Letter 2001: Avitus, bishop, to Faustus and Symmachus, senators of the city of Rome.

From: Avitus, bishop of Vienne To: Faustus and Symmachus, senators of Rome Date: ~501 AD Context: Avitus writes on behalf of all the bishops of Gaul to the Roman Senate, defending Pope Symmachus against charges brought before a council in Rome — a key document in the Laurentian Schism that threatened to split the Western church. Avitus, bishop, to Faustus and Symmachus, senators of the city of Rome. Ideally, we would have come to the city the world reveres in person, to fulfill both our sacred and civic duties. But since the circumstances of our times have long since made that impossible, we would at least wish — and I say this frankly — to approach with enough security that your distinguished assembly could learn from a formal report of the bishops of Gaul gathered together what needs to be petitioned in our common cause. But since even this wish is denied us by a province hemmed in by the fixed borders of kingdoms, I beg above all that this letter, coming from one man alone, not provoke any disdain from your most distinguished order. For I have been charged by all my Gallic brothers — through instructions no less than through letters — with presenting to you alone what we all seek. While we were deeply anxious about the situation of the Roman church — sensing, as it were, our own position tottering when the head was under attack, since a single accusation against him [Pope Symmachus] would certainly have struck us all — there was brought to our attention from Italian sources the text of the synodal decree that the bishops of Italy, gathered in the city, had issued concerning Pope Symmachus. Though the authority of so numerous and reverend a council makes this decree worthy of respect, we nevertheless understand that the holy Pope Symmachus, if he had first been accused before a secular tribunal, should have sought the support of his fellow bishops rather than submitted to their judgment. For just as the heavenly judge commands us to be subject to earthly powers — telling us we will stand before kings and governors on whatever charge — so it is not easy to understand by what reasoning or law a superior can be judged by inferiors. For when the apostle famously declared that an accusation should not even be received against a priest [1 Timothy 5:19], what shall we think about charges brought against the head of the universal church? The venerable council itself, with a praiseworthy decision, recognized this: the case it had — with all due respect — somewhat rashly undertaken to investigate, it more safely reserved for divine judgment. It did note briefly, as far as it could, that neither it nor the most glorious King Theoderic had found substance in the charges brought against the pope. In light of this, I appeal to you — as if you were Roman senators, as if I were a Christian bishop: if the favor of the God you worship grants prosperity to your times, if the dignity in which you flourish preserves for a crumbling world the appearance of the Roman name, then let the standing of the church be no less important in your sight than the standing of the republic.

Avitus episcopus Fausto et Symmacho senatoribus urbis. Primum fuerat talis status rerum desiderandus, ut ipsi per nos urbem orbi venera- bilem pro dependendis divinis humanisque expeteremus officiis. Sed quia istud iam dudum per rationem temporum fieri posse cessavit, vellemus, quod fatendum est, vel ea securitate accedere, ut, quae in causa communi supplicari oportet, amplitudo vestra congregatorum Galliae sacerdotum relatione cognosceret. Sed quoniam huius quoque nos voti non compotes reddit provincia praefixis regnorum determinata limitibus, quam primum supplici prece posco, ne celeberrimo ordini vestro pagina haec aliquod moveat, quasi ab uno directa. fastidium: quoniam a cunctis Gallicanis fratribus meis, ad hoc ipsum non minus per mandata quam per litteras oneratus, quaecumque a vobis omnes ambimus, unus suggerenda suscepi. Dum de causa Romanae ecclesiae anxii nimis ac trepidi essemus, ut pote nutare statum nostrum in lacessito vertice sentientes, quos omnes una criminatio utique sine invidia multitudinis percusserat, si statum principis obruisset: perlata est sollicitudini nostrae ab Italiae exemplaribus sacerdotalis forma decreti, quam de papa Symmacho. apud urbem collecti Italiae antistites ediderunt. Quam constitutionem licet observabilem numerosi reverendique concilii reddat adsen- sus, intellegimus tamen sanctum Symmachum papam, si saeculo primum fuerat accu- satus, consacerdotum horum solacium potius adsciscere quam recipere debuisse iudi- cium. Quia sicut subditos nos esse terrenis potestatibus iubet arbiter caeli, staturos nos ante reges et principes in quacumque accusatione praedicens: ita non facile datur intellegi, qua vel ratione vel lege ab inferioribus eminentior iudicetur. Nam cum celebri praecepto apostolus clamet accusationem vel in presbyterum recipi non debere, quid in principatum generalis ecclesiae criminationibus Heere censendum est? Quod synodus ipsa venerabilis laudabili constitutione prospiciens causam, quam, quod salva eius reverentia dictum sit, paene temere susceperat inquirendam, divino tutius serva- vit examini, perstringens tamen, prout breviter potuit, nihil vel sibi vel gloriosissimo viro Theoderico regi de his, quae papae dicebantur obiecta, patuisse. Quibus cognitis quasi senatores ipse Romanos quasi Christianus episcopus obtestor, si divinitatis, quam colitis, dono temporibus vestris prosperitas optata succedat, si dignitas, in qua floretis universo orbi, speciem nominis Romani mundo labenti contineat, ut in conspectu vestro non sit ecclesiae minor quam rei publicae status. Quodque vobis deus posse prae- stitit, prosit et nobis: nec minus diligatis ecclesiae vestrae sedem Petri, quam in civi- tate apicem mundi. Si profundo illo tractatus vestri consilio rem videtis, non ea tantum modo, quae Romae geritur, causa cogitanda est: in sacerdotibus ceteris potest, si quid forte nutaverit, reformari. At si papa urbis vocatur in dubium, episcopatus iam vide- bitur, non episcopus, vacillare. Nostis bene, inter quas baeresum tempestates, veluti ventis circumflantibus, fidei puppi ducamur. Si nobiscum huiusce modi pericula formi- datis, expedit, ut gubernatorem vestrum participato labore tueamini. Alias autem quae ultio est, si nautae sine magistro fuerint? 'Non sine illorum periculo ceditur isti discrimini. Reddat rationem, qui ovili dominico praeest, qua commissam sibi curam agnorum administratione dispenset. Ceterum non est gregis pastorem proprium terrere, sed iudicis. Quapropter reddite nobis principalem, si tamen necdum est restituta, concordiam. Quando clienti vestro, venerabili Symmacho presbytero, idcirco laborem huius fatigationis iniunximus, ut nobis in vestrarum oraculo litterarum per redintegra- tae pacis nuntium supplicationis nostrae referret effectum.