Defending Orthodoxy

The “tome” or Tomos of St. Leo (or here) was a letter sent by Pope Leo to St. Flavian, the Patriarch of Constantinople, who actually died before receiving it. But the letter did its work when it was read aloud at the Council of Chalcedon in 451 AD and turned the tide. The Orthodox were victorious, and the Council of Chalcedon become one of the most important of the Seven Ecumenical Councils. St. Leo fought to defend the orthodox teaching about Christ from Eutyches and Monophysitism.

Here are the opening paragraphs of St. Leo’s letter:

Having read your letter, beloved, at the late arrival of which we are surprised, and having perused the detailed account of the bishops’ acts, we have at last found out what the scandal was which had arisen among you against the purity of the Faith: and what before seemed concealed has now been unlocked and laid open to our view: from which it is shown that Eutyches, who used to seem worthy of all respect in virtue of his priestly office, is very unwary and exceedingly ignorant, so that it is even of him that the prophet has said: “he refused to understand so as to do well: he thought upon iniquity in his bed.” But what more iniquitous than to hold blasphemous opinions, and not to give way to those who are wiser and more learned than ourself. Now into this unwisdom fall they who, finding themselves hindered from knowing the truth by some obscurity, have recourse not to the prophets’ utterances, not to the Apostles’ letters, nor to the injunctions of the Gospel but to their own selves: and thus they stand out as masters of error because they were never disciples of truth. For what learning has he acquired about the pages of the New and Old Testament, who has not even grasped the rudiments of the Creed? And that which, throughout the world, is professed by the mouth of every one who is to be born again, is not yet taken in by the heart of this old man.

If, then, he knew not what he ought to think about the Incarnation of the Word of God, and was not willing, for the sake of obtaining the light of intelligence, to make laborious search through the whole extent of the Holy scriptures, he should at least have received with heedful attention that general Confession common to all, whereby the whole body of the faithful profess that they “believe in God the Father Almighty, and in Jesus Christ His only Son our Lord, who was born of the Holy Ghost and the Virgin Mary.” By which three clauses the engines of almost all heretics are shattered. For when God is believed to be both “Almighty” and “Father,” it is proved that the Son is everlasting together with himself, differing in nothing from the Father, because he was born as “God from God,” Almighty from Almighty, Coeternal from Eternal; not later in time, not inferior in power, not unlike him in glory, not divided from him in essence, but the same Only-begotten and Everlasting Son of an Everlasting Parent was “born of the Holy Ghost and the Virgin Mary.” This birth in time in no way detracted from, in no way added to, that divine and everlasting birth; but expended itself wholly in the work of restoring man, who had been deceived; so that it might both overcome death, and by its power “destroy the devil who had the power of death.” For we could not have overcome the author of sin and of death, unless he who could neither be contaminated by sin, nor detained by death, had taken upon himself our nature, and made it his own. For, in fact, he was “conceived of the Holy Ghost” within the womb of a Virgin Mother, who bore him as she had conceived him, without loss of virginity.

Pope Leo’s sentences are long and complex. But could his point be any clearer? Eutyches has not had adequate recourse to scripture, the prophets, the apostles, the gospels. But even if he couldn’t make that “laborious search through the whole extent of the Holy scripture”, all he needed to do was to pay attention to the Creed, which is “professed by the mouth of every one” who is to come into the Church (before baptism). By these three clauses:

(I) believe in God the Father Almighty

and in Jesus Christ His only Son our Lord

who was born of the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary

“the engines of almost all heretics are shattered”, or as the other translation has it, “the devices of almost all heretics are overthrown”!

Pope Leo spells out again the central teaching of all Christian faith, that Christ is both God and man. He is begotten of the Father before all ages, and born of the Virgin Mary, incarnated (taking on flesh), in time, in history, 2000 years ago.

The same Only-begotten and Everlasting Son of an Everlasting Parent was “born of the Holy Ghost and the Virgin Mary.” This birth in time in no way detracted from, in no way added to, that divine and everlasting birth.

There are two births, and two natures, divine and human. He is begotten before all time, a co-eternal Son of an eternal Father, and He is born of the Virgin Mary in a cave at His Nativity.

And why did He come? Why was the eternal Son of God born of a Virgin?

[to do] the work of restoring man, who had been deceived; so that it [the Son’s birth in time, His Incarnation] might both overcome death, and by its power “destroy the devil who had the power of death.” For we could not have overcome the author of sin and of death, unless He who could neither be contaminated by sin, nor detained by death, had taken upon Himself our nature, and made it His own.

Christ God, who could neither be contaminated by sin nor detained by death, took upon Himself our human nature and made it his own. He did it in order to destroy death and to overcome the devil, who is the author of sin and death, and so to restore man, who had been deceived.

Read the rest of St. Leo’s letter here or here.

St. Leo’s Feast Day February 18