The Ecclesiastical History of Evagrius Scholasticus - Coptic ...

ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY: BOOK III 135
But that which overthrew the unity and good order of the
holy churches of God and the peace of the whole universe,
namely the so-called Tome of Leo and all that was said and
transacted at Chalcedon in de¢nition of faith or in exposition of
the creed, or of interpretation, or of instruction, or of discussion,
for innovation contrary to the aforementioned holy creed of the
318 holy Fathers, we decree that these be anathematized both
here and everywhere in every church by the most holy bishops
in all places, and that they be committed to the £ames by whomsoever
they may be found, since our imperial predecessors, Constantine
and Theodosius the younger, who are in pious and
blessed estate, indeed made such dispositions concerning all
heretical doctrines. 11 And we ordain that, being thus invalidated,
these things be utterly ejected from the one and only catholic and
apostolic orthodox Church, in that they displace the eternal and
saving de¢nitions of the 318 holy Fathers and those of the
blessed Fathers who through the Holy Spirit deliberated at the
city of the Ephesians; and that, in sum, it should be impossible
for any of the priests or the laity ever to make any deviation
from that most sacred ordinance of the holy creed; and that,
along with all the [103] innovations that occurred at Chalcedon
contrary to the sacred creed, there be anathematized also the
heresy of those who do not confess that the only begotten Son
of God was in truth made £esh and made man from the Holy
Spirit and from the holy and ever-Virgin Mary Mother of God
^ men who, creating monstrosities, say that it was either ‘from
heaven’ or ‘in illusion and appearance’ ^ and absolutely every
heresy and any other innovation that has been made on any occasion
whatsoever or in any manner or any place in the whole
The Encyclical’s reference to what was transacted at Ephesus is vague enough to admit the
legitimacy of Second as well as First Ephesus, and it was doubtless the intention of those who
drafted the document toreinstate Second Ephesus (thoughwithout reinstating Eutyches); this
point is clearerinthe version of the Encyclicalin Zachariah and Schwartz,which mentions the
two Councils of Ephesus.
11 Socrates (i.9.30) quotes a law of Constantine that all works by Arius should be burnt,
and Theodosius II had ordered the burning of all works by Nestorius (Cod.Theod. xvi.5.66);
Eusebius (Life of Constantine iii.64, 66) refers to a Constantinian law on the burning of all
heretical works.