"Constantine Augustus, to Miltiades, Bishop of Rome and to Marcus.[1] As many communications of this kind have been sent to me from Anulinus, the most illustrious proconsul of Africa, in which it is contained that Cæcilianus, the Bishop of Carthage, was accused in many respects by his colleagues in Africa, and as this appears to be grievous, that in those provinces which divine Providence has freely intrusted to my fidelity, and in which there is a vast population, the multitude are found inclining to deteriorate, and in a manner divided into two parties, and among others, that the bishops were at variance; I have resolved that the same Cæcilianus, together with ten bishops, who appear to accuse him, and ten others, whom he himself may consider necessary for his cause, shall sail to Rome. That you ((
Greek characters)) being present there, as also Reticius, Maternus, and Marinus, your colleagues, whom I have commanded to hasten to Rome for this purpose, he may be heard, as you may understand most consistent with the most sacred law. And, indeed, that you may have the most perfect knowledge of these matters, I have subjoined to my own epistle copies of the writings sent to me by Anulinus, and sent them to your aforesaid colleagues. In which your gravity will read and consider in what
- This Mark has been very troublesome to the Romish theologians. If he had not
been named with the Bishop of Rome, it would have been far easier to have made
of the latter a sovereign judge, to whom the three Gallican bishops were added
merely from motives of expediency, and to remove every pretext on which the
Donatists could oppose the sentence. But the bare name of this Mark is sufficient
to forbid that conclusion. Baronius was so thoroughly convinced of this, that he
has tried to prove that there was in this place an errour of the copyist. He there-
fore proposes to replace the words (Greek characters). There are many in-
conveniences attendant upon this, besides that of distorting Eusebius's text. The
first is that the word hierarch signifies bishop, and Miltiades is already called by
Constantine Bishop of Rome. Why should he have given him twice the same
qualification in the superscription of his letter? The second is, that the word
(Greek characters), to mean bishop, was not yet in use, in the fourth century. All the learned
oppose these reasons to Baronius, and call attention to the further fact that all the
manuscripts clearly bear the words (Greek characters). Must a text be distorted and a
bad word introduced in order to please the Romish theologians? The end will not
justify the means.
- ↑ *
