Letter 1035: Joseph, a Jew, the bearer of these presents, has informed us that, the Jews dwelling in the camp of Terracina having been accustomed to assemble in a certain place for celebrating their festivities, your Fraternity had expelled them thence, and that they had migrated, and this with your knowledge and consent, to another place for in like manner ...
Pope Gregory the Great→Peter, of Terracina|c. 590 AD|gregory great
Jewish-Christian relations
Book I, Letter 35
To Peter, Bishop of Terracina [a coastal town south of Rome].
Gregory to Peter.
Joseph, a Jew and the bearer of this letter, has informed us that the Jewish community living near Terracina had been accustomed to gather at a certain place to celebrate their religious observances. Your Fraternity expelled them from that place. They then moved -- with your knowledge and consent -- to another location for the same purpose. Now they complain that they have been expelled from this second place as well.
If this is true, we want your Fraternity to stop giving them cause for such complaints. Let them be allowed, as has been the custom, to gather at the place they obtained with your consent for their meetings. Those who disagree with the Christian faith need to be drawn toward the unity of faith through gentleness, kindness, instruction, and persuasion -- not driven away by threats and intimidation. People who might have been attracted to belief by the appeal of preaching and the sobering thought of future judgment should not be repelled by force.
It is better that they come to hear the word of God from you willingly, rather than becoming frightened by excessive harshness.
Book I, Letter 35
To Peter, Bishop of Terracina.
Gregory to Peter, etc.
Joseph, a Jew, the bearer of these presents, has informed us that, the Jews dwelling in the camp of Terracina having been accustomed to assemble in a certain place for celebrating their festivities, your Fraternity had expelled them thence, and that they had migrated, and this with your knowledge and consent, to another place for in like manner observing their festivities; and now they complain that they have been expelled anew from this same place. But, if it is so, we desire your Fraternity to abstain from giving cause of complaint of this kind, and that they be allowed, as has been the custom, to assemble in the place which, as we have already said, they had obtained with your knowledge for their place of meeting. For those who dissent from the Christian religion must needs be gathered together to unity of faith by gentleness, kindness, admonition, persuasion, lest those whom the sweetness of preaching and the anticipated terror of future judgment might have invited to believe should be repelled by threats and terrors. It is right, then, that they should come together kindly to hear the word of God from you rather than that they should become afraid of overstrained austerity.
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Source. Translated by James Barmby. From Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, Second Series, Vol. 12. Edited by Philip Schaff and Henry Wace. (Buffalo, NY: Christian Literature Publishing Co., 1895.) Revised and edited for New Advent by Kevin Knight. <https://www.newadvent.org/fathers/360201035.htm>.
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Book I, Letter 35
To Peter, Bishop of Terracina [a coastal town south of Rome].
Gregory to Peter.
Joseph, a Jew and the bearer of this letter, has informed us that the Jewish community living near Terracina had been accustomed to gather at a certain place to celebrate their religious observances. Your Fraternity expelled them from that place. They then moved -- with your knowledge and consent -- to another location for the same purpose. Now they complain that they have been expelled from this second place as well.
If this is true, we want your Fraternity to stop giving them cause for such complaints. Let them be allowed, as has been the custom, to gather at the place they obtained with your consent for their meetings. Those who disagree with the Christian faith need to be drawn toward the unity of faith through gentleness, kindness, instruction, and persuasion -- not driven away by threats and intimidation. People who might have been attracted to belief by the appeal of preaching and the sobering thought of future judgment should not be repelled by force.
It is better that they come to hear the word of God from you willingly, rather than becoming frightened by excessive harshness.
Modern English rendering for readability. See the 19th-century translation or original Latin/Greek for scholarly use.