in illustration of the defiant attitude of
the African Church to the Roman See. An imbiased
study of it, however, must lead to no more extreme
conclusion than that of Dom Chapman: "it was
wTitten in considerable irritation, vet in a studiously
moderate tone" (Dublin Review, July, 1901, 109-119).
The Africans were irritated at the insolence of Boni-
face's legates and incensed at being urged to obey
laws which they thought were not consistently en-
forced at Rome. This they told Boniface in no
uncertain language; yet, far from repudiating his
authority, they promised to obey the suspected
laws, thus recognizing the pope's office as guardian
of the Church's discipline. In 422 Boniface received
the appeal of Anthony of Fussula who, through the
efforts of St. Augustine, had been deposed by a
pro\nncial sjTiod of Numidia, and decided that he
should be restored if his innocence be established.
Boniface ardently supported St. Augustine in com-
bating Pelagianism. Having received two Pelagian
letters calumniating Augustine, he sent them to him.
In recognition of this solicitude Augustine dedi-
cated to Boniface his rejoinder contained in "Contra
duas Epistolas Pelagianoriun Libri quatuor".
In the East he zealously maintained his jurisdiction over the ecclesiastical provinces of IlljTicum, of which the Patriarch of Constantinople was trj'ing to secure control o:i account of their becoming a part of the Eastern empire. The Bishop of Thessalonica had been constituted papal vicar in this territory, exercising jurisdiction over the metropolitans and bishops. By letters to Rufus, the contemporary incumbent of the see, Boniface watched closely over the interests of the lUjTian church and insisted on obedience to Rome. In 421 dissatisfaction expressed by certain malcontents among the bishops, on ac- coimt of the pope's refusal to confirm the election of Perigines as Bishop of Corinth unless the candidate was recognized by Rufus, served as a pretext for the young emperor Theodosius II to grant the ecclesi- astical dominion of IlljTicum to the Patriarch of Constantinople (14 July, 421). Boniface remon- strated with Honorius against the violation of the rights of his see, and prevailed upon him to urge Theodosius to rescind his enactment. The law w'as not enforced, but it remained in the Theodosian (439) and Justinian (534) codes and caused much trouble for succeeding popes. By a letter of 1 1 March, 422, Boniface forbade the consecration in IlljTicum of any bishop whom Rufus would not recognize. Boniface renewed the legislation of Pope Soter, pro- hibiting women to touch the sacred linens or to minister at the burning of incense. He enforced the laws forbidding slaves to become clerics. He was buried in the cemetery of Maximus on the Via Sa- laria, near the tomb of his favourite, St. Felicitas, in whose honour and in gratitude for whose aid he had erected an oratory over the cemeten,' bearing her name. The Church keeps his feast on 25 October.
Liber Pontificalis. e>i. Ducbesxk (Paris, 18Sr)\ I, pp. Lxii, 227-229; Jaff^. Regesta Romanorum Ponlificum (Leipzig, 1885). 1,51-54; Acta SS., XIII. G2*; LIX. 605-G16; Baron- ids. Annates (Bar-le-Duc, 1866). VII, 152-231; Tillemont, Mi-moires (Venice. 17.32). XII, 385-407; 666-670; P. L., XVIII, 397—406; XX, 745-792; Hefele, Conciliengeschiehte and traiui-
