Page:Catholic Encyclopedia, volume 14.djvu/25

 SIMPLICinS

SIMPLICIUS

exhorted liim to ascribe the \ictory to God, who wished in this way to restore hlicrty to the Church.

Zono recalled the edicts of Hasiliscus, l):uush( ' Peter FuUo from Antioch, and reinstated Tiniotlieus Salophakiolus at Alexandria. He did not disturb Ailurus on account of the latter's great age, and as a matter of fact the latter soon died. The Mono- physites of Alexandria now put forward Peter Mongus, the former archdeacon of Ailurus, as his 8Ucces.sor. Urged by the pope and the Eastern Catholics, Zeno commanded the banishment of Peter Mongus, but the latter was able to hide in Alexandria, and fear of the Monophysites prevented the use of force. In a moment of weakness Salophakiolus himself had permitted the placing of the name of the Monophysite patriarch Dioscurus in the diptychs to be read at the church services. On 13 March, 478, Simplicius wrote to Acacius of Con.stantinople that Salophakiolus should be urged to wipe out the dis- grace that he had brought upon himself. The latter Bent legates and letters to Rome to give satisfaction to the pope. At the request of Acacius, who was still active against the Monophysites, the pope condemned by name the heretics Mongus, FuUo, Paid of Ephescus, and John of Apamea, and delegated the Patriarch of Constantinople to be in this his representative. When the Monophysites at Antioch raised a revolt in 497 against the patriarch Stephen II, and killed him, Acacius consecrated Stephen III, and .iftei wards Kalendion as Stephen's successors. Simplicius made an energetic demand upon the emperor to punish the murderers of the patriarch, and also reproved Acacius for exceeding his competence in performing this consecration; at the same time, though, the pope granted him the necessary dispensation. After the death of Salophakiolus, the Monoiihysites of Alexan- dria again elected Peter Mongus ]>atriarch, while the Catholics chose Johannes Talaia. Both Acacius and the emperor, whom he influenced, were opposed to Talaia, and sided with Mongus. Mongus went to Constantinople to advance his cause. Acacius and he agreed upon a formula of union between the Catholics and the Monophj'sites that was aj)- proved by the Emperor Zeno in 482 (Henntikon). Talaia had sent ambassadors to Pope Simplicius to notify the pope of his election. However, at the same time, the pope received a letter from the emperor in which Talaia was accused of perjury and bribery and a demand was made for the recogni- tion of Mongus. Simplicius, therefore, delayecl to recognize Talaia, but protested energetically against the elevation of Mongus to the Patriarchate of Alexandria. Acacius, however, maintained his alli- ance with Mongus and sought to prevail upon the Eastern bishops to enter into Church communion with him. For a long time Acacius sent no information of any kind to the pope, so that the latter in a letter blamed him severely for this. When finally Talaia came to Rome in 483 Simplicius was already dead.

Simijlicius exercised a zealous pastoral care in western Europe also notwithstanding the trying cir- cumstances of the Church during the disorders of the Migrations. He is.sued decisions in ecclesiastical questions, appointed Bishop Zeno of .Seville papal vicar in Spain, so that the prerogatives of the [lajial see could be exercised in the country itself for the benefit of the ecclesiastical adiiiinistratioii. When Bishop .John of Ravenna in 482 rlaimelian Hill was turned into a church .and dedic.ated to St. .Stephen; the main p.art of this building .still exists as the Churcli of San Stefano Rotondo. A fine hall near the Churcli of

Santa Maria Maggiore was given to the Roman Cliurch and turned by .Simplicius into a chiuTh ded- ic.ilcd to St. .\ndrew by the addition of an ap.se adorned with mosaics; it is no longer in existence (cf. de Ros.si, "Bull, di archeol. crist.", 1871, 1-64). The pope built a church dedicated to the first martyr, St. Stephen, behind the memoriiil cluu-ch of San Lorenzo in Agro Verano; this church is no longer standing. He had a fourth church built in the city in honour of St. Balbina, "juxta ]).alatium Licinia- num", where her grave Wiis; this church still remains. In order to make sure of the regular holding of church services, of the administration of baptism, and of the discipline of penance in the great churches of the catacombs outside the city walls, namely the church of St. Peter (in the Vatican), of St. Paul on the Via Ostiensis, and of St. Lawrence on the Via Tiburtina, Simplicius ordained that the clergy of t hrcc designated sections of the city should, in an establisheil order, have charge of the religious functions at these churches of the catacombs. .Simplicius was buried in .St. Pe- ter's on the Vatican. The "Liber Pontificalis" gives 2 March as the day of burial (VI non.); prob- ably 10 March (VI id.) should be read. After his death King Odoacer desired to influence the filling of the papal see. The prefect of the city, Basilius, asserted that before death Pope Simplicius had begged to issue the order that no one should be con- secrated Roman bishop without his consent (cf. con- cerning the regulation Thiel, "Epist. Rom. Pont.", 686-88). The Roman clergy opposed this edict that limited their right of election. The^- maintained the force of the edict, issued by the F^mixror Ilonorius at the instance of Pope Boniface I, that oidy that person should be regarded as the right fid Bishop of Rome who was elected according to canonical form with Di%'ine approval and universal consent. Simplicius was venerated as a saint; his feast is on 2 or 3 IVI.irch.

Liber pontificalis, ed. Duchesne, I, 249-251; Jaff£, Reaesla Pont. Rom., 2nd ed.. I. 77-80: Thiel. Epist. Rom. Ponlif.. I (Brunswick. ISliSl. 174 sq.: Liherati ». lirniiir. causce Nestor., x\'i sq.; i,\ \<;kii s. lit I. .../.. III. 1 "i; IIerqenrother,

Pholius. \. Ill _'J. iiKi-iK, (m ,v,", /,•.,„ ml der Pdpste, \,

l.'ia sq.,:'.-'! -I i >■..,! ■., I,', ' '■ • .', ,hen. Kirche, II

(Bonn, ISN.-.', 1-'. sq.i; \\ i lai, 1).^ I:, ,>.l,r„l.l (Cologne, 1902). J. P. KiRSCH.

Simplicius, Faustinus, and Beatrice, martyrs at Rome during the Diocleti<an persecution (302 or 303). The brothers Simplicius and Faustinus were cruelly tortured on account of their Christian faith, beaten with clubs, and finally behe.aded; their bodies were thrown into the Tiber. According to another version of the legend a stone was tied to them and they were drowned. Their sister Beatrice had the bodies drawn out of the water and buried. Then for seven months she lived with a pious matron named Lucina, and with her aid Beatrice succoured the persecuted Christians by day and night. Finally she was discovered and arrested. Iler accuser was her neighbour Lucretius who desired to obtain possession of her lands. She courageously asserted before the judge that she would never sacrifice to demons, because she was a Christian. As punish- ment she wa-s strangled in prison. Her friend Lucina buried her by her brothers in the cemetery ad Vrsum Pitcalum on the road to Porto. .Soon after this Divine iiunishment overtook the accuser Lucretius. \\ hen Lucretius at a fe.ast was making merry {)ver the folly of the martyrs, an infant who had been brought to the entertainment by his mother, cried out, "Thou hast committed nuirder and hast taken unjust possession of land. Thou art a slave of the devil". And the devil at once took possession of him and tortured him three hours and drew him down into the bottomless pit. The terror of those present w.as so great that they became Christians. This is the story of the legend. Trustworthy Acts concern- ing the history of the two brothers and sister are no