The Fourth Session: The Tome Approved

The most magnificent and glorious judges and the great senate said: [a] “Let the reverend council now declare what it thinks right about the faith, since the matters already dealt with have been made plain.” Paschasinus and Lucentius, the most reverend bishops, and Boniface, the most reverend presbyter, legates of the Apostolic See, said through that most reverend man, Bishop Paschasinus: “The holy, blessed and ecumenical synod holds fast to and follows the rule of faith set out by the fathers at Nicaea. It also confirms the faith set out by the synod of the hundred and fifty fathers gathered at Constantinople at the bidding of the great Theodosius of blessed memory. Moreover, the statement of their faith by the illustrious Cyril of blessed memory, set out at the Council of Ephesus, at which Nestorius was condemned, is received. And in the third place, the writings of that blessed man Leo, archbishop of all the churches, who condemned the heresy of Nestorius and Eutyches, show what the true faith is. This faith the holy synod likewise holds; this it follows. It can add nothing further to it, and it can take nothing away.” [b]

When this had been translated into Greek by Beronician, the devout secretary of the divine consistory, the most reverend bishops cried out: “So we all believe! So we were baptized! So we baptize! So we have believed! So we now believe!” [d] The most glorious judges and the great senate said: “Since we see that the holy Gospels have been placed beside your holiness, let each one of the bishops assembled here declare whether the letter of the most blessed Archbishop Leo agrees with the statement of faith of the three hundred and eighteen fathers assembled at Nicaea, and with the decrees of the hundred and fifty fathers assembled afterward in the royal city.” [e]

The bishops answered this question one by one, until a hundred and sixty-one separate opinions had been given. Then the imperial judges asked the rest of the bishops to give their votes all together. [f] All the most reverend bishops cried out: “We all agree! We all believe this! We are all of one mind! This is our mind; this is what we believe!” And so on.