CHAP. VII. The Notitia, or Geographical Description of the bishoprics of the ancient Church, as first made by the order of Leo Sapiens, compared with some others. For the fuller proof of what has been asserted in the last chapters, and to give the reader a clear view of the state of the ancient Church, I shall here subjoin one of the Notitia, or Catalogues of Bishoprics contained in the five greater patriarchates, Constantinople, Rome, Antioch, Jerusalem, and Alexandria, according to the account that was taken first by the order of the Emperor Leo Sapiens, about the year 891; for though this does not come up to the antiquity of these other records, which I have generally made use of in this work, yet, being the most ancient and perfect account we have in the kind, and agreeing with the scattered remains of antiquity of this nature, it will be useful, as a collateral evidence, to corroborate the account that has been given of the division and extent of dioceses in the primitive Church. And I the rather choose to insert it here, to satisfy the curiosity of many of my readers, to whose view, perhaps, this Notitia may not otherwise come, being scarce to be met with but in books of great rarity or great price, which fall not into the hands of every ordinary reader. The first of this kind was published by Leunclavius in his Jus Græco-Romanum 59, anno 1596, in Greek and Latin, under the name of Leo Sapiens, the reputed author of it; after which some others, but imperfect, were set forth by Carolus à Sancto Paulo, in his Geography of the ancient Church59; the defects of which were supplied by Jacobus Goar, from a MS. in the French Kings' library, which he published at the end of Codinus 60 among the Byzantine Historians, anno 1648; and by Bp. Beveridge, from a MS. in the Bodleian Library, published in his Notes 61 upon the Pandects, anno 1672. The last of which being acknowledged to be the most perfect in the kind, has been since re 58 Ap. t. 1. (pp. 88, seqq.) 59 Append. ad Geogr. Sacr. (ad calc. Ed. Amstel. 1704. fol.) 60 De Offic. Constant. in Append. p. 337. (Ed. Venet. 1729. [Byzant. Scriptor. t. 20.] pp. 291, seqq.) 61 Not. in C. Trull. c. 36. (t. 2. append. pp. 135, seqq.) Tátis πроκaledpías Tŵv ȧyιwτáτv Πατριapx@v, K. T. λ. printed by the learned Schelstrate 62, with some notes and observations upon the defects and variations of all the former; which, having revised and compared them together, I shall here present to the curious reader, that he may have them all together in one view. The order of presidency of the most holy patriarchs.— 1. Rome. 2. Constantinople. 3. Alexandria. 4. Antioch. 5. Elia, or Jerusalem. The order of presidency of the metropolitans, and autocephali, and bishops, subject to the apostolical throne of this divinely-preserved and imperial city, viz. Constantinople. Here ends the account of provinces and metropolitans in the Notitia of Bp. Beveridge and Goar, but in Leunclavius these other metropolitans are added, without any mention of provinces at all. 34. Thessalonica. 35. Corinthus. 36. Creta. 37. Athenæ. 38. Seleucia. 39. Patræ. 40. Trapezus. 41. Calabria. 42. Larissa. 43. Naupactus. 44. Philippi. 45. Dyrrachium. 46. Smyrna. 47. Catana. 48. Ammorium. 49. Camachus. 50. Cotyaium. 51. Severiana. 52. Mitylene. 53. Novæ Patræ. 54. Euchaita. 55. Amastris. 56. Chonæ. 57. Hydrus. 58. Kelzene. 59. Colonia. 60. Thebæ. 61. Serræ. 62. Pompeiopolis. 63. Rossia. 64. Alania. 65. Enus. 66. Tiberiopolis. 67. Achaia. 68. Cerasus. 69. Nacolia. 70. Germania. 71. Madyta. 72. Apamea. 73. Basileum. 74. Drystra. 75. Nazianzus. 76. Corcyra. 77. Abydus. 78. Methymna. 79. Christianopolis. 80. Rusium. 81. Lacedæmonia. 82. Naxia. 83. Attalia. To which the Scholiast adds three more, 84. Sebastopolis. 85. Euripus. 86. Cybistis Herculis. After the metropolitans follow the autocephali, or independent bishops, which the Notitia in Leunclavius calls archbishops. They were such as had neither metropolitans above them, nor suffragans under them, being immediately subject to the patriarch only, as Goar's Notitia informs us. In Bp. Beveridge's Notitia they are as follows. Provinces. 6 Isauria. 7 Rhodope. 8 Bithynia. 9 Rhodope. 10 Galatia. 11 Europa. 12 Thracia. 13 Lesbus. 14 Hellespontus. 15 Caria. 16 Thracia. 17 Insulæ 18 Rhodope. 19 Europa. 20 Lesbus. 21 Bithynia. 22 Europa. 23 Rhodope. 24 Zicchia. 25 Zicchia. 26 Zicchia. 27 Isauria. 28 Hellenopontus. 29 Cyclades Insulæ. 30 Rhodope. 31 Europa. 32 Hæmimontis. Autocephali. 6 Leontopolis. 7 Maronæa. 8 Apamea. 9 Maximianopolis. 13 Mitylene. 14 Parium. 15 Miletus, or Melitus. 25 Bospori. 26 Nicopsis. 28 Euchetæ. 29 Carpathus. 30 Ænus. 31 Drizapara, or Mesena. 32 Mesembria. To these, in Goar's Notitia, are added two more, Delca, [Delcos,] or Derce, and Reni in Armenia. But that in Leunclavius has but thirty-nine, whereof sixteen are different names; viz. Nice, Messana, Garella, Brisis, Carabyzia, Lemnus, Leucas, Cudræ, Soteropolis, Pedachthoa, Eroana, Gotthia, Sugdaia, Phullæ, Pharsala, and Matrach. And several of those, which in the Bodleian Notitia are called autocephali, are in Leunclavius reckoned among the metropolitans, as Trapezus, Smyrna, Cotyaium, Mitylene, Amastris, Pompeiopolis, Ænus, and Apamea. Whence it is easy to conclude, that archbishops and autocephali were then a sort of titular metropolitans, who had the privilege of being independent, though they had no suffragan bishops under them. Now follow the particular provinces, with the number of bishoprics contained in each of them. Province of Cappadocia. 1. Cæsarea, the metropolis. 2. Thermæ Regiæ. 3. Nyssa. 4. Methodiopolis Armeniæ. 5. Camuliana. 6. Ciscissus, or Cissus. To which are added in Leunclavius, 7. Euaissa. 8. Serias. 9. Arathia. 10. Epolia. Province of Asia. 1. Ephesus, the metropolis. 2. Hypepa 65. 3. Tralles. 4. Magnesia ad Mæandrum. 5. Elea. 6. Adramyttium. 7. Assus. 8. Gargara. 9. Mastaura. 10. Caloe. 11. Bryulla. 12. Pittamne. 13. Myrine. 14. Phocia. 15. Aurillopolis, or Aureliopolis. 16. Nisa, or Nyssa. 17. Maschacoma. 18. Metropolis. 19. Baretti. 20. Magnesia. 21. Aninates. 22. Pergamus. 23. Anea. 24. Priene. 25. Arcadiopolis. 26. Novæ Aulæ. 27. Templum Jovis. 28. Augaza. 29. Sion. 30. Colophon. 31. Levedus, or Lebedus. 32. Teus. 33. Erythræ. 34. Clazomenæ. 35. Attadri, or Antandri. 36. Theodosiopolis, or Peperine. 37. Cymæ. 38. Palæopolis. To which are added, in Leunclavius, Thyræa and Chliara, but Phocia, Magnesia, and Clazomenæ are wanting. Here the Province of Thracia and Macedonia is interposed in Leunclavius. 6. Calliopolis. 7. 10. Daoneum. 11. 14. Lizicus. 15. 1. Heraclea, the metropolis. 2. Theodoropolis. 3. Rhædestus. 4. Panium. 5. Hexamilium. Peristasis. 8. Chariopolis. 9. Chalcis. Madyta. 12. Pamphilus. 13. Medea. Sergentza. 16. Metra. 17. Tzurolloe. 18. Athyra. 65 [Or Hypæpa. See ch. 3. s. 9. p. 314. ED.] |