[N13]. Ursacius and Valens first abjured, or rather pretended to abjure, their Errors at Milan, before the Council, that at this Time was sitting there. From Milan they repaired to Rome, and there abjured anew their Errors, in the Presence of Julius, and the whole Roman Church. Here Baronius observes, that as this was a Matter of too great Moment to be finally decided by the Council of Milan, though the Roman Presbyters were present, they sent them to Julius, that they might abjure their Errors in his Presence, agreeably to the antient Custom of the Catholic Church; viz. that eminent Heretics should abjure their Heresies only at Rome[[1]]. But, in the first Place, they were not sent by the Council; but went to Rome of their own Accord, as Osius assures us, in express Terms, Illi ultre Romam venerunt[[2]]. In the second Place, the Matter was finally determined by the Council of Milan; for the Council received their Recantation, and restored them to the Communion of the Church. And what else was to be done? what else could Julius do? But if the Matter was finally determined by the Council, what could induce them, says Baronius, to travel to Rome, and abjure anew their Heresy there? The Answer is obvious: They had imposed upon the Council by a pretended Abjuration, and went to Rome to impose, in like manner, on Julius, and obtain by that means his Communion; which they did accordingly, notwithstanding his Infallibility. Besides, as both Athanasius and his Enemies had referred their Cause to the Arbitration of Julius, he was the fittest Person to receive the Retraction of the false Evidence, which they had formerly given. As to the Custom, mentioned by Baronius, that eminent Heretics should abjure their Heresies only at Rome, no Man can be so little versed in Ecclesiastical History as not to know, that no such Custom ever obtained in the Catholic Church. Not to recur to more antient Times, the Arian Bishops, that is, Bishops guilty of the same Heresy as Ursacius and Valens, abjured their Errors before the Council that was held at Jerusalem in 335. There they renounced their Heresy; there they were all restored to the Communion of the Church, without going, or offering to go, to Rome. And many of those Bishops were surely more eminent Heretics than either Ursacius or Valens.
[1]. Bar. ad ann. 350. n. 23.
[2]. Apud Ath. ad Solitar.
| Constantius, Julian, | LIBERIUS, Thirty-fifth Bishop of Rome. | Jovian, Valerian. |
Year of Christ 352.
Liberius his own
Panegyrist.
Liberius was chosen on the 22d of May 352. in the room of Julius[[717]]. He had trampled under-foot (to use his own Terms) all worldly things, to observe the Gospel, and obey the Dictates of his Faith. He had been employed, before his Election, in several Ecclesiastical Ministries, and discharged them with Reputation, though he was not conscious to himself of having ever done the least Thing for the sake of Praise and Glory. He was at last raised to the Episcopal Dignity, but much against his Will, as he calls God and the Church to witness. He protests, that it was his ardent and only Wish, that he might keep himself pure and undefiled in the Administration of his new Dignity, that he might inviolably maintain and defend the Faith, which he had received from his illustrious Predecessors, among whom were many Martyrs[[718]]. |No easy Matter to
form a true Idea of
his Character.| Were we to judge of his Conduct from his Words, we should equal him to the best of his Predecessors; but there appears, throughout his whole Administration, such an odd Mixture of opposite Qualities, that it is no easy Matter to form a true Idea of his Character: at one time we shall find him bold, intrepid, and inflexible; at another timorous, faint-hearted, and compliant; insomuch that one can hardly conceive him to be the same Man. The latter Qualities he betrayed in the very Beginning of his Pontificate, by separating himself from the Communion of Athanasius. Constans, the great Support of the Orthodox Party, being murdered, and Constantius upon the Point of becoming Master of Rome, by a complete Victory he had gained over the Two Brothers Magnentius and Decentius, the Eusebians thought this a proper Juncture to try whether the Fear of that Prince had not rendered Julius somewhat more tractable. For Constantius was more incensed than ever against Athanasius, being assured by the Eusebians, to whom he gave an intire Credit, that he had influenced his Brother to threaten him with a Civil War[[719]]. |The Eusebians write
a second Letter to
Julius against
Athanasius:| They writ therefore to Julius a second Letter, filled with new Complaints and Calumnies against Athanasius; but Julius dying in the mean time, their Letter, together with another to the same Purpose from the Arians of Alexandria, was delivered to Liberius, who caused them both to be publicly read in a full Assembly of the People, and in the Council, which was then sitting at Rome[[720]]. |which is answered
by Liberius:| His Answer to these Letters has not reached our Times; but a Copy of the Letter, which he writ on that Occasion to Athanasius, has, to his eternal Disgrace, been transmitted to us, among the Fragments of Hilarius Bishop of Poitiers. |who summons
Athanasius to Rome.| In that Letter he summons him to appear forthwith at Rome, to clear himself there of the heavy Accusations brought against him; and threatens to cut him off from the Communion of that Church, if he refused to comply with the Summons[[721]]. With this Letter he dispatched Three of his Presbyters, Lucius, Paulus, and Ælianus; strictly injoining them, by all means, to prevail upon Athanasius to repair, without Delay, to Rome[[722]]. This Conduct, so very different from that of his Predecessor, was, no doubt, owing to the Dread he was in of the Emperor Constantius, by this Time probably Master of Rome, and all Italy; for what else could tempt or induce him to act so preposterously? Be that as it will, Athanasius was greatly surprised and concerned to find himself so unworthily treated and threatened by the Bishop of Rome; but did not think himself, on that Account, obliged to abandon his Flock. He remained therefore in Alexandria; but begged his Collegues in Egypt to write in his Favour to the Pope; which they did accordingly. |Liberius commun-
icates with the Arians,
and excommunicates
Athanasius.| But Liberius wanted to ingratiate himself with the Arians, and, by their means, with the Emperor; and therefore, without any Regard to the Testimony of the Orthodox Bishops, or the known Innocence of the oppressed Athanasius, he writ to the Eusebians, acquainting them, that he communicated with them; but, as to Athanasius, he had cut him off from his Communion, and from that of his Church[[723]]. |His Letter to them
not supposititious.| Baronius[[724]], and after him the Benedictines, in their last Edition of the Works of Hilarius and Athanasius[[725]], maintain this Letter of Liberius to have been forged by the Arians, and inserted into the Works of Hilarius. But they allege no convincing Reason why the other Pieces, among which it has been conveyed to us, should be admitted as genuine, and this alone rejected as supposititious. Athanasius, indeed, never reproached the Bishop of Rome with his scandalous Conduct, as they observe; but may not that be ascribed to his Moderation? The more, as he was sensible, that Liberius acted thus not out of Ill-will, but Fear. As to the want of Connexion between that Letter and the Pieces preceding and following it, I should not have expected such an Objection from any who had ever perused the Fragments of that Writer, which every one knows to have been patched together without any Regard to Time or Order[[N14]].