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The Tome is a letter written by Leo to his brother Flavian, which addresses the current scandal within the church. This controversy began with the dishonoring implications of a monk named Eutyches that sparked uproar between church officials concerning the true nature of our Lord. The question of whether the Son of God is divine or human in nature, forced church officials to decide His true essence, while attending the Council of Chalcedonian in the year 451. Providing evidence for the Council, the Tome diminishes the foundation and basis of Eutyches’s argument of “Two Natures” and offers complete support to Flavian. At the time of its composition, this document was considered an accurate portrayal of the common faith, hence establishing its immense importance to the church.
Although Leo’s declaration of the Gospel of God and man in Christ appears to be flawless in its interpretation, the tome proves to be vaguely insufficient considering its sporadic utilization of philosophical speculation. This factor is eroded by the dominatingly persuasive and stressed voice of the piece, which is considered by theologians to be “a fine specimen of the straightforwardness and clarity of the Latin mind” (359). The Tome proves to be both influenced by and later affecting the once youthful tradition of the Roman Liturgy.
The actual text is written in the form of a response to a previously received letter concerning the Eutyches’s defiance of the integrity of faith. Once considered a presbyter, or wise elder, his status is diminished by the unwavering opinion of Leo. The disgraceful new standing is based on the proposal that Eutyches is exceedingly inconsiderate and pathetically uneducated regarding his views of the church and the nature of Christ. The letter inadvertently accentuates the importance of redefining Christianity as a product of defense. Leo accomplishes this by providing evidence to counter the argument of the opposing force.
Leo’s first argument results from an accusation offered by Eutyches and other heretics, which questions the incarnation of the Word of God. In the defense of Christianity, Leo retorts that it should be apparent to all believers that the obscurity of and response to this query can be resolved in the ritual of Confession, the Holy Scriptures, and most evidently in the Apostles’ Creed, which is reiterated at every mass.
Eutyches’s complication with understanding the common faith expands to another topic, through which the Tome’s response results in the affirmation of the human and divine nature of Christ.

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