Letter 232: Part of the papal correspondence surrounding the Acacian Schism (484-519), the major breach between Rome and...

To the lord, the most blessed man and holy father Hormisdas, pontiff of the city of Rome, from Justinianus. 1. How great a veneration for religion we hold, and how anxiously we have ever been concerned for the uniting of the holy churches, your beatitude is also a witness. For after our renowned lord and emperor [Justin I] began to reign, we directed letters through all who were coming to Italy, entreating your apostolate as was fitting. Now also, lest anything of those things which it is proper to be done should be passed over, John the most reverend bishop, Heraclianus the presbyter, and Constantine the deacon of the sacrosanct church of this renowned city have been dispatched to the City [of Rome] auspiciously, so that they may receive a complete reply concerning all the matters about which your son the most serene emperor wrote. Let your holiness therefore deign to receive willingly the aforesaid most religious men, and, prayers having been held and the Divinity appeased, may you so order all things venerably that nothing further may remain in doubt. 2. For to us it seems that, since the Son of the living God, our Lord Jesus Christ, born of the Virgin Mary, whom the chief of the apostles proclaims to have suffered in the flesh, he is rightly said to reign in the Trinity with the Father and the Holy Spirit, and we believe not unfaithfully that the person of his majesty is in the Trinity and from the Trinity. But concerning the names of the deceased bishops, dispose mercifully, and as befits a peacemaking father; for your predecessor also, of blessed memory, wrote to Anastasius of the principal record [Anastasius, formerly emperor] that, if only the name of Acacius were removed, there would be one communion between us. Did not therefore your see urge that this be granted? For you ought to imitate the most holy Leo, the Roman pontiff, and, just as he wrote to Leo, so you also, all doubts having been cut away, [ought] to write back perfect and peaceable pages to the most unconquerable prince your son, for the Church, so that before the tribunal of the judge to come you may be a partaker of those whose see you hold by priestly right. Let your apostolate therefore show that it has succeeded the apostle Peter; since the Lord will require from you, as from the highest shepherds, the salvation of all who will be able to be saved once concord is established. For we, the chapters being concluded about which you received the writings, will no longer permit a controversy of religion to be stirred up by anyone in our commonwealth, nor is it fitting that your holiness should listen to those contending over superfluous matters. [Given] on the 29th of October, in the year 520.

seu 9 SeDt \ ^onipluni epistolae Justiniani consulis ad HormiBdam papam. SuuM pro fide cathoKca studium contestans precahir^ ut Homdxda de duobut p. liO capituHs etiamtunc controversis perfectas pacificasgue paginas ad imperatoreu rescribat. Domino viro beatissimo sanctoque patri Hormis- dae urbis Romae pontifici Justinianus^). 1. Quantam venerationem religionis habeamus^ quamque solli- citi semper fuerimus propter uniendas sanctas ecclesias; testis est quoque vestra beatitudo. Postquam regnavit etenim dominus noster inclitus imperator^ per omnes ad Italiam venientes direximus litteras, apostolatum tuum rogantes sicut decebat. Nunc etiam ne quid eorum quae fieri convenit praetermittatur, Johannes vir reverendis- simus antistes, Heraclianus presbyter, et Constantinus diaconus sa- crosanctae ecclesiae hujus inclitae civitatis destinati sunt ad Urbem feliciter, ut super omnibus, quae scripsit filius vester serenissimus imperator, integrum responsum accipiant. Dignetur ergo sanctitas tua suscipere memoratos viros religiosissimos libenter, et habitis orationibus placataque Divinitate sic omnia debeat ordinare venera- biUter, ut nihil ultra remaneat in ambiguum. 2. Nobis etenim videtur, quoniam Filius Dei vivi I>ominus noster Jesus Christus ex virgine Maria natus, quem praedicat summus ^^®*^-apostoIorum carne passumy recte diciturimus in Trinitate cuim Patre 4,1. '*) G^ Christodolus i. e. Chnsti servus. Ed. Christodorus. 132 *) £d. addunt cos (q. e. consul) aut v. c, quod utrumque deest in G*. ^ EPISTOLAE 131. 132. 955 Spirituque sancto regnare, majestatisque ejus personam in Trinitate (a. 620.) et ex Trinitate non infideliter credimus. De nominibus autem de- functorum episcoporum clementer, et ut decet pacificum patrem dis- ponite : quia vester quoque praedecessor beatae recordationis ad me- Anast. n monae pnncipalis Anastasium scnpsit, ut si nomen Acacii tantum- modo^) tolleretur, una nobis esset communio. Nonne igitur suasit vestra sedes, ut^) praestet? Imitari debetis etenim sanctissimum Leonem Bomanum pontificem, ac sicut ille scripsit Leoni, ita et vos ^^^ou. omnibus amputatis dubitationibus perfectas pacificasque paginas ad invictissimum principem filium vestrum rescribere Ecclesiae^), ut ante tribunal venturi judicis particeps^) eorum sitis, quorum sedem jure sacerdotali tenetis. Ostendat ergo tuus apostolatus, quod Petro successit apostolo; quoniam Dominus a vobis utpote sunmiis pasto- ribus exacturus est universorum salutem, qui poterunt esse salvi firmata concordia. Nos etenim finitis capitulis, de quibus scripta suscepistis, ultra^) non patiemur a quoquam controversiam religio- nis in republica nostra moveri, nec vestram sanctitatem convenit audire superflua concertantes. ') Anastasius II papa epist. 1 ad Anastasium prindpatis memoriae^ hoc estf qni olim princeps fiiit, num. 4 non ait, ui tantummodo , sed ut specialiter nomen iaceatur Acacii: quod scilicet unum hactenus ecclesia Constantinopolitana ma- xime recusarat. Sed hoc nbminatim edicens, nequaquam ut aliorum qui da- mnati fuerant nomina redtarentur permittebat. Immo ne id fieret, ibidem u. 2 diserte deprecatus est his verbis: Legatione iiaque fungimur pro ChristOt ne eos propter osiensionem vel scandalum patiamini puhlice nominari, quorum merita vel actus apud illum Judicem latere non possunt. Justinianus finiri flagitat, non aHa sunt ab illis duobus, quibus compositis uni- versos Orientis sacerdotes Romanae sedis commuuionem amplexuros idem co- mes ad calcem epistolae 120 item adstruit, scil. ut Hormisda unum ex Trinitaie crucifixtim dici et episcoporum post Acacium defunctorum nomina recitari permittat. lis autem, quae nunc Justiniauus pollicetur, illum minime stetisse , testis est con- troversia de tribus capitulis et aliae, quas in Ecclesia uon sine scandalo mo- veri passus est ac praeter id quod ipsum decebat promovit. a. 520 d. 29 0ct.