Letter 12

UnknownAvitus|c. 502 AD|avitus vienne
From: Avitus, bishop of Vienne
To: The Bishop of Jerusalem
Date: ~502 AD
Context: A letter (possibly a cover note) related to King Gundobad's theological inquiry about an Old Testament prophecy.

[Bishop Avitus to the Bishop of Jerusalem.]

The lord King Gundobad to Avitus, bishop of Vienne: "I have decided to consult Your Holiness about a reading from the prophets, a copy of which I have appended below. Please indicate in your written response whether these times have already come or are still to come."

[The attached text is Micah 4:2-4: "Out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem. And he shall judge among many peoples and rebuke strong nations far away. They shall beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation shall not lift up sword against nation, nor shall they train for war anymore. Each shall sit under his own vine..."]

Modern English rendering for readability. See the 19th-century translation or original Latin/Greek for scholarly use.

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