Letter 97: 1. Although, when we heard recently of your having obtained merited promotion to the highest rank, we felt persuaded, however uncertain we still were in some degree as to the truth of the report, that towards the Church of which we rejoice to know that you are truly a son, there was no other feeling in your mind than that which you have now made...

To the distinguished lord, most deservedly excellent, and greatly honored son in the love of Christ, Olympius: Augustine sends greetings in the Lord. Although as soon as we heard you had been deservedly elevated — when the very report was not yet certain to us — we believed nothing else about your disposition toward the Church of God, whose true son we rejoice you are, than what you soon revealed in your letter, nevertheless, having read your words in which you deigned to send us, even had we been sluggish and hesitant, a most benevolent exhortation so that through our humble instruction and your devout obedience the Lord, by whose gift you are what you are, might speedily come to the aid of His Church, we write to you with greater confidence, distinguished and most excellent lord, greatly honored son in the love of Christ. Many of my holy brother colleagues, with the Church gravely disturbed, have set out almost as refugees to the most glorious court. Whether you have already seen them or have received their letters from Rome at some opportunity, I could not let pass the chance through this brother and fellow presbyter of mine — who, compelled by urgent need for a citizen's welfare, has been forced to travel to those parts even in the middle of winter — to greet and remind your Charity which you have in Christ Jesus our Lord, that your good work be advanced with the most diligent urgency: namely, that the enemies of the Church should know that those laws concerning the destruction of idols and the correction of heretics, which were sent to Africa while Stilicho was alive, were established by the will of the most pious and faithful Emperor. Whether they deceitfully boast or gladly believe that this was done without his knowledge or against his will, they thereby render the minds of the ignorant most turbulent and dangerously hostile to us. What I urge upon your Excellency by petition and suggestion, I have no doubt is the wish of all my colleagues throughout Africa. I judge that at the first opportunity it can and should easily be expedited, so that, as I said, these vain people — whose salvation we seek even as they oppose us — may know that the laws sent on behalf of Christ's Church were the concern of the son of Theodosius to send, rather than Stilicho's. For this reason the aforementioned presbyter, bearer of this letter, though from the region of Milev, was directed by his bishop, my venerable brother Severus, who sends you warm greetings along with me, to pass through Hippo Regius where I am, because while we were together amid great tribulations and disturbances of the Church, we were seeking an opportunity to write to your Excellency and could not find one. I had already sent one letter regarding the affair of my holy brother and colleague Boniface, bishop of Cataqua, but the graver matters that now agitate us more severely had not yet reached us. The bishops who have sailed for this purpose will deal more conveniently with your kind heart regarding how better counsel according to Christ's way may be brought to bear on suppressing or correcting these matters, since they were able by common deliberation to bring something more carefully considered, as time permitted. Yet I suggest, request, implore, and urgently beg that the matter by which the province may know the disposition of the most clement and devout prince toward the Church must by no means be delayed, but should be expedited as quickly as your most excellent vigilance can manage on behalf of Christ's members placed in the greatest tribulation, even before you see the bishops who have set out. For the Lord has offered no small consolation in these troubles by willing that you should have far greater power than you had when we were already rejoicing in your many great good works. We rejoice greatly in the firm and steadfast faith of many — not a few — who have been converted to the Christian religion or Catholic peace through the occasion of these very laws; for whose eternal salvation we are glad to face danger even in this temporal life. For it is chiefly from people excessively and harshly perverse that we now endure the heavier assaults of hostility, which some of those converts bear most patiently with us. But we greatly fear for the weak, until they learn and are able, with the help of the Lord's most merciful grace, to despise the present world and human judgment with a stronger heart. The memorandum I sent to my brother bishops — if, as I think, they have not yet arrived there — I ask your Excellency to deliver to them when they come. For we have such confidence in your most sincere heart that, with the Lord our God's help, we wish you to be not only a bestower of assistance but also a partner in counsel.

Letter 97 (A.D. 408) To Olympius, My Excellent and Justly Distinguished Lord, and My Son Worthy of Much Honour in Christ, Augustine Sends Greeting in the Lord. 1. Although, when we heard recently of your having obtained merited promotion to the highest rank, we felt persuaded, however uncertain we still were in some degree as to the truth of the report, that towards the Church of which we rejoice to know that you are truly a son, there was no other feeling in your mind than that which you have now made patent to us in your letter, nevertheless, having now read that letter in which you have been pleased of your own accord to send to us, when we were full of backwardness and diffidence, a most gracious exhortation to use our humble efforts in pointing out to you how the Lord, by whose gift you are thus powerful, may from time to time, by means of your pious obedience, bring assistance to His Church, we write to you with the more abundant confidence, my excellent and justly distinguished lord, and my son worthy of much honour in Christ. 2. Many brethren, indeed, holy men who are my colleagues, have, by reason of the troubles of the church here, gone — I might almost say as fugitives — to the emperor's most illustrious court; and these brethren you may have already seen, or may have received from Rome their letters, in connection with their respective occasions of appeal. I have not had it in my power to consult them before writing; nevertheless, I was unwilling to miss the opportunity of sending a letter by the bearer, my brother and fellow presbyter, who has been compelled, though in mid-winter, to make the best of his way into those parts, under pressing necessity, in order to save the life of a fellow-citizen. I write, therefore, to salute you, and to charge you by the love which you have in Christ Jesus our Lord, to see that your good work be hastened on with the utmost diligence, in order that the enemies of the Church may know that those laws concerning the demolition of idols and the correction of heretics which were sent into Africa while Stilicho yet lived, were framed by the desire of our most pious and faithful emperor; for they either cunningly boast, or unwillingly imagine that this was done without his knowledge, or against his will, and thus they render the minds of the ignorant full of seditious violence, and excite them to dangerous and vehement enmity against us. 3. I do not doubt that, in submitting this in the way of petition or respectful suggestion to the consideration of your Excellency, I act agreeably to the wishes of all my colleagues throughout Africa; and I think that it is your duty to take measures, as could be easily done, on whatever opportunity may first arise, to make it understood by these vain men (whose salvation we seek, although they resist us), that it was to the care, not of Stilicho, but of the son of Theodosius, that those laws which have been sent into Africa for the defense of the Church of Christ owed their promulgation. On account of these things, then, the presbyter whom I have mentioned already, the bearer of this letter, who is from the district of Milevi, was ordered by his bishop, the venerable Severus, who joins me in cordial salutations to you, whose love we esteem most genuine, to pass through Hippo-regius, where I am; because, when we happened to meet together in time of serious tribulation and distress to the Church, we sought an opportunity of writing to your Highness, but found none. I had indeed already sent one letter in regard to the business of our holy brother and colleague Boniface, bishop of Cataqua; but the heavier calamities destined to cause us greater agitation had not then befallen us, regarding which, and the means whereby something may be done with the best counsel for their prevention or punishment, according to the method of Christ, the bishops who have sailed hence on that errand will be able more conveniently to confer with you, in whose cordial goodwill towards us we rejoice, inasmuch as they are able to report to you something which has been, so far as limited time permitted, the result of careful and united consultation. But as to this other matter, namely, that the province be made to know how the mind of our most gracious and religious emperor stands towards the Church, I recommend, nay, I beg, beseech, and implore you, to take care that no time be lost, but that its accomplishment be hastened, even before you see the bishops who have gone from us, so soon as shall be possible for you, in the exercise of your most eminent vigilance on behalf of the members of Christ who are now in circumstances of the utmost danger; for the Lord has provided no small consolation for us under these trials, seeing that it has pleased Him to put much more now than formerly in your power, although we were already filled with joy by the number and the magnitude of your good offices. 4. We rejoice much in the firm and steadfast faith of some, and these not few in number, who by means of these laws have been converted to the Christian religion, or from schism to Catholic peace, for whose eternal welfare we are glad to run the risk of forfeiting temporal welfare. For on this account especially we now have to endure at the hands of men, exceedingly and obdurately perverse, more grievous assaults of enmity, which some of them, along with us, bear most patiently; but we are in very great fear because of their weakness, until they learn, and are enabled by the help of the Lord's most compassionate grace, to despise with more abundant strength of spirit the present world and man's short day. May it please your Highness to deliver the letter of instructions which I have sent to my brethren the bishops when they come, if, as I suppose, they have not yet reached you. For we have such confidence in the unfeigned devotion of your heart, that with the Lord's help we desire to have you not only giving us your assistance, but also participating in our consultations.

EPISTOLA 97 Scripta a. 408 exeunte. A. Olympio gratias agens quod rescripserat (n. 1) supplicansque ut tueatur leges de confringendis idolis haereticisque corrigendis, quae vivo Stilichone missae erant in Africam (n. 2-3) faciatque pro auctoritate et industria sua ut ex imperatoris voluntate intellegant eas constitutas esse Donatistae ideoque post Stilichonis necem nihilominus vigere (n. 4). DOMINO EXIMIO ET MERITO PRAESTANTISSIMO, MULTUMQUE IN CHRISTI CARITATE HONORANDO FILIO OLYMPIO, AUGUSTINUS, IN DOMINO SALUTEM. A. Olympio in se officioso gratus. 1. Quamvis mox ut audivimus te merito sublimatum, cum ipsa fama nondum nobis certissima esset, nihil aliud de animo tuo credidimus erga Ecclesiam Dei, cuius te veraciter filium esse gaudemus, quam quod tuis litteris mox aperuisti; tamen etiam illis lectis, quibus ultro dignatus es, etiamsi pigri et cunctantes essemus, exhortationem benevolentissimam mittere ut instruente humilitate nostra, per religiosam obedientiam tuam, Dominus, cuius munere talis es, Ecclesiae suae iamiamque subveniat, maiore fiducia tibi scribimus, domine eximie et merito praestantissime, multumque in Christi caritate honorande fili. Imperatorum leges contra paganos et haereticos. 2. Et fratres quidem multi sancti collegae mei, graviter Ecclesia perturbata profecti sunt pene fugientes ad gloriosissimum comitatum, quos sive iam videris, sive litteras eorum ab urbe Roma opportunitatis cuiusquam occasione acceperis: ego tamen licet nullum consilium cum eis communicare potuerim, non potui praetermittere per hunc fratrem et compresbyterum meum, qui urgente necessitate pro salute civis sui, etiam media hieme quomodocumque ad illas partes venire compulsus est, et salutare et admonere caritatem tuam quam habes in Christo Iesu Domino nostro, ut opus tuum bonum diligentissima acceleretur instantia, quo noverint inimici Ecclesiae leges illas, quae de idolis confringendis et haereticis corrigendis vivo Stilichone in Africam missae sunt, ex voluntate Imperatoris piissimi et fidelissimi constitutas; quo nesciente vel nolente factum sive dolose iactant, sive libenter putant, atque hinc animos imperitorum turbulentissimos reddunt, nobisque periculose ac vehementer infestos. A. conlegarum personam agit. 3. Hoc autem quod petendo vel suggerendo admoneo praestantiam tuam, non dubito omnium per Africam collegarum meorum fieri voluntate; arbitrorque quacumque primitus exorta occasione facillime posse ac debere maturari, ut noverint, sicut dixi, homines vani, quorum et adversantium salutem requirimus, leges quae pro Christi Ecclesia missae sunt, magis Theodosii filium quam Stilichonem curasse mittendas. Propterea quippe memoratus presbyter harum perlator, cum de regione sit Milevitana, ab episcopo suo venerabili fratre meo Severo, qui tuam mecum sincerissimam Dilectionem multum salutat, per Hipponem Regium, ubi ego sum, transire iussus est; quia cum forte simul essemus in magnis Ecclesiae tribulationibus et perturbationibus, quaerebamus occasionem scribendi ad Eximietatem tuam, et non inveniebamus. Iam quidem unam epistolam miseram in negotio sancti fratris et collegae mei Bonifacii episcopi Cataquensis; sed nondum ad nos pervenerant graviora, quae nos vehementius agitarent: quibus comprimendis vel corrigendis quemadmodum meliore secundum Christi viam consilio succurratur, commodius episcopi qui propterea navigaverunt, cum tanta benignitate tui cordis acturi sunt, qui potuerunt communi consilio diligentius deliberatum aliquid ferre, quantum temporis permittebat angustia. Illud tamen quo animum clementissimi et religiosissimi principis erga Ecclesiam provincia noverit, nullo modo esse differendum, sed etiam antequam episcopos qui profecti sunt, videas, quamprimum tua praestantissima pro Christi membris in tribulatione maxima constitutis vigilantia potuerit, accelerandum suggero, peto, obsecro, flagito. Neque enim parvum in his malis solatium Dominus obtulit, quod te voluit multo amplius posse quam poteras, quando iam de tuis multis ac magnis operibus bonis gaudebamus. Ab Olympio Catholici tuendi contra Donatistas. 4. Multum sane de quorumdam, neque paucorum fide firma et stabili gratulamur qui ex occasione legum ipsarum ad Christianam religionem vel catholicam pacem conversi sunt; pro quorum salute sempiterna nos in hac temporali etiam periclitari delectat. Propterea enim maxime ab hominibus nimium dureque perversis, nunc inimicitiarum graviores impetus sustinemus, quos nonnulli eorum nobiscum patientissime sustinent: sed plurimum infirmitati metuimus, donec discant et valeant adiuvante misericordissima gratia Domini, saeculum praesens et hominum diem robore cordis valentiore contemnere. Commonitorium quod misi fratribus episcopis, si, ut puto, nondum ibi sunt, ab Eximietate tua illis tradatur, cum venerint. Tantam quippe tui sincerissimi pectoris habemus fiduciam, ut, adiuvante Domino Deo nostro, non solum impertitorem auxilii te velimus, verum etiam consilii participem.