Letter 6: To the most blessed Emperor and most merciful prince Theodosius — Ambrose and the other bishops of Italy.

LETTER XIV. Having commended Theodosius for having devoted effort to restoring unity between the Eastern and Western Church, the bishops set out why they wrote the earlier letter on that matter; they add that it had also been their concern that the supporters of Apollinaris be condemned; finally, they assert that by requesting a Council they inflicted injury on no one, nor have they departed in any respect from the institution of their forefathers. To the most blessed emperor and most merciful prince Theodosius, Ambrose and the other bishops of Italy. 1. The knowledge of your faith, spread throughout the whole world, has soothed the inmost affection of our mind; and therefore, that this glory too might be created for your reign, namely that you should be seen to have restored the unity of the Western Churches together with the Eastern, we judged that your clemency should likewise be entreated, and instructed by our letters concerning ecclesiastical affairs, most tranquil and most faithful Emperor. For it was a cause of grief that between the Easterners and the Westerners the fellowships of sacred communion should have been interrupted. 2. We are now silent as to by whose error or whose offense this happened, lest we should seem to be sowing tales and empty discourses. Nor do we regret having attempted what, left unattempted, would have fallen into blame. For we were often reproached on this ground, that we seemed to set aside the fellowship of the Easterners and to refuse their favor. 818 3. We thought, moreover, that this labor must be undertaken by us, not for the sake of Italy, which has long been quiet and secure from the Arians, and is troubled by no disturbance of heretics: not, I say, for ourselves; because we do not seek the things that are our own, but the things that are of all: not for Gaul and Africa, which enjoy the harmonious fellowship of all the priests; but in order that those things which have disturbed our communion on the side of the East might be examined in a synod, and that every scruple might be removed from our midst. 4. For not only concerning those matters about which your clemency deigned to write, but also concerning those men who attempt to introduce into the Church some doctrine or other, which is asserted to be that of Apollinaris, many things moved us, which ought to have been cut away with the parties present; so that, being convicted in the new doctrine and refuted in his error, he might in no way lie hidden under the general name of the faith: but at once, because he would not hold to the teaching of sound doctrine, he might lay down both his office and the title of priest; nor should any fibers thereafter remain for those who desire to deceive, and the contrivances of trickeries. For he who has not been convicted with the parties present--which your clemency truly defined by an august and princely response--will always seize upon some little loop of a question to be reopened. 5. Therefore we entreated the priestly council on this account, that it should be permitted to no one to compose a lie against an absent man, and that in the council it should be discussed what was in truth. And so no suspicion of bias or of laxity falls upon those who observed all things with the parties present. 6. To be sure, we wove together the matters alleged, not for the sake of deciding, but for the sake of instructing: and we who sought a judgment do not bring forward a prejudgment. Nor was any of these things to be reckoned as an insult, when the priests were asked to a council, whose absence was frequently more present, since it consulted for the common good. For neither did we ourselves reckon it an insult, when a single presbyter of the Church of Constantinople, Paul by name, demanded within Achaia a synod of the Easterners together with the Westerners. 7. Your clemency observes that the demand was not unreasonable, since it was sought even by the Easterners. But because Illyricum is moved by suspicion, therefore maritime and safer places were sought. Nor indeed did we innovate anything as it were by way of a precedent: but keeping the things defined in councils by Athanasius of holy memory, who was as it were the pillar of the faith, and by the ancient sanctity of our fathers, we do not tear up the boundaries which our fathers set; nor do we violate the 819 rights of our hereditary communion: but, reserving the honor due to your imperial majesty, we show ourselves zealous for peace and quiet.

EPISTOLA XIV. THEODOSIO quod restituendae inter orientalem atque occidentalem Ecclesiam unitati operam dedisset, commendato, episcopi cur de ea re superiorem scripserint epistolam, exponunt: addunt curae etiam sibi fuisse ut fautores Apollinaris condemnarentur: postremo nec se Concilium petendo injuriam cuipiam intulisse, nec a majorum instituto usquam defecisse asserunt. Beatissimo imperatori, et clementissimo principi THEODOSIO, AMBROSIUS et caeteri episcopi Italiae. 1. Fidei tuae diffusa toto orbe cognitio intimum nostrae mentis demulsit affectum; eoque, ut haec quoque gloria tuo imperio crearetur, quod unitatem reddidisse Occidentalium juxta atque Orientalium Ecclesiis videreris, clementiam tuam obsecrandam pariter, ac super Ecclesiasticis negotiis instruendam nostris litteris aestimavimus, Imperator tranquillissime ac fidelissime. Dolori enim erat inter Orientales atque Occidentales interrupta sacrae communionis esse consortia. 2. Silemus jam quorum errore, quorumve delicto, ne serere fabulas et alloquia cassa videamur. Nec nos tentasse poenitet, quod intentatum caderet in culpam. Isto enim saepe arguebamur, quod posthabere Orientalium societatem, et refutare gratiam videremur. 818 3. Laborem quin etiam nobis indicendum putavimus, non pro Italia, quae jamdudum ab Arianis quieta atque secura est, nec ulla haereticorum perturbatione vexatur: non, inquam, pro nobis; quia non quaerimus quae nostra sunt, sed quae sunt omnium: non pro Gallia atque Africa, quae omnium sacerdotum concordi societate potiuntur; sed ut ea quae communionem nostram de Orientis parte turbaverunt, cognoscerentur in synodo, et omnis e medio scrupulus tolleretur. 4. Non solum enim de his de quibus clementia tua dignata est scribere, sed etiam de illis, qui dogma nescio quod, Apollinaris asseritur, in Ecclesiam conantur inducere, nos pleraque moverunt, quae partibus fuerant resecanda praesentibus; ut convictus in dogmate novo, et redargutus in errore, nequaquam sub generali fidei lateret nomine: sed illico, quod doctrinae magisterio non teneret, et officium deponeret, et vocabulum sacerdotis; nec fibrae aliquae posthac fallere cupientibus, et praestigiarum commenta remanerent. Nam qui convictus non fuerit praesentibus partibus, quod vere augusto principalique responso tua clementia definivit,referendam semper ansulam quaestionis arripiet. 5. Eo igitur obsecravimus sacerdotale concilium, ut nemini liceret mendacium in absentem componere, et in concilio discuteretur quid esset in vero. Itaque non cadit in eos intentionis vel facilitatis ulla suspicio, qui omnia praesentibus partibus observarunt. 6. Sane allegata texuimus, non definiendi, sed instruendi gratia: et qui judicium petivimus, non deferimus praejudicium. Neque ullum eorum aestimandum convicium fuit, cum rogarentur ad concilium sacerdotes, quorum frequenter praesentior absentia fuit, quando in commune consuluit. Neque enim vel nos aestimavimus esse convicium, cum unus Constantinopolitanae Ecclesiae presbyter, Paulus nomine, intra Achaiam synodum Orientalium juxta atque Occidentalium postulaverit. 7. Advertit clementia tua non fuisse irrationabile postulatum, quod etiam ab orientalibus est petitum. Sed quia Illyrici suspecta movetur, ideo maritima ac tutiora quaesita sunt. Neque plane nos tamquam ex forma aliquid innovavimus: sed sanctae memoriae Athanasii, qui quasi columen fidei fuit, et veteris sanctitatis patrum nostrorum in conciliis definita servantes, non evellimus terminos, quos posuerunt patres nostri; nec haereditariae communionis 819 jura violamus: sed debitam vestro imperio honorificentiam reservantes, studiosos nos pacis et quietis ostendimus.