5th century. Fellow workers under Saint Patrick in the evangelization
of Ireland. The decree signed by the four, reminding the Irish clergy
that appeals from the judgement of Armagh may be made to Rome, is still
extant
(
Benedictines).
This is one of the canons of the so-called First Synod of Patrick, which
contains decrees to the clergy by bishops Patricius, Auxlius, and
Iserninus. It can be found in
The Irish Penitentials. Ed. Ludwig Bieler,
with an appendix by David Binchy. Dublin: The Dublin Institute for
Advanced Studies, 1963, and perhaps also John T. McNeill and Helena M.
Gamer,
Medieval Handbooks of Penance. New York: Columbia University
Press, 1938.
I don't have either text on hand and so can't compare it to the
regulations at the end of the Liber Angeli in the Book of Armagh. These
are primarily concerned with Armagh's pre-eminence in the Irish church,
but the last declares that if Armagh can't solve something, the matter
is to be referred to Rome. It can be found in Bieler. The Patrician
Texts in the Book of Armagh. Scriptores Latini Hiberniae. Dublin: The
Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies, 1979, pp. 188-191 (facing pages
in Latin and English):
"Further, any exceptional difficulty which may arise, (the law on which)
is unknown to all the judges of the Irish people, is by law to be
referred to the see of the archbishop of the Irish, that is (the see) of
Patrick, for examination by its bishop; if, however, such a suit in the
said litigation cannot easily be decided there by wise men, we decree
that it is to be sent to the apostolic see, that is, to the see of Peter
the apostle, who has authority over the city of Rome*. These are (the
men) who have made this decree, that is, Auxilius, Patrick, Secundinus,
Benignus; after the death of the holy Patrick his disciples have
frequently copied his books."
* It is interesting that while Rome is obviously thought of as an appellate
court, the Irish Canons reference the see of Peter as having authority over
the city of Rome, and not the whole world.