Page:Catholic Encyclopedia, volume 15.djvu/487

 VIGILIUS

427

viGiLros

Vigilius, Bishop of Tapsds, in the African Prov- ince of Byzacena, is mentioned in the "Notitia" appended to the History of Virtor Vitensis, among the bisnops wlio were present at the conference of Catho- lic and Arian bishops in Cartilage summoned by the Vandal King Huneric in 484. With the exception of this fact nothing certain is known regarding the previous or subsequent career of Vigilius. It is con- jectured that he fled to Constantinople at the time the Catholic bishops were exiled from Africa by the Vandals. His writings show that he took an active part in the controversies which were then agitating the Eastern Church. A dialogue, "Contra Arianos, SabeUJanos, et Phofinianos; Athanasio, Ario, Sabellio, Photino et Probo judice, interlocutoribus", is un- doubtedly the work of his hands. He also wTote a treatise, "Contra Eutychetem", in five books, which contains a valuable summary of the arguments against Eutychianism. He refers in this book to two or three works he had composed against the deacon Maribadus, and against the Arian bishop Palladius. A large number of other works have been attributed to Vigilius, but without sufficient evidence. Among these are: "Contra Maribadum Arianum"; "Contra Palladium Arianum"; a dialogue "Contra Arianos"; twelve books "De Trinitate"; "Contra Fehcianum Arianum"; "Solutiones objectionum Arianorum", and a "Collatio cum Pascentio Ariano". Many of these works are preserved among the wTitings of other authors. The hj-pothesis that Vigihus was the author of the Quicumque has been shown to have no foundation (Kiinstle, "AntiprisciUiana", Freiburg, 190.5, 109).

A complet* edition of the works of Vigilius was prepared by Chifflet (Dijon, 1664). reprinted in P. L., LXII; Ficker, Sludien zu Vigilius von Tapsus (Leipzig, 1897); Bardenhewer- Shahan, PatTology, 615.

Patrick J. Healy.

Vigilius, Pope (.537-55), date of birth unknown; d. at Syracuse, 7 June, 5.55. He belonged to a dis- tinguished Roman family ; his father Johannes is caUcd "consul" in the "Liber pontificalis" (ed. Duchesne, I, 298), having received that title from the emperor. Reparatus.abrother of Vigilius, was a senator (Proco- pius, "De bellogothico", 1,26). Vigilius entered the service of the Roman Church and was a deacon in 531, in which year the Roman clergy agreed to a Decree empowering the pope to determine the suc- cession to the Papal See. Vigilius was chosen by Boniface II as his successor, and presented to the clergy a-ssembled in St. Peter's. The opposition to such a procedure led Boniface in the following year to withdraw his designation of a successor and to burn the Decree respecting it (cf. Holder, "Die Designa- tion der Nachfolger durch die Piipste", Fribourg, 1892, 38 sqq.). The second .successor of Boniface, Agapetus I (535-36), appointed Vigilius papal repre- sentative (Apocrisiary) at Constantinople; Vigihus thus came to the Eastern capital. Empress Theo- dora sought to win him a.s a confederate, to revenge the deposition of the Monophysite Patriarch Anthi- mus of Constantinople by Agapetus and also to gain aid for her efforts in behalf of the Monophysites. Vigilius is said to have agreed to the plans of the in- triguing empress who promised him the Papal See and a large sum of money (700 pounds of gold). After Agapetus's death on 22 April, .5.36, Vigilius re- turned to Rome equipped with letters from the im- perial Court and with money. Meanwhile Silveriua had been made pope through the influence of tlie King of the Goths. Soon after this the Byzantine com- mander Belisarius garrisoned the city of Rome, which was, however, besieged again by the Goths. Vigihus gave Beli.sarius the letters from the Court of Con- stantinople, which recommended Vigilius himself for the Papal See. False accusations now led Belisarius to depose Silverius. Owing to the pressure exerted by

the Byzantine commander, Vigilius was elected pope in place of Silverius and consecrated and enthroned on 29 Marcli, .537. Vigilius brought it about that the unjustly (Icpcisoil Silverius was put into his kwping. He .sent Silverius as an exile to the Island of Palmaria where the late pope soon died from the harsh treat- ment he received. After the death of his predecessor Vigihus was recognized as pope by all the Roman clergy. Much in these accusations against Vigilius appears to be exaggerated, but the manner of his ele- vation to the See of Rome was not regular. Empress Theodora, however, saw that she had been deceived. For after the latter had attained the object of his am- bition and been made pope he maintained the same position as his predecessor against the Monophysites and thedeposed Anthimus. It is true that there is an alleged letter from the pope to the deposed Monophy- site patriarchs, Anthimus, Severus, and Theodo- sius, in which the pope agrees with the views of the Monophysites. This letter, however, is not regarded as genuine by most investigators and bears all the marks of forgery [cf. Duchesne in "Revue des quest, histor." (1884); II, 373; Chamard, ibid., I (1885), 557; Grisar in "Analecta romana", I, 55 sqq.; Savio in "Civilta catt.", II (1910), 413-22]. The pope did not restore Anthimus to his office.

It was not until the year 540 that Vigilius felt him- self obliged totakeastand in regardto Monophysitism which he did in two letters sent to Constantinople. One of the letters is addressed to Emperor Justinian, the other to the Patriarch Mcnas. In both letters the pope sup[)orts positively the Synods of Ephesus and Chalcedon, also the decisions of his predecessor Leo I, and throughout apiiroves of the deposition of the Patriarch Anthimus (Mansi, "Cone, coll.", IX, 35 sqq., 38 sq.). Several other letters written by the pope in the first years of his pontificate, that have been preserved, give information respecting his inter- position in the ecclesiastical affairs of various coun- tries. On 6 March, 538, he WTote to Bishop Caesarius of Aries concerning the penance of the Austrasian King Theodobert on account of his marriage with his brother's widow. On 29 June, 538, a decretal was sent to Bishop Profulurus of Braga containing de- cisions on various questions of church discipline. Bishop Auxanius and his successor, Aurelian of Aries, entered into communication with the pope respecting the granting of the palhum as a mark of thedignity and powers of a papal legate for Gaul; the pope sent .suit- able letters to the two bishops. In the meantime new dogmatic difficulties had been developing at Constan- tinople that were to give the pope many hours of bit- terness. In 543 Emperor Justinian issued a decree which condemned the various heresies of Origen; this decree was sent for signature both to the Oriental patriarchs and to Vigilius (cf. Origen and Origen- ism).

In order to draw Justinian's thoughts from Ori- genism, Theodore Askidas, Bishop of Cipsarea in Cap- padocia, called his attention to the fact that the condemnation of various representatives of the Anti- ochene school, who had clianipioned Nestorianisni, would make union with the Monophysites much easier. The emperor, who laid much stress upon win- ning over the Monophysites, agreed to this, and in 543 or 544 he issued a new edict condemning the "Three Chapters" (see Constantinople, Councils OF, and Three Chapters). The Oriental patri- archs and bishops .signed the condemnation of these Three Chapters. In Western Europe, however, the procedure was consiilered unjustifiable and danger- ous, because it was feared that it would detract from the importance of the Council of Chalcedon. Vigilius refused to acknowledge the imperial edict and was railed to Constantinople by .Justinian, in order to settle the matter there with a synod. According to the "Liber pontificalis" (ed. cit.) on 20 November,