[88] When, during the demoralization of the tenth century, the council of Augsburg made a spasmodic effort to revive the neglected rule of celibacy, it endeavored to include the lower orders of the clergy within its scope. Ratramnus of Corvey also does not fail to point out that such was the incontrovertible meaning of the Nicene canon, which in his time was universally considered to refer to marriage.
[89] Siricii Epist. 2.—Innocent. ad Victricium, ad Exuperium, &c.
[90] Lib. XVI. Cod. Theod. Tit. ii. l. 44.
[91] The learned and orthodox Zaccaria, concludes that the Nicene canon was only intended to forbid the irregular connexions with agapetæ, whence he ingeniously argues that as the Council of Nicæa did not in any way forbid priestly marriage, the origin of the rule of celibacy is to be assigned to the Apostles.—Storia Polemica, p. 90.
[92] Pseudo-Concil. Roman. sub. Silvest. can. xix. (Migne’s Patrol. VIII. 840.)
[93] Socrat. H. E. Lib. I. c. 11.—Sozomen. H. E. Lib. I. c. 22.
[94] Bernald. Altercat. de Incont. Sacerd.
[95] Monumenta Gregoriana (Migne’s Patrol T. CXLVIII. p. 1378).
[96] Verum quidem est, quod ob ministrorum Dei defectum in primitiva ecclesia conjugati admittebantur ad sacerdotium, ut ex canonibus apostolorum et Paphnutii responso liquet, et in Concilio Nicæno.—(Respons. Pii. IV. ap. Le Plat, Concil. Trident. Monument. VI. 337.)
[97] Sed præ cæteris omnibus Socrates et Sozomenus ac Theodoretus totius antiquitatis judicio celebrati sunt, qui ab iis temporibus exorsi, in quibus Eusebius scribendi finem fecerat, ad Theodosii junioris tempora opus suum perduxerunt.—H. Valesii Præfat.