Pulcheria had not so far honoured the synod with their Imperial presence. They now came to applaud and confirm all that had passed. The sixth session (October 25) saw them arrive in great pomp with a huge retinue and all the senators. Marcian made a speech in Latin[1] beginning, "Since my reign began I have always had the purity of the faith at heart," and expatiating on his own virtue and piety,[2] as Emperors do. And the bishops acclaimed him as bishops do: "Long life to the Emperor! Long life to the Empress! Glory to Marcian the new Constantine!" The decrees of the Council were again read out with acclamations. Marcian declared them the law of the empire, and threatened dire penalties against all who should reject them. Again one asks why the Fathers did not now go home.
But further sessions[3] dragged on till November 1. In these they made disciplinary canons. Theodoret of Cyrus anathematized Nestorius, and was now considered quite orthodox.[4] Juvenal of Jerusalem at last succeeded in getting his see raised to a Patriarchate,[5] and Anatolius persuaded the Council to raise Constantinople to the second place in Christendom. The 30 Canons (of which the 28th gives this rank to Constantinople) were passed in the absence of the legates (session 15, October 31). The legates protested in the last session against the new position given to Constantinople, to the detriment of Alexandria and Antioch.[6] Rome and the West never accepted this canon. It remained as the germ from which the great schism would arise, four centuries later.[7] Then at last
- ↑ This detail may be noticed. Marcian and practically the whole synod spoke Greek naturally. Marcian probably knew very little Latin. But Latin was still the official language of the Roman Empire, and on so solemn an occasion as this the Emperor's dignity required that he should use it. The speech which he had laboriously learned in a foreign language then had to be translated into Greek, so that the bishops could understand it.
- ↑ Mansi, vii. 129–130.
- ↑ Leclercq counts ten more, sixteen altogether.
- ↑ Till the question of the Three Chapters began, in which he was again made a scapegoat, to please the Monophysites (p. 202).
- ↑ Orth. Eastern Church, p. 27.
- ↑ This is the reason of their protest and of that of St. Leo later. No one thought of attacking the Pope's first place. Constantinople was to be second after Rome.
- ↑ The whole question is discussed in the Orth. Eastern Church, pp. 37–42.
