13 History of Latin Christianity, vol. iii. p. 191.
14 History of Latin Christianity, vol. iii. p. 193. [In the marvellous confusion of vol. ix. of the Edinburgh series, these Decretals are mixed up with genuine works as "Fragments of the Third Century."]
1 The little that is known of Zephyrinus is derived from Eusebius. That historian states that Zephyrinus succeeded Victor in the presidency of the Roman church "about the ninth year of the reign of Severus" (a.d. 201), and that he died in the first year of the reign of Antoninus (Heliogabalus, a.d. 218). He is several times aluded to in the fragments ascribed to Caius, or in connection with them. The two letters bearing his name are forgeries. They belong to the famous collection of False Decretals forged in the ninth century.
2 The word "bishops" is omitted in MS.
4 This means the seventy-third apostolic canon, in which it is ordained that episcopal cases be not decided but by superior bishops, councils, or the Roman pontiff. [See note 1, p. 612.]
5 Another reading has sixty, and another fifty. Whatever be the reading, it is true that by these decrees are meant the apostolic canons: and although their number was only fifty, yet, because sometimes several decrees are comprehended in one canon, there would be no inconsistency between the number of sixty or seventy apostolic decrees and the number of fifty apostolic canons (Sev. Bin.).
8 Job xxix. 13-17, according to the Vulgate version.
9 Or, Gallus. But Saturninus and Gallus were consuls in the year 198, while Victor was yet alive.