The Pope
convened
a synod at Rome, a.
O'Hanlon - Lives of the Irish Saints - v4
'" See
vi. De S. Caelestino Pontifice Ro- Primo,
Annales Ecclesiastic! ," tomus v. , 529.
•* See Ibid. , to pp. 335
to
5 See " Acta Sanctorum," tomus i. , Aprilis
pp. 410
397. '5 . See Ibid. , pp. 534 to 582.
mano. They are contained in Three Chap- graphy," &c. , by Dr. William Smith, and
ters, and Eighteen Paragraphs, drawn from various sources, pp. 543 to 547.
* See *' Les Vies des Saints," tome iv. , Avril vi. , pp. 187 to 193.
s See " Lives of the Fathers, Martyrs and
other principal Saints," vol. iv. , April vi. 'See "Lives of the Saints," vol. iv. ,
April 6, p. 94.
'See "Les Pelits Bollandistes Vies des
Saints de I'Ancien et du Nouveau Testa- ment," &c. , tome iv. , 6 Avril, pp. 248, 249.
Henry Wace, the reader will find an account of this heresiarch, who, we are told, "oc-
'
According Prosper.
" See " A of the Councils of the History
Church, from the original Documenis," by the Right Rev. Charles Joseph Hefele, D. D. , Bishop of Rottenburg, vol. ii. , book viii. , sec. 118, pp. 455, 456. English Trans- lation, Edinburgh, 1871, et seq. , 8vo.
'' See an account of these transactions, in Rev. John Alzog's "Manual of Universal Church History, vol. i. Period i. . Epoch 2, chap. 2, . sec. 1 16, pp. 399 to 408.
">
to the " Chronicon " of St.
—"Annales Ecclesiastici," tomus v. , A. D. 41 1, sec. xliv. , p. 274.
' His Feast occurs, at the 7th of Decem- ber. He died A. D. 397.
'° See " A Dictionary of Christian Bio- graphy, Literature, . Sects and Doctrines," &c. Edited by William Smith, D. C. L. , LL. D. , and Henry Wace, M. A. , vol. i. Art. Coelestinus I. , p. 584.
" His Festival is held, on the 28th . of Au- gust.
See Sir Harris Nicolas' "Chronology of History," p. 208.
" In the "Opera" S. Augustini, this is numbered among the Epistolx, 192.
" According to Alphonsus Ciaconius, this D
'' In the " of Christian Bio- Dictionary
cupies a unique position among the Hiber- nian Scots, as he taught not the faith, but
heresy. "—Vol. i. . Art. Coelestius, pp. 588, S89.
' Although usually called the disciple of Pelagius, yet Cardinal Baroniussaysof him, " immo jam magister et totius ductor exerci- tus. "
50
LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [April 6.
throne, one Anthony, who had been a disciple of St. Augustine, was elevated to the See of Fussala. Occupying this position, he had been wanting, in the discharge of his duties, and, on that account, he was condemned in a Council of Nuraidia, though sustained by the Metropolitan, who presided. Anthony had even imposed, by an artifice, on Pope Boniface, to whom he had ap- pealed, and returning to Fussala, great commotions were there excited. '"
During these proceedings, the death of Boniface took place. Taking occa- sion to congratulate Celestine on his promotion,=3 St. Augustine wrote to induce him tor a confirmation of that sentence of deposition, pronounced by the Council of Numidia. Finding the charges made against Anthony to be well founded, St. Celestine deposed him. =4 This holy Pontiff effected certain additions, such as the Intriot, to the Liturgy of the Church. He desired, hkewise, that the clergy should have a knowledge of the Canon Law, and
that
they
December, he consecrated thirty-two priests, twelve deacons, and forty-six bishops, destined for the service of various churches. =* The solicitude of this holy bishop for the interests of Christ's Church was universal, as his jurisdic- tion was extensive. The Pelagians made a vain effort, to have their cause examined by Pope Celestine. In the year 425, Coelestius appealed to him for a hearing. An eastern monk of Scythian extraction, and named Cassian,"' had settled at Marseilles, in the South of France, where he became Abbot over the Monastery of St. Victor. '* He took exception to the teaching of St.
Augustine, on the doctrine of Grace, and his opinions were adopted by many
monks in southern Gaul. Owing to their number in Marseilles, they were
called Massilians, but they were better known as semi-Pelagians, because
their system was a compromise between the extreme views of St. Augustine,
on Predestination, and those extravagant claims asserted for Free-will, by
Pelagius. 's Some short time before his death, which occurred on August 28th,
A. D. 430, St. Augustine was enabled to write against the Semi-Pelagians. After
his departure, two zealous laymen from Gaul, and, who were named. Prosper
andHilary,continuedthestruggleagainstthem. 3° Aboutthistime,Nesto-
rius, a man of brilliant endowments, and bishop of Constantinople,3' who
protected and encouraged the Pelagian leaders and preachers, had broached
his own very subtile heresy ; and, this was artfully couched, in two letters,^'
which he wrote to Pope Celestine. 33 The Nestorian heresy was much more
daring and impious in speculation and assumption, than were the Pelagian or Semi-Pelagian theories ; for, while the latter dealt with an over-estimate of
Pope was created and consecrated "tertio in the " Histoire Literaire de la France,"
'' See a very lucid exposition of this heresy,
should take care to instruct the people. ''s During the month of
Nonas Novembris, anno Dom. ccccxii. "— tome ii. , pp. 215 to 230.
" '' "
Vitse et Res Gestae Pontificum Romano-
See L Abbe Fleury's Histoirer,Ecc! e- siastique," tome v. , liv. xxiv. , sec. Ivi. , pp. 63210634.
rum," &c. , tomus i. , col. 291.
'"See L'Abbe Rolirbacher's " Histoire
Universelle de I'Eglise Catholique," tome vii. , liv. xxxviii. , pp. 573 to 575.
"^ This Epistle begins : "Domino beatis- simo et debita charitate venerando, Sancto PapEE Coelestino, Augustinus in Domino Sa- lutem. " Epistola cclxi.
"
logie," tome iv. , Art. Semi-Pelagianisme.
"
tome v. , liv. xxiv. , sec. xxxiv. ,
Universal Church History," vol. i. . Period
i. , Epoch 2, chap. 2, sec. 117, pp. 408 to
413.
3' He was elevated to that in the position,
year 428.
3» These have been published, in the
" Annales Ecclesiastici " of Cardinal Baro- nius, tomus v. , sec. ii. to vii. , pp. 453, 454.
'3 gee Rev. Alban Butler's "Lives of the
Fathers, Martyrs and other principal Saints,"vol. iv. , Aprilvi.
»* See L'Abbe Fleury's astique,"
Histoire Ecclesi- pp.
583 to 585.
-'i See tiie Bollandists'
"
Acta Sanctorum," tomus i. , Aprilis vi. , De S. Coelestino Primo,
Pontifice Romano, cap. i. , sec. 5, p. 544.
^ See " Les Petits Bollandistes, Vies des
Saints," &c. , tome iv. , 6 Avril, p. 249.
'7 Seeanaccountofhimandofhiswritings,
in L'Abbe Bergier's
Uictionnairede Theo-
30 ggg Rev.
John Alzog's
" Manual of
April 6. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 51
man's free-will, and an adequacy of human means to attain a supernatural end, the former denied the Divinity of Christ, and that the Blessed Virgin Mary was the Mother of God. Yet, this teaching was rapidly spread throughout the East, and it was proclaimed, also, in the West ; however, it met with a deter- mined opposition, in every quarter, for popular tradition and sympathy were alike outraged among the faithful. Nearly at the same time. Si. Cyril,34 Pa- triach of Alexandria, had lodged an information, regarding the false teaching of Nestorius, that a divine and human person existed in Christ.
The Pope convened a synod at Rome, a. d. 430,35 in which the writings of the heresiarch were examined and condemned. Pope Celestine issued a sentence of excom- munication against Nestorius, if he did not repent within two days, after it had been announced to him. 3^ He also wrote to St. Cyril, as his Commis- sioner, to have that duty duly executed. He wrote, also, on this subject, to John, Bishop of Antioch, to Rufus, Bishop of Thessalonica, to Juvenal, Bishop
of Jemsalem, and to Flavianus, Bishop of Philippi. s? A synod was convened at Alexandria, by St. Cyril, and there the errors of Nestorius were examined, and publicly condemned. A notification of these proceedings was sent to Constantinople, where Nestorius in turn denounced St. Cyril, as being guilty of heresy. To end such scandalous proceedings, the Emperor Theodosius II. desired, that a General Council might be held at Epesus ; and, with this object in view, he sent St. Petronius as his special messenger to Rome, so that Pope Celestine should sanction it, by his authority. This was obtained, and the Pentecost succeeding was designated, as a time the most suitable for con-
voking such a great assembly. One of the most remarkable events, connected with his pontificate, was the assembling of that General Council of Ephesus, to which Celestine sent three legates from Rome. These are named Arcadius, and Projectus,whowerebishops,withPhilip,apriest. Celestinealsowrotealetter to the fathers, assembled at that Council, in which he recommended charity ; while, he also stated, that his legates were instructed to put into execution, what he had already decreed, in the synod held at Rome. St. Cyril opened the Council, 3' and sat as first president, in the name of St. Celestine, while in the first Session, held in the Church of the Blessed Virgin, 198 bishops assembled. This Session opened, on 20th of June, a. d. 431. 39 After some opposition, various sessions were held, and decrees were passed. *" Nestorius was in the city of Ephesus, during the holding of this Council, yet when summoned before it, he refused to appear. Obstinately perserving in his
errors,hewasdeposedfromhisofficeofbishopandexcommunicated. *' St. Maximianwasappointedtosucceedhim,intheSeeofConstantinople. The Emperor Theodosius 1 1. , and the Bishops assembled at Ephesus, sent a lega- tion to Pope Celestine, to congratulate him on the results obtained. The Legates reached Rome, on the Day of our Divine Lord's Nativity. After- wards, the Pope wrote two Epistles, dated on the Ides of March, a. d. 432,*'
'
not an entire month before his deaUi :
" His feast is kept, on the 28th of January.
" Lives of
''See " Vitaeet Res AlphonsusCiaconius
the first of these Epistles was directed
Res Gestae Pontificum Romanorum et S. R. E. Cardinalium," &c. , tomus i. , col. 293.
*° For an account of jjroceedings, the rea- der consult I'Abbe Fleury's "Histoire
"
K See Rev. S.
th* Saints," vol. iv. , April 6, p. 94.
"SeeL'Abbe
Baring-Gould's
may
Gesta: Pontificum Romanorum et S. R. E. Ecclesiastique, tome vi. , liv. xxv. , sec.
Cardinalium," &c. , tomus i. , p. col. 293.
"HistoireEccle-
26 to 29,
3«. See "Imperial Dictionary of Universal
Biography," vol. ii. , p. 1152.
»See Alphonsus Ciaconius' " Vitae et
xxxiv. tolix. , pp. 61 to 123. "SecM. LeDr. Hoeffer's "Nouvelle
Biographic Universelle,"&c. , tome ix. , Art. Celestin I<^' cpl. 345-
«» These have been inserted, by Baronius,
"
« Sec the Bollandists' "Acta Sanctorum,"
Fleury's
siaslique," tome vi. , liv. xxv. , sec. xiv. , pp.
in his
Annales Ecclesiastici. "
52
LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [April 6.
to the holy synod at Ephesus, and of a similar import was an Epistle, directed to the Emperor Theodosius II. , to St. Maximian, and to the clergy of Con-
stantinople. ''3 St. Cyril met with a very stern opposition, from the eastern bishops ; but. Pope St. Celestine befriended him, in this contest. After con- siderable difficulty, a reconciliation was at length effected. Among the Acts of Celestine, we find recorded, his consecration of the basilica of St. Julius, and his donation of several valuable gifts to it. t« The doctrine of St. Austin, concerning the necessity of Divine grace, as we have seen, had been im- pugned, by some priests, in Gaul. " Our holy Pope wrote to the bishops of that country, to effect the repression of these dangerous novelties, at the request of Prosper t* and of Hilary. "' In that letter, the Pope greatly extolled
the piety and learning of St. Austin, whose character could never be aspersed
He declared, furthermore, that St. Austin had been honoured among the most deserving and illustrious doctors of the Church, by his predecessors. "^ A British bishop, called Severianus, had been married before he was raised to the priesthood, and he had a son named Agri- cola. This latter had spread the seeds of the Pelagian heresy, in Britain. To correct these evils. Pope Celestine sent St. Germanus, bishop of Auxerre,
and St. Lupus, of Troyes, as missionaries,^ whose zeal and exertions happily served to counteract the threatened dangers. 5° Their mission is referred to tlie years 429 and 430, when they converted many of the heretics. s' During
nor tarnished, by suspicion.
of Celestine, he felt a great desire to convert the Irish Nation ; and, towards its close, he sent Palladius,5= in 431, to preach the Gospel among the people of Ireland. The failure of St. Palladius, in the work of his Irish mission, was destined, however, to be most successful, under the direc- tion of the illustrious Apostle of Ireland, St. Patrick. As may be seen, in the Life our holy Patron,53 his mission was received fr»m Pope Celestine I. ,
in the early part of the year 432 ; and, the accounts of his consecration, as Bishop, in the presence of this Sovereign Pontiff, have been already related. ^" Eleven Letters of Celestine remain, and these reier to the chief incidents of hislife. 55 PopeCelestinedidnotlongsurvivetheeventofsendingourillus- trious national Apostle to Ireland. After closinghis pontificate, that lastedalmost ten years,5° St. Celestine happily departed this lile, in the year 432. In an
old Calendar of the Pontiffs,57 his demise has been set down, at the vii. of the April Ides, corresponding with the 7th day of this month ; and, under such a date, his name occurs, in some of the IMartyrologies. 58 However, the
the
pontificate
tomus i. , Aprilis vi. De S. Cselestino Prinio, Pontifice Romano, cap. ii. , pp. 55410556.
•• These are recounted, by Anastasius and
by other writers, as taken from certain Manu-
s^ His feast occurs, at the 6th of July. 53 At the 17th of March.
5* See Life of St. Patrick, chap. vi.
scriptActsofthe Pontiffs, " 45 See an account of this matter, in toire Literaire de la France," tome ii. .
so " The Bollandists remark:
His-
"'His Life and writings are there fully treated of, at pp. 369 to 406.
'^ See an account of him. Ibid. pp. 209 to
214
<" See Epistola XXI. ad Gallos.
« See Michael Alford's "Annales Eccle-
siastici et Civiles Britannorum, Saxonum, Anglorum," tomus i. , pp. 525 to 534-
" Chronicon," ad Annum.
Sedit S. Coelestinus annos integros octo et partes duo- rum annorum, quae solum quinque menses conficiunt et trcs quatuorve dies. '—"Acta Sanctorum," tomus i. , Aprilis vi. De S. Coelestino Primo, Poniifice Koniano, cap.
iii. . see. 15, p. 546.
^7 Said to have been compiled, in the sixth
century,
ss Thus, in certain copies of Ado and of
Usuard ; likewise, in a Martyrology attn-
Cin- quieme Siecle, sec. i. to xxxv. , pp. I to 21.
5° St
s' See I'Abbe Rohrbacher's
buted to the Venerable Bede, as also in
ana- A. n. with
Prospers
"
and
Universelle de I'Eijlise Catholique," tome viii. , liv. xxxix. , pp. 17, 18.
some;other
authorities.
inLiberPontificalis.
Histoire
ther, printed at Cologne
"
graphic Universelle," &c. , tomeix. , col. 345.
=5 See M. Le Dr. Hoeffer's
Nouvelle Bio-
Lubeck, 1490, in Greven's additions to Usuard,
April 6. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 53
greater number of our Calendarists place his departure, at the viii. of the
April ldes,59 which corresponds with the 6th day of the present month. *° During his lifetime, this Pope had ornamented the cemetery of Priscilla '' with
paintings,^^ in which the synod assembled at Ephesus was represented. In that cemetery, his remains were interred. An original epitaph recorded. ^J that he was an excellent bishop, honoured and beloved by every one, and who, for the sanctity of his life, enjoyed the sight of Jesus Christ, and the eternal honour of the saints. ** After some time, the remains of St. Celestine were removed to the Church of St. Praxedes. This translation is said to have taken place, in the year 817, during the Pontificate of Pope Pascal. At a later period, although the time is not precisely known, the city of Mantua acquired his precious relics; and each year, at the present date, a Double Office, taken from the Annals of Baronius, has been recited to honour him.
Among the Irish Proper Offices,'' composed by Bishop De Burgo, there is a Duplex Majus, for the Feast of St. Celestine I. , Pope and Confessor, and the Lessons are taken from more ancient sources. '* Some portions of this saint's relics are thought to have been kept, at Rome, in the Church of St. Paul, without the walls,*' The Roman Martyrology enters the festival for Pope St. Celestine I. , with an eulogy pronounced, at the 6th day of April. ** The BoUandists, with most of our Irish and more recent Calendars, counten- ance this arrangement In Scotland, likewise, Pope St. Celestine was vene- rated, on the 6th day of April. ** This was owing to his having originated the introduction of Christianity in that country, by procuring through St. Palla- dius the Gospel to be preached for its people.
Article IV.
