Beveridge on Article XXI: Of the Authority of General Councils

tamed all things necessary to salvation. ‘But all things,” as St. Chrysostome saith, “that are in the holy scriptures are clear and right ; all things necessary are manifest.” But of this we have spoken more largely in the sixth article, and therefore need not speak any more to it here.

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General councils may not be gathered together without the commandment and will of princes.

HE apostles gathering together into a council to decide the question that rose amongst them about the law of Moses, Acts xv. 5,6, the church hath still thought good in all ages to make use of the same means for the allaying all storms, and determining all controversies that were raised in it, even by gathering itself together into a council to execute that power, which in the foregoing article we have seen the great God hath committed to her. Now if the controversy went no further than a particular church or province, 2 it was long ago determined that the primate or metropolitan of that place should call the bishops and clergy together for the decision of it. But if it spread like a leprosy over the body of the universal church in all or most places, then it was always thought necessary that an universal, cecumenical, or general council, viz. a council gathered together from all or most places of the world where the church of Christ is settled, should’ put a period to it. And it is these general councils which this article speaks of, determining that they may not be gathered together without the commandment and will of

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390 Of the Authority of General Councils. Arr, princes. So that it is not lawful for particular churches to meet together in a general council without the consent and command of the particular kings and princes, which the most high God hath been pleased to set over them.

And if we search the scriptures about these things, we may there find it was not to Aaron the high priest, but to Moses their governor, that the Lord said, Gather to me seventy men of the elders of Israel, Numbers xi.16. So that it was Moses that was to call that council which was afterwards b termed the great Sanhedrin. And thus we find the several kings, not the high priests, in after-ages gathering of councils together. It was David that called a council to consult about bringing back the ark, 1 Chron. xiii. 1, 2; and afterwards he gathered another council together consisting of all the princes of Israel, with the priests and Levites, ch. xxiii. 2. Thus it was Hezekiah also that gathered the priests and Levites together into a council, 2 Chron. xxix. 4. And it was Solomon that assembled all the elders of Israel, and the heads of the tribes, and the chief of the fathers of the children of Israel at Jerusalem, to consult about bringing up the ark of the covenant of the Lord out of the city of David, 1 Reg. viii. 1. And it was king Josiah that sent and gathered to him all the elders of Judah and of Hierusalem about renewing the covenant of the Lord, 2 Reg. xxiii. 1. And so for that famous, if not most famous and renowned council that ever was gathered together before the coming of Christ, called by the Jews the great synagogue,

b Amongst the Jews there were two Sanhedrims, 112 PIM», synedrium magnum, which sat at Hierusalem only, Middoth, ¢. 5, and this is that here spoken of con- sisting of seventy-one persons in all, though here called by the even number seventy. The other was IOP 717720, synedrium minus, which sat in every city and town. of note, consisting of twenty-three judges, which decided the controversies of the place where they sat. So that the great sanhedrim was as it were a general, the lesser a provincial. or particular council. The great council is often spoken

of in the Chaldee paraphrase, as yO oxody 72739 AM PNT NVA YOOIW DPM prwy oR ww *MYAW PITTD Kody NID AN? yWwpdT wood, i.e. the pit that the princes of the world, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, digged from the beginning, the wise men of the world, the sanhedrim, being seventy wise men and interpreters, perfected it, Num. xxi. 18. T. H. And because it was gathered together by Moses, it is called the sanhedrim of Moses, Moo pup van by maw, For praise to those that sit in the sanhedrim of Moses. arg. in Psal, xly. tit.

Oe Of the Authority of General Councils. 391

or the great council®, which restored the law to its former glory, after it had been long eclipsed in the Babylonian captivity, Ezra could not gather it together until he had first received letters patents from king Artaxerxes for it, Ezra vii. And after Christ was born, we find Herod gathering the chief priests and scribes together into a council, to consult where Christ should be born, Matt. ii. 4. Now if the Jews, who had a chief priest appointed by God himself, yet could not call a council without commission from their kings that God had set over them, how much more are Christians, who have no such visible high priest, bound never to meet in such general coun- cils without the command and will of their princes !

And indeed I cannot see in reason how general councils should be gathered together without the command of princes, seeing princes only have the command over all those who are to be gathered together in those councils. 4 “The emperor,” saith Tertullian, “is greater than all, and less than none but the true God.” And if he be over all, all must be under him; and if all be under him, certainly none can meet in any public place about any public business (as the works of general coun- cils is) without his command and will.

But it is the practice of the primitive church that may seem to be of the greatest foree and consequence in this truth; and therefore I shall insist only upon that. Now Soerates tells us, ¢ “ And we often,” saith he, “mention the kings or

e¢ Thus it is said in the Hieru- salem Talmud, °W)8 WIOYW 413 mya Nk ITT ADIAM nD mw, when the men of the great council stood up, they restored the magnificence (of the law) to its an- cient state. Megil. c. 3. fi. [av v.] And elsewhere, SY 90 127 m2) yoondmw adam mp2. 8p RW mwr morn, ie. And EHzra’s house of judgment is that which is called the great council or synagogue, which restored the crown (of the law) to its ancient state. Iuchas. fol. 13. And again, Y21pN2Y °b 72 ITP Dy nk Ww ny npn jpn? mn pla mse wit, And they were called so (viz. the men of the great synagogue) because they were

gathered together to confirm consti- tutions tending to the directing of the people, and to the restoring or making up the breach of the law. Abarbin. pref.ad 1. nyax nym. [p.5.] V. et Joma, fol. 69. 2. See more of this council in the beginning of the sixth article.

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1.5. procem. v. Jus G. R. 317.

392 Of the Authority of General Councils _ ART

emperors in the history, because that from the time that Christianity began to be professed by them, the business of the church depended upon them, and the great councils both were and still are gathered together by their command or sentence.” Hence is that of St. Hierome: f“ Answer, I de- sire thee; The council by which he was excommunicated, in what city was it? Tell the names of the bishops, produce the sentences of the subscriptions, or their diversity or conso- nancy. Teach us, who were consuls that year, what emperor commanded this council to be gathered together?’ Not what pope, but what emperor. So that it was the emperors that still commanded the councils to be gathered together. And if we consult ecclesiastical histories, we shall find that there was never an ancient general council but what was gathered together by the command and will of emperors. Let these following, which were the principal if not only general councils that ever were, suffice for the rest.

The first general council ever since our Saviour’s time was the Nicene. Now it is plain, that that was gathered together by the command and will of Constantine the Great; so Euse- bius, an eyewitness, saith in the life of the said emperor: s “ He,” Constantine, “ after this mustering the army of God to himself, gathered together an cecumenical or general coun- cil, commanding the bishops from all places by his honourable letters to haste together.” And so Socrates: ) “The em- peror therefore seeing the church troubled about these two things, he gathered together a general council, calling the bishops from all places by his letters to meet at Nice, a city

of Bithynia.”’

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And Nicetas: ‘‘*The emperor, by his public

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1 Publico programmate imperator

XXII. Of the Authority of General Councils. 393

letters, commanded that all bishops should come together at Nice, the chief city of Bithynia.” And if these particular persons’ words will not be taken for this truth, we have the whole council itself attesting: for writing a letter to the church of Alexandria, they begin it thus: *“ Seeing that by the grace of God and the command of the most holy emperor, that gathered us together from several cities and provinces, this great and holy council is met at Nice,” &c¢. So then it is clear the first general council was gathered together by the emperor, and that Constantine.

The second general council met at Constantinople, and that by the command of an emperor too, even Theodosius: for so saith Socrates, speaking of the said emperor; !“ But the emperor without delay called together a council of bishops of his faith, to confirm the faith established at Nice, and to ordain a bishop for Constantinople.” And Sozomen to the same purpose: ™“* And presently the emperor called together a council of bishops of the same judgment with himself, for the confirmation of the Nicene decrees, and for the ordination of one who should be bishop of Constantinople, or oversee the throne of Constantinople, hoping also that those which were called Macedonians might be joined to the catholic church.”

The third general council was the Ephesine, and that was gathered together by Theodosius the younger. So Evagrius: n “He likewise desired,” saith he, “that by the command of Theodosius the younger, who then governed the East, the

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394 Art.

first council might be gathered together at Ephesus. The king’s letters therefore were sent to Cyril, and the rulers of the holy church every where, which appointed the day of the holy Pentecost, in which the Spirit of life came down to us, to be the day of their meeting together.” Thus much doth the council itself also acknowledge, saying to the emperors, °“The holy council, which was gathered together by the grace of God and the authority of your dominion, in the chief city of the Ephesians.”

The fourth general council was gathered together at Chal- cedon, and that by Marcianus, Theodosius’s successor. So Leontius: P “Theodosius being dead, Marcianus was made emperor, and presently commands a general council to meet at Chalcedon.” And in the Acts of the synod itself it is said, 4“ In Chalcedon, the chief city of the province of Bithynia, there was gathered together a council by the decree of the emperors Valentinianus and Marcianus.”

The fifth general council was at Constantinople again, gathered together by the emperor Justinianus. So Evagrius: r“ And Eustochius,” saith he, “being bishop of Hierusalem, Justinian gathered together the fifth council.” And so Nice- phorus: 8“ The emperor Justinian gathered together the fifth holy general council, the bishops of all churches being called together.”

The sixth general council is that which is commonly called the Trullan council, gathered together by Justinian, the son of Constantinus Pogonatus. So Balsamon: t ‘The second

Of the Authority of General Councils.

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4 In civitate Chalcedonensi, me-

tropoli provincie Bithynie, facta.

est synodus ex decreto imperatorum Valentiniani et Marciani. Act. con- cil. Chalced. [vol. Il. p.54.] V. et relat. hujus synodi ad Leon. Rome

episcopum. [Tbid. p. 655.]

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XXI. Of the Authority of General Councils. 395

Justinian, viz. he that was called Rinotmetus, being emperor, who was the son of Pogonatus Constantinus, 227 bishops met together by the command of the said emperor, and put forth canons for ecclesiastical constitutions.” And the council itself, writing to the said emperor, begins thus: “To the most holy and Christ-loving emperor Justinian, the holy and gene- ral council, by the divine will and decree of your most holy power, met together in this divinely preserved and royal city.” And afterwards; * “ Wherefore meeting together by the com- mand of your holiness in this divinely preserved and royal city, we have written these holy canons.”

The seventh general council was the second Nicene council, which was gathered together by the emperors Constantinus and Irene. In the beginning whereof we read, y “The holy and general council meeting, which by the grace of God and the holy decree of these emperors piously governing the world, is gathered together in the most famous city and metropolis of Nice.” And the letters of the emperors to the council still run thus: 2“ Constantinus and Irene, the faithful emperors of the Romans, to the holy bishops met together by the will of God, and our grace, and the command of our holy empire, in the Nicene council.”

The eighth general council was gathered together at Con- stantinople by the emperor Basil; for so we read in the prologue to the acts of that council; +“ By the will of God

nica synodo, que per gratiam divi-

«nv. Balsam. de ea synodo que di- citur sexta, [apud Beverigii Syno- dicrl pater]

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y Conveniente sancta et cecume-

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396 Of the Authority of General Councils. Art.

administering and assisting, and by the decree of our Christ- loving and divinely governing great emperor Basil: for he gathering together the general couneil did piously fulfil such things as seemed good to the Holy Ghost.”

And thus we see how the eight first, if not all the general councils that were ever gathered together, were still gathered together by the princes or emperors. And truly these eight are all the councils the Grecians, or any one else but the papists, will acknowledge to be general councils. So that all that were ever truly general councils were still gathered together by the command and will of princes. Whence we may well conclude, without their command and will no such general councils may be gathered together.

And when they be gathered together, ( forasmuch as they be an assembly of men, whereof all be not governed with the Spirit and Word of God,) they may err, and sometime have erred, even in things pertaining to God. Wherefore things ordained by them as necessary to salvation have neither strength nor authority, unless at may be declared that they be taken out of the holy Scripture.

To demonstrate the truth of this latter part of the article, I need prove no more than that general councils have so erred: for if they have erred, it must needs follow that they may err; and if they may err and have erred, it must needs follow also, that what they ordain as necessary to salvation can have neither strength nor authority, unless it may be proved that it as taken out of the holy scripture. For they may ordain that which the scripture doth not say is necessary to salvation, nay, that which the scripture saith is not necessary to salvation ; whereas we have seen, art. VI, that all things necessary to salvation are contained in the scriptures. And therefore

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XXI. Of the Authority of General Councils. 397

what is not contained in the scriptures, nor may be proved from them, though all the councils in the world should ordain it as necessary to salvation, their ordaining it as necessary to salvation cannot make it so.

But now to prove that general councils have erred, I shall use the same argument whereby I proved that the church of Rome hath erred, art. XIX, even because they have decreed some things contrary to the doctrine of these Articles, all of which, being grounded upon scripture, consonant to reason, and delivered by the Fathers, cannot but be true; and by consequence, whatsoever is contrary to them cannot but be false.

Now the first general council I think that ever decreed any thing contrary to these Articles, or so erred in matters of faith, was the second Nicene council, which, as Balsamon > saith, relatively defined that images should be worshipped and saluted: and therefore they decreed also, “‘ That Call the childish scoffings, and mad words, and all lying writings whatsoever made against venerable images ought to be given into the bishopric of Constantinople, that they may be put amongst other heretical books.

And several other the like decrees about images did this council make, wherein, as we shall see in the next article, the catholic church cannot but acknowledge they erred.

The other councils that pretended to be general, and erred in contradicting any truths contained in these Articles, are of a far later date; as the Lateran council, which determined, d«That the true body and blood of Christ are truly con- tamed in the sacrament of the altar under the forms of bread and wine, the bread being transubstantiated, or substantially changed into the body, and the wine into the blood of Christ

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© Ildvra Ta peipaxiadn advppara,

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398 Of the Authority of General Councils. Art,

by the power of God:” and the council of Constance, that decreed, ¢“ That no presbyter administer both the kinds, viz. both bread and wine, to the people under the pain of excom- munication,” contrary to art. XXX. In the same ‘error also was the council of Basil: which also declared, & “‘ That the doctrine that asserts the blessed Virgin Mary, by the singular preventing and working grace of God, did not actu- ally lie under original sin, but was always free from both original and actual fault, holy and unspotted, is to be approved, held, and embraced as holy doctrine, and consonant to eccle- siastical worship, the catholic faith, right reason, and the holy scripture,” contrary to art. [X. and the X Vth.

The council of Florence declares, »“That if any being truly penitents depart in the love of God before they have satisfied for their commissions and omissions by the worthy fruits of repentance, their souls are purged in the pains of purgatory,” contrary to art. XXII. They declared also, i« That the sacraments of the New Testament are seven, viz. Baptism, Confirmation, the Eucharist, Penance, Extreme Une- tion, Orders, and Matrimony; and that* by virtue of the sacramental words the substance of the bread is changed into the body of Christ, and the substance of the wine into the

e Item precipimus sub poena ex- communicationis, quod nullus pres- byter communicet populum sub utraque specie panis et vini. Concil. Constant. sess. 13. [vol. VIII.]

f Hee sancta synodus decernit et declarat, quod fideles laici commu- nicantes et non conficientes non astringuntur ex preecepto Domini, ad suscipiendum sub utraque specie, panis scilicet et vini, sacrum eucha- ristiz sacramentum. Concil. Basil. sess. 30. [Ibid.]

& Doctrinam illam disserentem, gloriosam virginem Mariam, pre- veniente et operante divini Numinis gratia smgulari, nunquam actualiter subjacuisse originali peccato, sed immunem semper fuisse ab omni originali et actuali culpa, sanctamque et immaculatam, tanquam piam et consonam cultui ecclesiastico, fidei catholic, rectze rationi, et sacra scripture approbandam fore et te-

nendam et amplectendam definimus et declaramus. Ses. 36. [Ibid.]

h Item, si vere poenitentes in Dei charitate decesserint, antequam dig- nis poenitentiz fructibus de com- missis satisfecerint et omissis, eorum animas poenis purgatorii purgari. Concil. Florent. de purg. [vol. IX. P- 957°]

k Nam ipsorum verborum virtute substantia panis in corpus Christi, substantia vini in sanguinem con- vertuntur; ita tamen quod totus Christus continetur sub specie pa- nis, et totus sub specie vini; sub qualibet quoque parte hostiz conse- cratze et vini consecrati, separatione facta, totus est Christus. Ibid. [p.

Notes

• Imperator omnibus major, solo vero Deo minor. ‘Tertul. ad Scap. [c. 2. vol. III.]
• Verum Christi corpus et sanguis in sacramento altaris sub speciebus panis et vini veraciter continentur, transubstantiatis pane in corpus, et vino in sanguinem potestate divina. Concil. Lateran. quart. can. 1.[ Conc. vol. II.]
• Nove legis septem sunt sacra- menta, scilicet baptismus, confirma- tio, eucharistia, pcenitentia, extrema unctio, ordo et matrimonium. Ibid. [p. 437-] et in concil. Lateran. 5.