Letter 1: bishop. SICUT also CUNCTIS to the brothers through I son om.

As soon as it was possible for us to draw breath from the tempest of continual wars, which the circumstances of the times have relentlessly inflicted upon those provinces and these alike, we resolved to address all the priests of the Lord throughout Dardania with the concern of fraternal charity. First, because having assumed the governance of the apostolic see, with public tumult delaying us as has been said, we were unable to announce in our own letters, as was customary, the office of sacred administration committed to us, so that your brotherhood might rejoice in the gift of communion with us in the Lord. Second, that after such great hardships and worldly troubles, mutual speech might express how we each fare. Lastly, if there are any ecclesiastical matters to be reported, which must be constantly watched over with pastoral vigilance against the snares of the perpetual enemy, we might disclose them by reciprocal communications. Urged therefore by these concerns, through our brother and fellow bishop Ursicinus, we have taken care to direct the present letter, with the grace of greeting going before, exhorting that by bearing with great spirit and the Lord's help the devastation of passing things, we ought rather to be attentive lest, God forbid, we incur the loss of eternal life. Accordingly, let your love consider briefly what the advantage of catholic truth demands as a precaution. Among the Greeks, where it is not doubtful that many heresies abound, approximately forty-five years ago a controversy arose concerning the incarnation of our Lord and Savior, when Eutyches, formerly a presbyter of Constantinople, burst forth into blasphemies by which he declared that we ought to believe in only one nature, that is, the divine nature alone, or substance in the Lord Jesus Christ, with the truth of the assumed flesh entirely abolished. This impious and perverse invention, joined to the Marcionists and Manichaeans, would without doubt destroy the entire sacrament of our salvation, since, as both the authority of venerable Scripture declares and the teaching of our ancestors testifies, it is certain that the Redeemer of the world, God wholly and simultaneously wholly God and wholly man, was begotten of the Virgin Mary and appeared manifest to this world. Thus he suffered, and it is established that he rose again from the dead, and that he remained with his disciples for forty days. That he ascended into heaven is plainly clear, and it was said by the witness of an angel that he would come to judgment in the same manner, so that the Son of Man, whom the blessed martyr Stephen saw standing at the right hand of the power of God, might appear manifest, and that those who pierced him might look upon him, which indeed cannot consist without the material of human flesh. The assumption of that flesh was glorified by the Godhead, not consumed by it.

DILECTISSIMIS FRATRIBUS UNIVERSIS EPISCOPIS PER DARDANIAM CON* STITUTIS GELASIUS EPISCOPUS. SICUT ETIAM CUNCTIS FRATRIBUS PER I filium om. B dualitate ΒΚ ὃ unàturam V 5 diuinam natu- ram V: unam naturam K, naturam diuinan δ 6 eius om. Καὶ im- passilem X^ — "7 passum VK: passibilem B anathemf V 9. cum om. B 10 et om. V 12 adsumsit V, sumpsit B 18 werbis credimus enim numerum VIIII praescripsit K — recedit B et ante correctionem K morte V 14 absidere B 15 sit VK: sit deus δὶ post uerbum del. di B 16 ueritatis] desinit K — EPLASOLEPIADIS V episcopi oi. B 17 IRALLENSIS PARTIS CAMPANIAE (leg. Cariae?) Ap B 49. — Dat. anno μὲ widelur 493. 8 — Berolin. lat. 79, quem quae in hac epistula correxit manus Sirmondi, non cvro. praeterea «erba inde a his igitur ($nit. $ 3) usque ad damnati sunt (S 7) in duo capi- tula diwisa traduntur 4n. codice Paris. lat. 12098 — K. | Edd. Car. I? 341; Bar. ad a. 492, 34; Collect. Concl.; BTA I 367; Thiel 335. 19 sq. GELASIUS UNIVERSIS EPIS PER DARDANIAM CONSTITUTIS Sicut B — pan- DANIAN V 20 frabus V uniuersis supra linea V Epist. LXXVIII 10 — LXXIX 1. 219 εἴ τις τὸν ἕνα υἱὸν διχάζει εἰς δυάδα υἱῶν, ἀνάϑεμα ἔστω. εἴ τίς τὸν ϑεὸν λόγον καὶ τὴν σάρχα μίαν φύσιν λέγει ἀγνοῶν τῶν φύσεων τὸ διάφορον, ἀνάϑεμα ἔστω. Ll « Ll x * * 10 * * * * * x 5 * * * * * x * * * Li * * xal γὰρ πιστεύομεν, ὅτι ἡ ζωὴ ζωή ἐστι xal οὐ μετέπεσεν elcll ϑάνατον. σὺ δὲ Ἰγώσῃ καὶ ἀποχόψῃ, ἐφ᾽ οἷς ἀνόμως εἴρηκας: 10 ἔστω δὲ xal ἔστι τοῦ ϑεοῦ ἡ χάρις μετὰ τῶν ὀρθοτομούντων τὸν λόγον τῆς ἀληϑείας. 4 aliqua exciderunt 220 Gelasius I. ad episcopos Dardaniae DALMATIAS DESTINATA EST. Ubi primum respirare fas est a con- tinuorum tempestate bellorum, quae uel in illis prouinciis uel in istis temporum qualitas incessanter exercuit, cunctos per Dar- daniam domini sacerdotes fraternae sollicitudine caritatis duximus 2 adloquendos: primum, quia regimen apostolicae sedis indepti s strepitu publico, sicut dietum est, retardante commissae nobis sacrae dispensationis officium propriis, ut mos «crat, litteris nequiuimus indieare, quo uestra fraternitas de communionis domini nobiscum munere gratuletur; deinde ut, post tantas acerbitates incommoditatesque mundanas qualiter inuicem 10 ualeremus, mutuus sermo depromeret; postremo, si qua de ecclesiasticis referenda sunt causis, quae propter insidias perpetui hostis pastorali sunt iugiter cireumspiciendae uigi- 9 lantia, significationibus panderemus alternis. his igitur inci- tati per fratrem et coepiscopum nostrum Ursicinum praesentia 15 dirigere scripta eurauimus, praeeunte gratia salutationis hortantes, ut magnanimiter auxilio domini tolerando rerum transeuntium wuastitatem magis esse debeamus adtoniti, ne, quod absit, perpetuae subeamus uitae dispendium. proinde, quae catholicae ueritatis poscit utilitas praecauenda, dilectio so 4 uestra paulisper aduertat. apud Graecos, quibus multas haereses abundare non dubium est, iam ante annos fere qua- draginta et quinque de domini nostri et saluatoris incarnatione nata conquaestio est Eutyche quondam presbytero Constantino- politano in blasphemias proruente, per quas diceret unam να 10 15 Epist, LXXIX 1—6. 221 tantummodo id est solam diuinitatis naturam siue substantiam in domino lesu Christo credere nos debere susceptae carnis ueritate prorsus abolita. |^ quod utique impium prauumque commentum Marcionistis Manichaeisque coniunctum totum sine dubio salutis nostráe solueret sacramentum, siquidem, quantum et scripturae uenerabilis dicit auetoritas et maiorum testatur doctrina nostrorum, redemptorem mundi deum totum simul deum totumque hominem ex Maria uirgine fuisse pro- genitum et huie mundo certum est extitisse conspicuum, sic passum atque resurrexisse constat a mortuis itaque quadra- ginta diebus fuisse eum discipulis conuersatum, in caelum ascendisse plena luce sit clarum eoque modo dietum ad iudi- eium angelo testante uenturum, ut et filius hominis, quem beatus Stephanus martyr a dextris uirtutis dei uidit astantem, manifestus appareat et, quem compunxerunt, persecutores eius aspiciant: quod nimirum sine carnis humanae non potest constare materia, cuius adsumptio glorificata est deitate non prorsus adsumpta. ^ unde et beatus Iohannes apostolus dicit: qui negat Christum in carne uenisse, hic est antichristus, et gloriosus apostolus Paulus, qualem hodie- que eredere debeamus dominum nostrum lesum Christum, palam professus est dicens: in quo habitat omnis pleni- tudo diuinitatis corporaliter, quo breui capitulo simul Árrianam pestem et hane, quam diximus, Eutychianam eaelesti praedieatione subuertit, quia et nihil minus est, ubi 14 cf. Act. 7, bó. 15 cf. Ioh. 19, 37 (Zachar. 12, 1) 19 Ioh. II 7 -92 Coloss. 2, 9 l diuinitati K^ 2 suscepta BK — 3 impium prauumque BK: impra- bumque V 4 cognomentum J£ manicheis que B ὃ saluti nrae .B soluere BK . 9 genitum K . est stetisse B 10 itaque V: ita BK ll uersatum in caelis BK 12 eo quomodo B, et quomodo A — 14 bea- tum B — ad K 3 15 econpunexerunt B, eum punxerunt K — 16 quid V 17 materiam .B absumpta Coust. 20 aceypf B, antecrhistus AK: antichristum V 22 confessus B 23 quo Thiel: quod VBK . capi- tulos simula crianam B 294. euticianam ΒΒ 25 peatione subuertet B est ubi VK: sibi B 222 Gelasius I. ad episcopos Dardaniae omnis plenaque diuinitas habitare perhibetur et *corporaliter' exprimendo in ueritate persistere nostri corporis adprobatur. 7 super his autem frequenter ab apostolica sede et per beatae memoriae sanctum Leonem et per successores eius certum est Graecos fuisse conuictos, sicut ipsorum cartis, quas apud s 8nos habemus, sine ambiguitate monstratur. ^ nunc uero, quamuis ipsam pestilentiam non audeant profiteri, eos tarnen, qui talibus communicauerint meritoque secundum Calchedo- nensis decreta concilii ab apostolica sede damnati sunt ob- stinatique in eadem damnatione defuncti, pernicioso furore 10 defendunt et eorum recitationem ecclesiae catholicae moliuntur ingerere. quibus utique, quod absit, receptis etiam contagium prauitatis, cui se communione sociarunt, consequenter incurritur, quemadmodum, quod auertat dominus, si Árrii uel cuiuslibet haeretici ad ecclesiasticam recitationem nomen admittitur, :5 9simul et consortium detestabilis erroris adsumitur. unde quia errorem quidem fatentur sed ea sibi putant communi- onem catholicam conditione laxandam, ut nomina eorum, qui praeuarieati sunt, illis in ecclesia recitare sit licitum et non tam ipsi corrigere quam sinceritatem catholicam inficere s nitantur contagio perfidorum, dilectionem uestram fraternae caritatis adfectu non destitimus admonere, ut si qui talia seminantes ad uestras regiones forte peruenerint, modis omnibus exeludantur uobisque cum sede beati apostoli Petri, sicut a patribus nostris est tradita, inlibata communio atque ss l0ex omni parte inconuulsa perduret. certe, si quis aures uestras de hac crediderit subreptione pulsandas, sollicitudine 10 15 e Epist. LXXIX 7 — LXXX 1. 228 pastorali ad nos quantocius referre properetis, ut. communi studio catholicoque tractatu pro domo unius domini cuncti eatholiei conferant sacerdotes: ut et, quae orthodoxae defini- tioni competunt, intemerata seruentur et, quatenus errantibus deceat subueniri, rationabili deliberatione noscatur. haecll autem uestra dilectio etiam ad contiguas sibi quasque prouincias uicinosque pontifices prudenter faciat peruenire, ut ecclesiarum praesules uniuersi ueritatis instructione. percepta mortiferam declinare ualeant fa)sitatem. ^ ET suBscRIPTIO: Deus uos in- colomes eustodiat, fratres, carissimi.