was August first, A.D. 449. When he sent his circular
letter to all the bishops, inviting them to the Council, the
Emperor sent in addition three letters to Abba Dioscorus:
one requesting him to preside over the council; another
making an express demand that Theodoret the Nestorian
bishop of Cyrrhus be excluded from the council because
he had not repented after his deposition by the third
ecumenical council; and the third letter was a special
invitation to the Egyptian Archimandrite Barsumas, to
attend and represent the archimandrites of the Orient at
the Council.^7
The Emperor’s goal in convoking the council was
to reconsider the sentence passed on Eutyches by the
Flavian council, thus deeming it a court of appeal.
- Upon hearing of the imperial decision to hold this
council, Leo was filled with misgivings. He wrote to the
Emperor saying that it would have been preferable not to
convoke a council. He also sent several letters to
Flavianus urging him to remain true to the Faith, and at
the same time deal kindly with Eutyches.^8 In addition he
sent a letter to Pulcheria, eldest sister of the Emperor,
which he began by lauding her on her great zeal, then
added that Eutyches fell into the heresy by ignorance
rather than wickedness, and saying that if he came to
himself he should be pardoned.^9 - Yet, even though he would have preferred to have
the Emperor revoke the convocation of a council, when
the time for it cam Leo sent three delegates to attend it,^10
for he knew just as well as all others, that the Emperor of
Constantinople alone had the prerogative of convoking an
ecumenical council. And after the legates of Rome had
left, he wrote a few lines to Flavianus announcing to him