Letter 6065: Amidst the cares of warfare and innumerable anxieties which you sustain in your unwearied zeal for the government of the Christian republic, it is a great cause of joy to me along with the whole world that your Piety ever watches over custody of the faith whereby the empire of our lords is resplendent. Whence I fully trust that, as you guard the...

Gregory to the Emperor Maurice. Amid the cares of warfare and the innumerable anxieties which you sustain in your tireless zeal for the governance of the Christian empire, it gives me great joy along with the whole world that your Piety ever keeps watch over the custody of the faith by which the empire of our lords shines. I fully trust, therefore, that as you guard God's causes with the love of a devout mind, so God guards and aids yours with the grace of his Majesty. How deeply the serenity of your Piety has been moved against the most flagrant wickedness of the Donatists, out of regard for righteousness and zeal for pure religion, is made clear by the commands you have sent. But the most reverend bishops who have come from the African province report that your orders have been so disregarded through ill-advised connivance that neither is the fear of God maintained there, nor are the imperial commands carried out. They add that in the aforesaid province, through the bribes of the Donatists, the Catholic faith is being openly sold. The distinguished Gennadius, on the other hand, has in turn lodged a complaint against one of those who raised such accusations, and two others have given testimony corroborating his account. Since a secular judge is involved in this case, I have thought it right to send these bishops to the footsteps of your Piety, so that they may set out in person before your most serene ears what they declare themselves to have endured for the Catholic faith. For these reasons I beseech the Christianity of my lords — for the good of their souls and the life of their most pious children — to give strict orders for the punishment of those who are found to be as described; to arrest with a rescuing hand the ruin of those who are perishing; and to apply the medicine of correction to minds gone astray, curing them of the poisonous bite of error. So may the darkness of that pestilential wickedness be driven away by the remedy of your action; may the true faith shed the rays of its clarity throughout those regions; and may a heavenly triumph await you before the eyes of our Redeemer — because those whom you defend outwardly from the enemy, you also free inwardly from the poison of diabolical deceit, which is a still more glorious achievement.

Book VI, Letter 65 To Mauricius, Emperor. Gregory to Mauricius Augustus. Amidst the cares of warfare and innumerable anxieties which you sustain in your unwearied zeal for the government of the Christian republic, it is a great cause of joy to me along with the whole world that your Piety ever watches over custody of the faith whereby the empire of our lords is resplendent. Whence I fully trust that, as you guard the causes of God with the love of a religious mind, so God guards and aids yours with the grace of His Majesty. Now after what manner the serenity of your Piety, out of regard to righteousness and zeal for the purest religion, has been moved against the most flagitious pravity of the Donatists, the tenor of the commands which you have sent most clearly shows. But the most reverend bishops who have come from the African province assert that these have been so disregarded through ill-advised connivance that neither is the judgment of God held in fear there, nor are the imperial commands so far carried into effect; adding also this: that in the aforesaid province, through the bribes of the Donatists prevailing, the Catholic faith is publicly let to sale. But on the other hand the glorious Gennadius has likewise complained of one of those who made such complaints: and two others also have borne like testimony with him on the subject. But, inasmuch as in this case a secular judge was concerned, I have thought it right to send these bishops to the footsteps of your Piety, that they may represent in person to your most serene ears what they declare themselves to have endured for the Catholic faith. For these reasons I beseech the Christianity of my lords, for the good of their souls and life of their most pious offspring, to give orders by a strict mandate for the punishment of such as you find to be such as have been described, and to arrest with the hand of rescue the ruin of those who are perishing, and to apply the medicine of correction to insane minds, and cure them of the poisonous bite of error; that so, the darkness of pestiferous pravity having been driven away by the remedy of your provision, and the true faith having shed abroad in those parts the rays of its serenity, heavenly triumph may await you before the eyes of our Redeemer, because whomsoever you defend outwardly from the enemy, them you also set free inwardly from the poison of diabolical fraud; which is a still more glorious thing. About this page 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/360206065.htm>. Contact information. The editor of New Advent is Kevin Knight. My email address is feedback732 at newadvent.org. (To help fight spam, this address might change occasionally.) Regrettably, I can't reply to every letter, but I greatly appreciate your feedback — especially notifications about typographical errors and inappropriate ads.