A Source Book for Ancient Church History - Mirrors

567West.In this definition, it should be noted, the Council of Constantinople,A. D. 381, for the first time takes its placealongside of Nicæa and Ephesus, A. D. 431, and the socalledcreed of Constantinople is placed on the same level asthe creed put forth at Nicæa. The creed of Constantinopleeventually took the place of the creed of Nicæa even in theEast.The text of the definition may be found in its most importantdogmatic part in Hefele, § 193; Hahn, § 146; Denziger, n.148. For a general description of the council, see Evagrius,Hist. Ec., II, 3, 4. Extracts from the acts in PNF, ser. II, vol.XIV, 243 ff.The holy, great, and ecumenical synod, assembled by the graceof God and the command of our most religious and ChristianEmperors Marcian and Valentinian, Augusti, at Chalcedon, themetropolis of the province of Bithynia, in the martyry of the holyand victorious martyr Euphemia, has decreed as follows:Our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, when strengthening theknowledge of the faith in his disciples, to the end that no onemight disagree with his neighbor concerning the doctrines ofreligion, and that the proclamation of the truth might be set forthequally to all men, said: “My peace I leave with you, my peaceI give unto you.” But since the Evil One does not desist fromsowing tares among the seeds of godliness, but ever inventssomething new against the truth, therefore the Lord, providing,as He ever does, for the human race, has raised up this pious,faithful, and zealous sovereign, and He has called together untoHimself from all parts the chief rulers of the priesthood, so that,with the grace of Christ, our common Lord, inspiring us, wemay cast off every plague of falsehood from the sheep of Christand feed them with the tender leaves of truth. And this we have