Bellarmine · De Controversiis · On Councils · On the Authority of Councils, Book II
Chapter 2: The Same Proved from the Fathers
Our translation, from the Latin of the Opera Omnia (Paris: Vivès, 1870–74), vol. II, De Conciliis (De Conciliorum Auctoritate), On Councils, Book II (of the controversy On Councils and the Church). The Latin source text is public domain; this English rendering is released with the site. Scripture quotations follow Bellarmine's Vulgate citations, rendered in Douay-Rheims wording where he quotes exactly. Click “Show the Latin” for the original (raw OCR of the scan; scanning errors remain — the scan itself is the authority).
Let there be added, secondly, the testimony and tradition of the ancient Fathers. That the Church and the Fathers thought general Councils cannot err, they affirm. First, they affirm that the sentence of a general Council is, in a cause of faith, the last judgment of the Church, from which there can be no appeal, and which can in no way be annulled or retracted. But from this it most plainly follows that such Councils do not err; for otherwise it would be most iniquitous to compel Christians not to appeal from a judgment which could have been erroneous.
Moreover, this first opinion is most frequent among the ancients. Athanasius, in his letter to Epictetus, which Epiphanius too recites, heresy 77, wonders how they dare to raise a question about the things defined in the Council of Nicaea, since the decrees of such Councils cannot be changed except by erring. Augustine, in letter 162, says that the last judgment of the Church is a general Council. Leo, letter 50 to Marcian, asks that things once defined in general Councils be not retracted — which the same Marcian sanctioned by his law, the law Nemo, in the Code, on the supreme Trinity and the Catholic faith. The same teaches the same Leo, letter 61 to the Council of Chalcedon, and letter 62 to Maximus of Antioch. Likewise Gelasius in his letter to the Bishops of Dardania. The same is established in the Council of Ephesus near the end, and in the Council of Chalcedon act 5, last canon.
Secondly, the Fathers and Councils teach that all are heretics and to be excommunicated who do not acquiesce in plenary Councils. From which it manifestly follows that they thought Councils cannot err. And first, all general Councils pronounce anathema against those who contradict them, as Athanasius testifies of Nicaea in his letter to the Bishops of Africa, and of the others it is plain in their acts. Gregory Nazianzen, in his first letter to Cledonius, when the Apollinarists denied that they were heretics, and said that they had been received in a certain Catholic council, thus says: “Let them show this, and we will acquiesce; for it will be clear that they assent to right doctrine, since the matter cannot be otherwise, if they have obtained this.” Blessed Leo, letter 78 to Leo Augustus, teaches that those cannot be counted among Catholics who resist the Council of Nicaea or of Chalcedon; and the same Leo, letter 77 to Anatolius, commands a certain Arian Presbyter either to acquiesce in the Council of Chalcedon or to be excommunicated. Basil, letter 78, in which he explains the faith, teaches that to those suspected of heresy the decrees of the Council of Nicaea are to be proposed, for thence it will appear whether they are heretics or Catholics. Moreover Augustine, Book 1 on Baptism chapter 18, excuses Cyprian of heresy for this reason only, that at that time no general Council had yet existed by which that question of the Baptism of heretics could have been defined. Likewise Gregory, Book 1 letter 24, pronounces anathema against those who do not receive the five general Councils, which alone at that time had been celebrated.
Thirdly, the Fathers teach that the decrees of legitimate general Councils are divine and put forth by the Holy Spirit. From which it follows that they cannot be liable to error. So Constantine, in his letter to the Churches in Eusebius Book 3 on the life of Constantine, calls the decrees of the Council of Nicaea heavenly commands. Athanasius, in his letter to the African Bishops: “The word of the Lord,” he says, “through the ecumenical Synod of Nicaea remains for ever.” Gregory Nazianzen, in his oration on Athanasius, says that to the general Council of Nicaea the Bishops were gathered by the Holy Spirit. Cyril, Book 1 on the Trinity, calls the decree of the general Council of Nicaea a divine and most holy oracle. Leo, letter 53 to Anatolius and 54 to the Emperor Marcian, affirms that the canons of the Council of Nicaea were ordained by the Holy Spirit; and letter 37 to Leo Augustus asserts that the Council of Chalcedon was gathered by the Holy Spirit. Gregory, Book 1 letter 24, affirms that he venerates the first four Councils as the four Gospels. Nicholas I, in his letter to Michael, calls the decrees of Councils divinely inspired sentences. Finally, the Councils themselves affirm that they are gathered in the Holy Spirit.
Fourthly, they teach that one ought rather to die than to depart from the decrees of general Councils. So Ambrose, letter 32: “I follow,” he says, “the treatise of the Council of Nicaea, from which neither death nor the sword shall be able to separate me.” And Hilary in fact suffered exile for the Nicene faith, as he himself testifies at the end of his book on Synods; and Victor the African, in his three books on the Vandal persecution, describes very many most famous martyrdoms of Saints who died for the faith explained in a general Council. Jerome, in his book against the Luciferians, speaking of Athanasius, Hilary, Eusebius, and other holy Confessors: “How could they,” he says, “act against the Synod of Nicaea, for the sake of which they endured exiles?”
Show the Latin (Vives edition, OCR)
CAPUT III. Idem pj'obatur ex Patribus. * Accedat secundo testimonium , et traditio veterum Patrum. Ecclesia , et Patres multa eos sensisse, Concilia generalia errare non posse. Affirmant primum, Concilii Generalis sententiam esse in causa fidei ultimum Ec¬ clesiae judicium, a quo appellari non possit, quodque nullo modo irritari, vel retractari queat. Hinc autem apertissime sequitur, ejusmodi Concilia non errare ; nam alioquin iniquissimum esset cogere Christianos, ut non appellent ab eo judicio, quod erroneum esse potuit. Porro haec prima sententia frequentissima est apud veteres. Athanasius in Epistola ad Epictetum, quam etiam recitat Epiphanius haeresi 77, miratur quomodo illi audeant quaestionem movere de rebus in Nicaeno Concilio definitis, cum non possint decreta ejusmodi Conciliorum mutari, nisi errando. Augustinus in epist. 162. dicit ultimum judi¬ cium Ecclesiae esse generale Concilium. Leo epist. 50. ad Marcianum, petit, ut semel de¬ finita in Conciliis generalibus retractentur. Id quod lege sua sanxit idem Marcianus lib. nemo, C. de summa Trinitate, et fide Catho¬ lica. Idem docet idem Leo epist. 61. ad Concilium Chalcedonense , et epist. 62. ad Maximum Antiochenum. Item Gelasius in epistola ad Episcopos Dardaniae. Idem sta- , tuitur in Concilio Ephesino circa finem, et in Concilio Chalcedonensi act. 5, can. ult. Secundo docent Patres et Concilia , esse haereticos, et excommunicandos omnes, qui non acquiescunt Conciliis plenariis. Ex quo manifeste sequitur, eos putasse Concilia non posse errare. Atque in primis omnia Conci¬ lia generalia dicunt anathema contradicenti¬ bus , ut Athanasius testatur de Nicaeno in Epistola ad Episcopos Africae, et de aliis pa¬ tet in actis eorum. Gregorius Nazianzenus in epistola priore ad Clidonium; cum Apollinaristee negarent se esse haereticos, et dicerent inconcilio quo¬ dam Catholico receptos, sic ait: «Ostendant, inquit, hoc, et nos acquiescemus, perspicuum enim erit eos rectae doctrinae assentiri , nec enim se aliter res habere potest, si id conse¬ cuti sunt. » B. Leo epist. 78. ad Leonem Augustum, docet, non posse inter Catholicos computari eos, qui resistunt Nicaeno, vel Chal¬ cedonensi Concilio : et idem Leo epist. 77. ad Anatolium,] ubet quemdam Arti cum Pres¬ byterum , aut acquiescere Chalcedonensi Concilio, aut excommunicari. Basilius epist. 78. in qua explicat fidem , docet suspectis de haeresi proponenda esse decreta Nicaeni Concilii, inde enim apparebit haeretici ne illi sint, an Catholici. Praeterea Augustinus lib. I de Baptismo cap. 18. hac tantum ratione excusat haeresi Cyprianum , quod adhuc eo tempore non extiterit generale Concilium, quo definiri potuisset quaestio illa de Baptis¬ mo haereticorum. Item Gregorius lib. I, ep. 24. dicit anathema non recipientibus gene¬ ralia concilia quinque, quae sola illo tempo¬ re celebrata erant. Tertio Patres docent, esse divina et a Spi¬ ritu sancto edita decreta legitimorum gene¬ ralium Conciliorum. Ex quo sequitur, ut non possint esse obnoxia errori. Ita Constantinus in epist. ad Ecclesias apud Eusebium lib. III de vita Constantini vocat coelestia mandata Concilii Nicaeni decreta. Athanasius in epist. ad Episcopos Africanos : « Verbum, inquit, Domini per oecumenicam Nicaeae Synodum manet in aeternum. » Gregorius Nizanzenus Orat, in Athana- sium, dicit ad Concilium generale Nicaenum Episcopos a sancto Spiritu congregatos. Cy- rillus lib. I de Trinit. vocat decretum Con¬ cilii generalis Nicoeni divinum, et sanctissi¬ mum oraculum. Leo ep. 53 ad Anatolium, et 54 ad Marcianum Imperatorem affirmat, Ni¬ caeni Concilii canones per sanctum Spiritum ordinatos. Et epist. 37 ad Leonem Augustum asserit, Chalcedonense Concilium per Spiri¬ tum sanctum congregatum fuisse. Gregorius lib. I, epist. 24. affirmat, se venerari quatuor prima Concilia, sicut quatuor Evangelia. Ni¬ colaus I. in epist. ad Michaelem , decreta Conciliorum vocat divinitus inspiratas sen¬ tentias. Denique Concilia ipsa affirmant, se in Spiritu sancto congregata. Quarto docent, potius esse moriendum, quam recedendum a decretis generalium Conciliorum : itaAmbrosius epist. 32 : «Se¬ quor, inquit, tractatum Nicaeni Concilii , a quo me nec mors, nec gladius poterit sepa¬ rare. » Hilarius autem re ipsa exilium pas¬ sus est propter Nicaenam fidem , ut ipe tes- tatur in fine libri de Synodis; etVictor Afri¬ canus in libris tribus de Wandalica perse¬ cutione describit plurima celeberrima mar¬ tyria Sanctorum , qui pro fide in Concilio generali explicata mortui sunt. Hieronymus lib. cont. Luciferianos loquens de Athanasio, Hilario, Ensebio, aliisque sanctis Confessori¬ bus : « Quomodo poterant, inquit, adversum Synodum Nicaenam facere , propter quam exilia sustinuerunt? »