the great city of Constantinople, and has buried it with
great honour in the Church of the Apostles where his
predecessors, the bishops, are buried. My husband has
also ordered the return of all the exiled bishops who were
agreed with Bishop Flavianus of blessed memory
concerning the faith, that the assembled bishops may
judge their case, and restore them to their Sees according
to the merit of their labours.”^36 (It should be noted here
that Marcianus, even though Emperor, had absolutely no
right to order the return of the exiled bishops; and that
Pulcheria, by declaring beforehand their restoration to
their Sees, had also exposed the pre-meditated intention
she and her husband had towards their case. Why, then,
was it necessary to call another Council to pass judgment
on it?)
- Leo answered the Empress, thanking her
particularly for the succour she gave to his legates, the
return of the exiled bishops, and the honour paid to the
mortal remains of Flavianus.^37
To the Orthodox bishops, the compliance of
Pulcheria to Leo’s faith implied her slipping into
Nestoriansim unawares, just as Flavianus had done when
judging Eutyches.
It is evident from all these letters that the whole
Church was made intensely aware of the renewed
Eutytchian case; that even before the council assembled,
all those concerned were already taking sides.
When Marcianus decided on convoking the
Council, his first plan was to select Nicea, as its site, for
on more than one occasion he had likened himself to
Constantine the Great. Under the influence of Pulcheria,
however, and because of the threat of the Huns, he
decided on Chalcedon, a town near Constantinople.^38