ia as his successor. John Talaia had announced
his election to the Pope in order to be acknowledged by him; also, as was
customary, to the patriarch of Antioch; but had sent his synodal letter by
some indirect manner to Acacius, who thus received the notice by public
report, rather than in the official way. But in the four years which had
elapsed since the restoration of Zeno, Acacius had acquired great influence
over him. Zeno had published a decree in which, "out of regard to our royal
city," he assured to that "Church, the mother of our piety and the see of
all orthodox Christians, the privileges and honours over the consecration
of bishops which, before our government, or during it, it is recognised to
possess," in which he named Acacius, "the most blessed patriarch, father of
our piety". Acacius had made his maintenance of the Council of Chalcedon go
step by step with his claim to exercise patriarchal rights over the great
see of Ephesus. This had led to fresh reclamations from the Pope. Acacius
had gone ever forwards, and seemed, by the favour of Zeno, to be reaching
complete subjection of the eastern patriarchates to the see of
Constantinople. Incensed at what he considered the slight offered to him by
John Talaia, he took up, with the utmost keenness against him, the cause of
a rival, Peter the Stammerer, who had been elected by the Eutychean party.
He worked upon the emperor's mind in favour of the Monophysite pretender.
Peter the Stammerer himself came to Constantinople, and urged to Zeno that
the utmost confusion and disorder might be feared in Egypt if the powerful
and numerous opponents of the Council of Chalcedon had an unacceptable
patriarch put upon them. At the same time, he proposed a compromise which
would unite all parties and prevent the breaking up of the eastern Church.
Acacius, a few years before, had denounced to Pope Simplicius himself this
Peter the Stammerer as an adulterer, robber, and son of darkness. He now
entirely embraced this plan, and not only won the emperor to Peter's side
for the patriarchate, but induced Zeno to publish a doctrinal decree. This
was to express what was common to all confessions of faith down to the
Council of Chalcedon, to avoid the expressions used in controversy, and
entirely to set aside the Council of Chalcedon. In 482 appeared this
Formulary of Union, or Henotikon, drawn up, it was supposed, by Acacius
himself, addressed to the clergy and people of Alexandria. It