to announce his decision to the other patriarchs and to
the metropolitans and bishops who owed obedience to Constantinople.
Neither the emperor nor Photius would submit; and in 867 Photius
issued, in a council at Constantinople, an encyclical letter, in which
he repudiated the papal claim of jurisdiction (which was complicated by
assertions of supremacy over the Bulgarian Church), and denounced a
number of tenets held by Westerns, [Sidenote: The Philioque
controversy.] and most notably the addition of the word _Filioque_ to
the Nicene Creed, as asserting the procession of the Holy Spirit from
the Father and the Son. He ended by excommunicating the pope.

In the year 867 Nicolas died, Michael was deposed, Photius followed him
into retirement, Basil the Macedonian ascended the throne, and Ignatius
was restored to the patriarchate. A council was held in 869 at which
papal legates attended, which approved these acts, and which is counted
by the Roman Church as {194} the Eighth Oecumenical Council. This
Council confirmed the Church's decision as to image-worship. Ignatius
held his throne till his death in 877, when Photius was reinstated.
His return was signalised by a new agreement with Rome, in which Pope
John VIII. repudiated the insertion of the Filioque, and declared that
it was inserted by men whose daring was due to madness, and who were
transgressors against the Divine Word. Another council at
Constantinople (879-80) confirmed the reinstatement, declared Photius
to be lawful patriarch, and anathematised the Council of 869. This is
reckoned by the Greeks as the Eighth Oecumenical Council. [Sidenote:
End of the schism.] Then the schism was for the time healed. It made
no difference that a new emperor, Leo VI., the Wise, deposed Photius
again and appointed his own brother. The union remained formally
throughout the tenth century. But though the eleventh century opened
with a nominal agreement, it was not destined to endure. The points of
severance must be dealt with in a later volume. It may here suffice to
say that the position of the Greeks was rigidly conservative, of the
popes aggressively authoritative.

It was an age of growing papal claims; and the claims had now found a
new basis.

[Sidenote: The forged decretals.]

The promises, true and legendary, of Pippin, and the spurious donation
of Constantine, had still further extension in the False Decretals.
These were first used by Nicolas I., who was