The Emperor’s Edict Posted at the Great Church

In the name of our Lord and Master Jesus Christ, our God and Savior: the most pious emperor, the peaceful and Christ-loving Constantine, an emperor faithful to God in Jesus Christ, to all our Christ-loving people living in this God-preserved and royal city. [a]

The document is very long. Hefele gives the following summary, which is quite enough for the ordinary reader, who will remember that it is an edict of the emperor and not anything that came from the council. [b] Hefele’s summary (History of the Councils, volume 5, page 178):

“The heresy of Apollinaris and the others had been renewed by Theodore of Pharan and confirmed by Honorius, at one time pope of Old Rome, who also contradicted himself. Also Cyrus, Pyrrhus, Paul and Peter, and more recently Macarius, Stephen and Polychronius, had spread Monothelitism. He, the emperor, had therefore called together this holy and ecumenical synod, and published the present edict with the confession of faith, in order to confirm and establish its decrees. (Here there follows a long confession of faith, with proofs for the doctrine of two wills and operations.) As he recognized the five earlier ecumenical synods, so he anathematized all heretics from Simon Magus onward, but especially the originator and patrons of the new heresy, Theodore and Sergius; also Pope Honorius, who was their adherent and patron in everything and confirmed the heresy; further, Cyrus and the rest. And he ordained that from then on no one should hold a different faith, or venture to teach one will and one energy. In no faith but the orthodox could people be saved. Whoever did not obey the imperial edict was, if a bishop or cleric, to be deposed; if an official, to be punished with confiscation of property and loss of the girdle; if a private person, to be banished from the capital and from all other cities.” [c]