Folio 76

St. Zosimus, 417-418

printed p. 44 · pdf p. 76

The Primacy and the Infallibility of the Roman Pontiff1

[From the epistle (29) "In requirendis" to the African bishops, Jan. 27, 417]

100. (1) In seeking the things of God . . . preserving the examples of ancient tradition . . . you have strengthened the vigor of your religion . . . with true reason, for you have confirmed that reference must be made to our judgment, realizing what is due the Apostolic See, since all of us placed in this position desire to follow the Apostle, from whom the episcopate itself and all the authority of this name have emerged. Following him we know how to condemn evils just as (well as how) to approve praiseworthy things. Take this as an example, guarding with your sacerdotal office the practices of the fathers you resolve that (they) must not be trampled upon, because they made their decisions not by human, but by divine judgment, so that they thought that nothing whatever, although it concerned separated and remote provinces, should be concluded, unless it first came to the attention of this See, so that what was a just proclamation might be confirmed by the total authority of this See, and from this source (just as all waters proceed from their natal fountain and through diverse regions of the whole world remain pure liquids of an uncorrupted source), the other churches might assume what [they ought] to teach, whom they ought to wash, those whom the water worthy of clean bodies would shun as though defiled with filth incapable of being cleansed.

100* For another rescript of Innocent I concerning the same matter, see Kch n. 720–726.

ST. ZOSIMUS 417-418

COUNCIL OF MILEUM II 416, APPROVED BY INNOCENT AND COUNCIL OF CARTHAGE (XVI) 418, APPROVED BY ZOSIMUS

(against the Pelagians)2

Original Sin and Grace3

101. Can. 1. All the bishops established in the sacred synod of the Car-

  1. Cst 888 C f.; Jf 321; ML 20, 582 C f.; Msi III 1071 D. ↩

  2. It is not well established that the following canons were determined even in the council of Mileum. Cf. Cst 888 ff.; Msi III 1071; Jf 321; ML 20, 582 B [see n. 100]. Fr. Maassen, Geschichte der Quellen und der Literatur des canonischen Rechts I (1870) 167; Hfl II 113 ff.—Can. 1 (n. 101), 2 (n. 102), 6 (n. 106), 7 (n. 107) and 8 (n. 108) are referred to by Brachiarius (7 century) in his work "De ecclesiasticis dogmatibus" cap. 33-37 [ML 83, 1235 f.; App. ad opera S. Isidori Hispal.]. ↩

  3. Hrd I 926 E ff. coll. H 213 ff.; cf. Hrd I 1217 D ff.; ML 56, 486 B ff.; Msi III 811 A ff. (IV 326 C ff.). ↩