Letter 170: Part of the papal correspondence surrounding the Acacian Schism (484-519), the major breach between Rome and...

Having received the letters of your holiness, dearest brother in Christ — through the most distinguished count Gratus, and now through the most reverend bishops Germanus and John, and the most holy deacons Felix and Dioscorus, and the presbyter Blandus — I rejoiced in the spiritual love of your holiness, that you seek the unity of the most holy churches of God according to the ancient tradition of the fathers, and hasten with loving zeal to bring back the scatterers of the rational flock of Christ. Know therefore with certainty, most holy one, that, as I wrote to you, being of one mind with you in truth, I too reject all the heretics repudiated by you, as a lover of peace. For the most holy churches of God — that is, of your elder Rome and of this new Rome — I accept as one, and I define the see of the apostle Peter and this see of the imperial city as one. I assent to all things enacted by the four holy synods, that is, the Nicene, Constantinopolitan, Ephesine, and Chalcedonian, concerning the confirmation of the faith and the state of the Church, and I suffer nothing of what has been well judged to be disturbed: but those who have attempted or striven to disturb even one iota of those decisions, I know to have fallen from the holy, universal, and apostolic Church of God, and rightly using your words, I declare through these present writings: Since the first requirement of salvation is to keep the rule of right faith and to deviate in no way from the tradition of the fathers — because the pronouncement of our Lord Jesus Christ cannot be set aside, who said: "You are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church" [Matthew 16:18]. These words are proved true by their effects: for in the apostolic see the Catholic religion has always been preserved inviolate. Desiring, therefore, not to fall from this faith, but following the constitutions of the fathers in all things, we anathematize all heresies, and especially Nestorius the heretic, who was once bishop of the city of Constantinople, condemned at the Council of Ephesus by blessed Pope Celestine of the city of Rome and by the venerable Cyril, bishop of the city of Alexandria; and together with him we anathematize Eutyches and Dioscorus, bishop of the city of Alexandria, condemned at the holy Council of Chalcedon, which we venerate, follow, and embrace, which, following the holy Council of Nicaea, preached the apostolic faith; joining to these Timothy the parricide, surnamed Aelurus, we anathematize him, and likewise condemn his disciple and follower in all things, Peter of Alexandria. We similarly anathematize Acacius, formerly bishop of the city of Constantinople, who became their accomplice and follower, as well as those persevering in communion and participation with them. For whoever embraces the communion of any of these, he acquires a similar adjudication in condemnation. In like manner, condemning Peter of Antioch, we anathematize him together with his followers and all those mentioned above. Therefore we approve and embrace all the letters of blessed Pope Leo of the city of Rome, which he wrote concerning the right faith. Wherefore, as we said, following the apostolic see in all things, we both preach everything that has been decreed by it; and therefore I hope that I will be in the one communion with you which the apostolic see proclaims, in which is the entire and perfect solidity of the Christian religion: promising that in the time to come the names of those separated from the communion of the Catholic Church — that is, those not in agreement in all things with the apostolic see — are not to be recited among the sacred mysteries. But if in anything I attempt to deviate from my profession, I declare myself by my own condemnation to be an associate of those whom I have condemned. I have subscribed this profession with my own hand, and I have sent it in writing to you, Hormisdas, holy and most blessed brother and pope of great Rome, through the above-named venerable bishops Germanus and John, and the deacons Felix and Dioscorus, and the presbyter Blandus. And in another hand: I, John, by the mercy of God bishop of Constantinople, the new Rome, consenting in this my profession to all the above, have subscribed in soundness in the Lord. Given on the twenty-eighth day of March [March 28, 519 AD], in the twelfth indiction, with the consent of the lord Justin, Emperor Augustus, in the consulship of the most distinguished Eutharicus.

seu 2ftM^H Exemplum libelli Johannis episoopi ConstantinopolitanL Eanulem se, quam Hormisday fidem profileri confirmatj ac lihelhtm per legatot p.n desiinatxm a se subscriptum remUtit. Domino meo per omnia sanctissimo et beatissimo fratri et comministro^) Hormisdae Johannes episcopus in Domino salutem. t'p. 47. 1. Redditis mihi litteris^) vestrae sanctitatis, in Christo frater cp. 52. carissime, per Gratum clarissimum comitem, et nunc per Germanmn et Johannem reverendissimos episcopos et Felicem et Dioscoram sanctissimos diaconos et Blandum presbyterum, laetatus sum de spirituali caritate vestrae sanctitatis, quod unitatem sanctissimanun Dei ecclesiarum secundum veterem patrum requiris traditionem, et dilaceratores rationabilis gregis Christi amore pulsare festinas. Cer- tus igitur scito, per onmia sanctissime, quia, secundum quod vobis scripsi, ima tecum cum*) veritate sentiens, onmes a te repudiatoe liaereticos renuo et ego, pacem dihgens. Sanctissimas enim Dei ecclesias, id est superioris^) vestrae et novellae istius Romae, unam esse accipio, illam sedem apostoli Petri et istius augustae civitatis imam esse definio. Omnibus actis a sanctissimis ^) quatuor synodis, (u^us laudes Marcellinus Comes ad annum 516 prosequitur, successisse Tidetur rheodoritus. Deo auctore ... sequantitr, vel Deus ... exsequatur, 61 ') G' comministratori (al. comministro) Johannes, non addita voce epiicopm. Kadeni omittitur iu relatione ojusdem Johannis scu in sup. ep. 43. -) Scil. quae supra Horm. epist. 47 et 62. Bup. op. 43 n. 1 in veritate. f') Ita JO i*. G' a' b ss. sanctis illis. — Ibidem verbis de confirmatione fidei^ quae Romani praesules, miixime ubi de Calchedonensi synodo sermo erat, ad- jiooro studebant, caute subjungit Johannes et statu Ecclesiae, qno quae ab ilK* Rvnodis in gratiain sedis suac definita crant propugnare posset. BPISTOLAE 60. 61. 853 i(I est Nicaena, Constantinopolitana, Ephesina et Calchedonensi, de a. 619. confirmatione fidei et statu Ecclesiae assentior, et nihil titubare de bene judicatis patior: sed et conantes aut enisos^) usque ad unum apicem placitorum perturbare, lapsos esse a sancta Dei generali et apostolica Ecclesia scio, et tuis verbis recte dictis evidenter utens, per praesentia scripta dico: • 2. Quia^) prima salus est, rectae fidei regulam custodire, et a patrum traditione nuUatenus deviare; quia non potest Domini nostri Jesu Christi praetermitti sententia, dicentis: Tu es Petrus,^^^- et super hanc petram aedificaho Ecclesiam meam. Haec quae dicta ' sunt rerum probantur efiectibus : quia in sede apostolica inviolabilis semper catholica custoditur religio. De hac igitur fide non cadere cupientes, sed patrum sequentes in omnibus constituta, anathemati- zamus omnes haereses, praecipue vero Nestorium haereticum, qui quondam Constantinopolitanae urbis fuit episcopus, damnatum in concilio Ephesino a beato Coelestino papa urbis Romae et a venerabili viro Cyrillo episcopo Alexandrinae civitatis; et una cum illo anathe- matizamusEutychetem etDioscorum Alexandrinae civitatis episcopum, damnatos in sancta synodo Calchedonensi , quam venerantes sequimur et amplectimur, quae sequens sanctam synodum Nicaenam, apostoli- cam fidem praedicavit; his conjungentes Timotheum parricidam, Aehi- rum cognominatum, anathematizamus, et hujus discipulum et sequa- cem in omnibus Petrum Alexandrinum similiter condemnaiites. Ana- thematizamus similiter Acacium quondam Constantinopolitanae urbis episcopum complicem eorum et secjuacem factum, nec noji et persevo- rantes-*)eorum communioui et participationi. Quorum enim quis com- munionem complectitur, eorum et similem adjudicationem in eondenma- tione consequitur. Simili modo et Petrimi Antioehenum condemnan- tes, anathematizamus cum sequacibus suis et omnibus*^*) suprascri- ptis. Unde probamus et amplectimur epistolas omnes beati Leonis papae urbis Romae, quas conscripsit de recta fide. Quapropter, ®) c' omit. particulam quia. Et auferenda quidem esset, nisi ex mss. con- atarot, eam al> interprete additam , et cum Buperiore verbo dico co})ulatam esso in hunc modum: dico, quia prima salus. Abhinc incipit libcllus, quem Ilor- misda subscribendum praescripait, ab authentico tantum verbis aut verljoruni ordine, quem interpres servare non valuit, discrepans. ') 0' c^ c' perseveraniem , quod ad unum Acacium attineret. At ex epistolis 7 et 26, in quibus is locus ita enuntiatur vel qui in eorum communionis societate permanserinty liquet, praeferendum' esse perseverantes^ eoque verbo imprimis no- tantur Acacii successores, qui ab ejus communione secedere detrectarunt. Restituimus cum mss. a^ et omnibus suprascriptis. Quamquam mallemus et omnium suprascriptorum subaudito sequacibus, ut epistolis 7 et 26 e castigatio- ribus mss. est emendatum. a. 619. sicut praediximus, sequentes iu omnibus sedem apostolicam, et prae- dicamus onmia quae ab ipsa decreta sunt; et propterea spero inuua communione vobiscura, quam apostolica sedes praedicat, me fotu- rum, in qua est integra Christianae religionis et perfecta soliditas: promittens in sequenti tempore sequestratos a conmiunione Eccleaiae catholicae, id est in onmibus non consentientes s^di apostolicae, eorum nomina iiiter sacra non recitanda esse mjsteria. Quodai in aliquo a professione mea deviare**) tentavero, his quos condemnayi, per condemnationem propriam consortem me esse profiteor. Hmc vero professioni subscripsi mea manu, et direxi per scripta tibi Hor- misdae, sancto et beatissimo fratri et papae magnae Romae, per supradictos Germanum et Johannem venerabiles episcopos et Felicem et Dioscorum diaconos et Blandum presbyterum. Et alia manu. Jo- hannes misericordia Dei episcopus Gonstantinopolitanae novellae Ro- mae, hac mea professione consentiens omnibus supradictis, sub- scripsi sanus in Domino^^). Data mense Martio die 28''), in- dictione duodecima, consensu'*) domini Justini imperatoris Augusti, Eutharico viro clarissimo consule.