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1 Cod. Justin. ff. (i. e. Digest.) 25. 7. 1, 2. ad

A. D. 400. marry a freed woman, nor a freeman a slave; and unions with slaves were not termed marriages. Now a woman who might not have the title of wife, might be a concubine', and the laws permitted it, provided a man had but one, and was unmarried'. Their children possessed a kind of middle chaLeg. Jul. de racter, they were acknowledged by the parents, and capable of receiving donations". The Church did not concern itself with these distinctions, but keeping to the natural law, approved the union of any man and woman, provided it was single and constant*; and the rather, since the Holy Scripture sometimes makes use indifferently of the names of wife and concubine".

adult.

[ Cod. Justin.] 5. tit. 26. de

Concub.

A.D. 321

or 324.]

3 Cod. Just. 5. 27. de Nat. lib.

4 S. Aug. de Bono Conj. c. 5. Gen. 25.

1, 6. Jud. 19.

25, 27, 29.

6 Chron. Idat. ed.

In the same Council, Symposius and Dictynnius, Bishops, and Comasius, Presbyter, abjured the errors of the Priscillianists; Symposius had twenty years before subscribed to 2,9, 10, 24, their condemnation, at the Council of Saragoza, in 380'. Dictynnius was his son, and Bishop of Astorga, and Comasius Sirmond. his disciple. All three condemned the writings of PriscilOlymp. 294. [Roncall. lian, especially his saying, there were two principles, and that the Son of GOD was inaccessible. It appears that Dictynnius had composed certain writings, in which there were some errors, which he had already recanted. On their recantation, the Bishops of the Council of Toledo pronounced a sentence, Supr. bk. importing that St. Ambrose had taken cognizance of the [innasci- affair of these two Bishops, and was of opinion that they bilem.] should be received, if they condemned what they had done

Pars Alt. P. 14.] Conc. 2. p. 1229.

Mans. 3.

p. 1004,

7

1005.]

17. ch. 57.

amiss, and that Dictynnius should remain a Presbyter, as he was at that time, and be incapable of promotion to a higher rank; to which Symposius replied, that he had been forced by the people to ordain him Bishop. It is observed also, that the Pope Siricius had given his opinion on this subject. Mention is made of many other Bishops, chiefly of Gallicia, who had followed the Priscillianists, some of whom are condemned, and others are admitted to communion. It is said of Paternus of Braga, that he was converted on reading the works of St. Ambrose. He is allowed to remain in his Church, and is promised admission to communion, as soon as they shall have received letters to that purpose from the Apostolical see. Communion is promised also to the other Bishops of Gallicia, if they subscribe the form sent by the

Council,"till such time," say the Fathers, "as we receive A. D. 400. "letters from the present Pope, St. Simplician, Bishop of

(6 Milan, and the other Bishops." This is the first time we find the Bishop of Rome simply styled the Pope', by way of [' Bingh. 2. eminence.

2. § 7.]

XLIX. St. Martin. Sulpic.

Death of

Ep. 3. [ad

See supr.

59. note z.] [Vid. Eng

Nov. 11,

the day of

his death, or burial] [* $ 6.]

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Rennes]

' § 7.]

The death of St. Martin is thought, with most probability, to have happened in this year, 400, on Sunday the eleventh of November, on which day his memory is still honoured by the Church'. He had arrived to extreme old age, being above Bassul. fourscore years old. He had long before knowledge of his bk. 18. ch. approaching death; and had intimated it to his disciples. Being informed that a quarrel existed between the Clerks of the lish Calend. Church of Condate', at the farthest part of his diocese, he went thither to restore peace, attended as usual by a great number of his disciples. St. Martin, having remained there some time, and done what he desired, thought of returning to his monastery, when he found on a sudden his strength fail. He sent for his disciples, and declared to them that his end was come. They began all with one voice to say to him with tears: "Why, O father, why do you leave us? The ravening "wolves will fall upon your flock. We know your desire to "be with CHRIST, but your reward is secure to you, nor will "it be lessened by delay. O pity us, whom you are desert"ing!" Moved with their tears, he wept also, and said': [' § 11.] "LORD, if I be yet necessary to Thy people, I decline not the "labour; Thy will be done."

He had a fever which lasted some days; notwithstanding which he spent the night in prayer and watching, lying on ashes and hair-cloth; and when his disciples begged him to put at least some straw under him, he replied: "Sons, it "becomes not a Christian to die except in ashes." He continually held up his eyes and hands to Heaven; and when the Priests, who were about him, wished to turn him on one side to ease his position, he answered: "Suffer me, brethren, "suffer me to fix my eyes upon Heaven rather than on earth, "that my spirit may even now be setting out on its journey "to the LORD." Afterwards, seeing the Evil Spirit at his side, he exclaimed: "Beast of blood, why standest thou here! "Deadly one, thou shalt find nothing in me! Abraham's "bosom is receiving me!" With these words, he died. Those

17. ch. 25.

Turon.

Mirac. 4.

30. Locociagense.] Supr. bk.

14. ch. 25.

Greg.

Turon.

ult.

e

A. D. 400. who were present marvelled at the brightness of his face and his whole body, which seemed to them as it were already glorified. The inhabitants of Poictiers would have taken away his relics, on the ground that he had dwelt among them, [Supr. bk. in his first monastery of Ligugiacum'; but the people of Greg. Tours prevailed. There was an incredible multitude at his funeral. As the body was being carried to Tours, the whole city came to meet it. All the country people flocked thither, and many from the neighbouring cities. About two thousand Monks were assembled in this place, and a great comHist. 1. c. pany of virgins. All shed tears, though none doubted of his glory. He was carried with hymns to the place of his interment, where afterwards was built a spacious church, and the famous monastery of St. Martin of Tours. He governed the Church of Tours twenty-six years, and was succeeded by St. Briccius, one of his disciples. His life was written by another of his disciples, named Severus Sulpicius. About the same time Ruffinus of Aquileia was condemned translated by Pope Anastasius; in relating which affair, it will be neby Ruffinus. cessary to look backward. Ruffinus' having remained about • Supr. bk. 17. ch. 6. five and twenty years at Jerusalem with St. Melania, returned to Rome about the year 397, where he published a Latin version of the Apology for Origen, ascribed to the Martyr Hier. tom. St. Pamphilus, with a letter attempting to prove, that the works of Origen had been corrupted". Both were addressed Pall. Laus. to Macarius, who had been Vicar' to the Prætorian Præfect, and was a person of great piety. Ruffinus afterwards translated Origen's work, " Peri Archon," that is, "On Principles," [ p. 254.] with a preface addressed to the same Macarius, where he Et post Ep. 39. [tom. 4. says: "I know that many have wished Origen to be translated into Latin by some learned men; and accordingly,

• Greg. Turon. Hist. 2. c. 1.

L.

Origen

Ap. S.

[5. p. 220.]

[" ibid. P. 249.]

c. 123. [Rosw.

p. 587. note a.]

pars 2.

p. 339.]

8

5

e As St. Athanasius had (A. D. 341) introduced monastic communities into the West, (comp. supr. bk. 18. ch. 20. fin. and ch. 34. See Giesel. vol. 1. § 94), so St. Martin, about A. D. 372, first founded a monastery in the neighbourhood of Poictiers, on the Loire, with eighty disciples, (Sulp. Sev. Vit. B. Mart. c. 10. Supr. bk. 16. ch. 30). Thence, as is supposed, Pelagius introduced monasticism into England in the beginning of the fifth century (Bingh.

bk. 7. ch. 2. § 4), before St. Augustine of Canterbury brought in the Benedictines, A. D. 596. (Ibid. §. 13). "The Church "of England has not declared against 66 a monastic life in any of her Articles. "The dissolution of Abbeys was an act "of the state and not of the Church; it was prior to the Reformation, and "carried on by a Prince and Parlia "ment of the Roman communion in "all points, excepting the supremacy." Collier, vol. 1. p. 65.

66

ş

one of our brethren having translated one of the Homilies A. D. 400. "on the Canticles, at the desire of the Bishop Damasus, "subjoined a preface, so much in their commendation, that "he hath made every body desirous of reading Origen.

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Moreover, he promises to translate several of his other "works. I intend therefore to follow, though in a style "much inferior to his, what he has begun and approved, and 66 acquaint the world with this man, whom he calls the "second Doctor in the Church after the Apostles, and from "whom he has translated more than seventy Homilies. I "will also follow his method, clearing up the obscure pas"sages, and suppressing what does not agree with what he "hath said elsewhere, in relation to the Catholic Faith; of "which I have explained to you the reason in the Apology "of Pamphilus." He concludes his preface with an earnest caution to the copyist to be faithful in transcribing this work. The brother, whose name Ruffinus does not express, and whom he seems so much to commend, is St. Jerome, wishing by this means to anticipate him, by shewing how much he had committed himself to approve of Origen.

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2

in Ruff. 3. c. 6, 7.

8

462. B.]

Princip. 16.

Ruffinus having spread this translation at Rome, retired to his native place Aquileia, with a letter of communion' from S. Hier. the Pope St. Siricius, who not suspecting any thing, had made no difficulty in granting it. This holy Pope died soon [p. 459. A. after, on the twenty-sixth of November, 398, having governed the Roman Church nearly fourteen years. Immediately Supr. bk. after, Anastasius was elected, who held the Holy See but 18. ch. 33. three years and a half. Ruffinus was accused to him of having spread the errors of Origen in Rome. St. Marcella, Ep. ad excited by her zeal for the faith, and friendship for St. Je- [96.p.782.] rome, was the first who publicly opposed it. For she saw that this writing of Ruffinus was doing much mischief; that some Priests and Monks, and many seculars, were suffering themselves to be seduced by his errors. The other friends of St. Jerome at Rome1 joined her, particularly Paulinianus his [* p. 462] brother, and his friend Eusebius, and two other Priests, named Vincent and Ruffinus. Vincent was at Rome long before Ruffinus of Aquileia; Paulinianus and Eusebius set out a year after him; the other Ruffinus, two years after. St. Jerome had sent his brother Paulinianus to sell the remainder of their

1

in fin. [55. p. 558.]

A. D. 400. inheritance in Pannonia, desiring to enlarge the monastery he had built at Bethlehem, and to be better able to exercise Ep. 26. hospitality'. Ruffinus of Aquileia then was accused to Pope Anastasius. Witnesses were produced as evidence against him, who had themselves been reclaimed from the errors of Origen. His translation of the Book of Principles was brought, but as he had not set his name to it, copies were exhibited corrected with his own hand. The Pope wrote several times to him, to summon him to Rome and make his defence in person, but he always excused himself.

ad Pamm.

2 Ep. ad

Princip.

[p. 782]

3 Ap. S.
Hier. Ep.
64. [40.
p. 341.

A. D. 398.]

LI.

St. Jerome writes against Ruffinus.

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et Ocean,

In the mean time the friends of St. Jerome gave him notice of what was being done at Rome3. Pammachius and Oceanus wrote him word, that certain papers had been brought to them, containing the translation of the Principles of Origen. "We find therein," say they, "many proposi"tions which do not seem to us to be Catholic; and we also "suspect that many others have been suppressed, which "would have discovered the impiety of the author; where"fore we entreat you, for the good of all that are at Rome, "to acquaint us with this book of Origen, as it is in the

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original, and to correct the errors or unintentional mistakes "of this translation. And as the translator, without men"tioning your name, artfully insinuates in his preface, that "he has executed the work you promised, and that you "maintain the same opinions; you ought to clear yourself "from this suspicion, lest your silence be taken for a con"fession."

St. Jerome having received this letter, together with the translation and preface of Ruffinus, wrote to Pammachius and Oceanus, justifying the commendations he had bestowed on Ep. 65. Origen. He says, that he praised his mind and learning, but [41. p. 341. A. D. 399.1 without approving his doctrine; and that he made use of him ad Pamm. as St. Cyprian' did of Tertullian, and in the same manner as [p. 342.] the books of Apollinaris against Porphyry, and the Ecclesiastical History of Eusebius, are employed. He owns that [Apoll. he studied under Apollinaris and Didymus, and that he had Laodi- also been instructed by a Jew. I have read Origen, he adds, and know all that he has written; believe me, I speak by frequenter experience, his dogmas are poisonous', and do violence to the p. 343.] Scriptures. He commends the morals of Origen, and his im[ p. 346.

cenum

audivi

Antiochiæ

et colui.]

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