A Source Book for Ancient Church History - Mirrors

293in the Roman episcopate. The duration of the schism could nothave been long, but the solution of the questions raised by it isunknown. In fact, the history of the Roman church is exceedinglyobscure in the half-century preceding the Council of Nicæa. Thethird schism, that of the Donatists in North Africa, which brokeout in Carthage, was the most considerable in the Church beforethe schisms arising from the christological controversies. For theDonatist schism, see §§ 61, 67, 72.(a) Epistle of Hesychius, Pachomius, Theodorus, and Phileas toMeletius. (MSG, 10:1565.)The Meletian schism.The following epistle was written in the name of these fourbishops, probably by Phileas, bishop of Thmuis, one of thenumber, to Meletius, bishop of Lycopolis. The four were inprison when it was written. It is the most important documentbearing on the schism, and is important as setting forththe generally accepted legal opinion of the time regardingordination and the authority of bishops. The document existsonly in a Latin translation from a Greek original, and appearsto form, with the two following fragments, a continuousnarrative, possibly a history of the Church, but nothing furtheris known of it. For an account of the Meletian schism seeSocrates, Hist. Ec., 1, 6 ff. The text of these selections bearingon the Meletian schism is to be found in Routh, op. cit., IV,91 ff.Hesychius, Pachomius, Theodorus, and Phileas to Meletius, ourfriend and fellow-minister in the Lord, greeting. In simple faith,regarding as uncertain the things which have been heard concerningthee, since some have come to us and certain things arereported foreign to divine order and ecclesiastical rule which[267]