Page:Orthodox Eastern Church (Fortescue).djvu/91

Rh have died with St. Peter. It must still exist in his successors. St. John Chrysostom says: "Why did he (our Lord) shed his blood? To redeem the sheep which he handed over to Peter and to his successors." So St. Peter's successor is the Chief Bishop, just as he was the Chief Apostle, and has jurisdiction over all other bishops. Most of the cases in which we see this belief of the Eastern Church are cases of appeals to Rome, to which we shall come later (p. 67). Meanwhile here are some texts, chosen out of a great number. St. Basil writes to Pope Damasus, telling him of the troubles of the Eastern Church, and adding: "The only remedy we can see for these evils is a visitation from your Mercy." He writes to St. Athanasius: "We thought it expedient to write to the Bishop of Rome that he should examine our affairs, and to advise him, since it would be difficult to send any one (he means a legate) thence by the common decree of a synod, to himself use his lawful authority in the matter, choosing men (legates) fit to bear the fatigue of a journey, and also fit to correct all perverse people in our parts gently and firmly." Sozomen, who continued Eusebius's Church History (c. 440–450), says that "the Bishop of the Romans, having examined the accusations against them (St. Athanasius and other Eastern bishops), and having found that they all agreed with the faith of the Nicene Synod, admitted them to communion with himself. And since the care of all belonged to him because of the rank of his see, he restored to each one his Church."

At the same time a Latin bishop, St. Peter Chrysologus (Archbishop of Ravenna, † 450), 'Was asked by Eutyches, Archimandrite of the monastery without the walls of Constantinople and Father of the Monophysite sect, to take his side. Chrysologus answers him: "Honourable brother, I advise you to obediently attend in all things to what has been written by the most blessed Pope of the City of Rome, because St. Peter, who lives and reigns in his own See, teaches the truth of faith to those who seek it." So Eutyches got no help from Ravenna.