Letter 58: Part of the papal correspondence surrounding the Acacian Schism (484-519), the major breach between Rome and...

We confess that the spirit of our devotion has been so filled with the joy of concord that we believe no words suffice by which we could fully express the purity of your faith. You will assuredly pass to posterity with a distinguished memory of felicity, because it is certain that you were bound by the anxiety of making peace. You have merit before the divinity, to whose worship you have rendered your devotion. You have indeed accomplished the desires of the whole community, yet your own vows have been fulfilled equally, and while you have prepared a reward for your souls, the whole world rejoices that this benefit has been bestowed upon it. Therefore, greeting you with due honor, we urge and ask that with the energy with which you began the work of ecclesiastical peace you bring about its completion, and wherever you see traces of any contention remaining, you take care to pursue them by all means. Be present to the fullest tranquility of the churches of God; persist in the labor which by the gift of your faith you have taken care to offer to the Lord. For you cause us to demand the completion from you with all the greater confidence, since we congratulate you on having laid the auspicious foundations of the union so long desired. We congratulate you indeed on the result of your labor, which with the help of almighty God you have undertaken, for that part which has been accomplished, indicating to all the peoples of Italy that those things which, with God as author, have been done through you have found favor, and we give thanks to our God without ceasing, who has made you understand that you were appointed not out of hatred but rather on account of the magnitude of the cause. Therefore, since through you the mercy of divine propitiation has aided our suppliant and pure purpose, it is necessary that we give thought to the reward and recompense for your industry and toil. For at the next opportunity we are planning to write to our lord and son the emperor that he should arrange for you to be ordained bishop of Alexandria. For it is just that the church in which you have principally served from these very beginnings of your career be corrected by your teaching and moderation. For it displeased us that the most merciful emperor was attempting to place your charity over the church of Antioch; for it is better that in the soil of your homeland you receive the dignity of so great a priesthood, so that you may teach the Egyptian peoples rather than among the Syrians, as a stranger born in another part of the world among new and unknown people, you might seem to err. The long detention of our brothers and fellow bishops Thomas and Nicostratus also grieves us, and we are surprised that bishops appear to be laboring for the right faith before a catholic emperor. Your charity should seek to relieve their desires by acting so that the sorrow of those who await the desired outcome may be turned into joy. John, bishop of Nicopolis, has written to us through the deacon Ammonius that certain ill-disposed persons are attempting to generate calumny against him before the emperor: we commend him to your affection, urging you to work so that the malicious approach of his enemies cannot harm his peace. We were unwilling to receive the said deacon Ammonius, who came to us, into the communion of the apostolic see until, having held consultation with the deacon Sergius, we could determine what ought to be arranged, and our deliberation found this to be satisfactory to the aforesaid deacon: that he should be joined to catholic communion through the testimony of the libellus [formula of submission]. Having solemnly offered the libellus, we report that we have admitted the one offering it to our communion. We commend Paulinus, defender of the Roman church, and we urge that you not leave anything undisposed through haste for your return, because all things are better arranged with the passage of time and with the help of our God, and it is more pleasing if the status of all the churches is arranged with some delay than if through haste something remains incomplete, from which both labor would be generated for us again and difficulty would be brought upon our arrangements.

HORMiSDA POMFEio. Ita douotiouis nostrae animum gaudio concordiae fatemur impletum, ut nuUa credamus uerba sufHcere, quibus fidei uestrae puritatem ualeamus explere. magna pro- fecto memoria felicitatis transibitis ad posteros, quia uos iu facienda pace sollicitudine certum est fuisse constrictos. habetis apud diuinitatem meritum, cuius religioni persoluitis affectum. operati quidem estis generalitatis desideria sed et uestra pariter completa sunt uota, et cum animae uestrae paraueritis praemium, uniuersitas sibi beneficium gaudet impensum. 1 uideantur edit. reg. et sic p. 632, 7 3 memor F, corr. pos- 8cit F, corr. p 5 aliquid V {cf. p. 632, 11), corr, o iiituntur p, at cf. p. 632, 11 6 dilectionis F, corr. o 7 posacit V, corr. o 10 quid Tkiel (cf. p. 632, 16) : qui 7 11 <de> supradicto edit. reg., at cf p. 632, 17 13 solemniter V 14 coramunionia V, corr, p Data.] nec diem nec mensem additum non mireris, si quae initio epistulae subnotaui con- sideraueris Epist, CLXXni 4 — CLXXV 3. 631 quapropter de<bita> u<o>s honorificentia salutantes hortamur et 2 petimus, ut uiuacitate, qua quietis ecclesiasticae coepistis ini- tium, procuretis efifectum et, quocumque contentionis alicuius nideritis remansisse uestigia, curetis modis omnibus inse- 5 quenda. adeste ecclesiainim dei plenissimae tranquillitati, insistite labori quem fidei uestrae munere domino curastis offerre. facitis enim, ut maiore a uobis fiducia exigamus pleni- tudinem, quos gratulamur desideratae diutissime adunationis initia uotiua fundasse. Data die quo <supra> cons. ss. 10 (175.) HORiiSDA nioscoRO DUCONO. Dc laboris tui quidem, quem dei omnipotentis iuuamine suscepisti, pro ea parte, quae acta est, gratulamur efFectu indicantes omnibus Italiae populis, quae auctore deo per te acta sunt, placuisse et gratias deo 15 nostro sine cessatione persoluimus, qui te fecit agnoscere, quia non pro odio sed pro causae magis fueris amplitudine destinatus. unde quoniam supplicem et puram cogitationem 2 nostram per te misericordia diuinae propitiationis adiuuit, necesse est, ut de industriae uel fatigationis tuae praemio 29 ot uicissitudine cogitemus. nam sequenti tempore scribere domno et filio nostro imperatori disponimus, ut te Alexan- drinum episcopum debeat ordinare. iustum est enim, ut ea doctrinauel moderatione tua corrigatur ecclesia, in qua praecipue ab istis aetatis tuae principiis militasti. nam displicuit nobis, 3 « quod caritatem tuam clementissimus imperator Antiochenae 1 de<bita> n<o>B temptaui, debita Car.: df (= deus) V 2 cepistis V 5 plenissime V 6 insisstite V curasti F, corr. 8 di ustissim^ F, corr. a 9 data d<l cons. ss. F; ego supra inserui 175. Bat. (simul cum ep. 227) a. 519 die 3 Dec; per Paulinum, Edd. Car. P 508; Collect. Concil; BTA I 431; Thiel 905; comme- morat Bar. ad a. 519, 134. De similitudine epistulae 173 cf. quae illiusinitio subnotaui. 17 simplicem jTAteZ pura F, corr. o 21 aleian- drinam F, corr. o 22 ea F: tua o* 23 uel scripsi: ut F, et p 24 istis F: ipsis Car. militati F, corr. o^ 632 Honnisda lustiniano praeponere nitebatur ecclesiae; melins enim in solo patriae tanti accipis sacerdotii dignitatem, ut Aegyptios populos doceas quam inter Syros nouos et incognitos homines in alia 4 orbis parte progenitus errare uidearis. Thomae quoque et Nicostrati fratrum et coepiscoporum nostroiiim obseruatio longa nos contristat et miramur, cur apud catholicum principem rectae fidei laborare uideantur episcopi. quorum desideria tua debebit caritas subleuare agendo, quatenus optata conse- 5 quentium maeror conuerti possit in gaudium. lohannes Nico- politanus episcopus per Ammonium diaconum nobis scripsit, quod ei aliqui maliuoli apud principem nitantur generare calumniam: quem dilectioni tuae commendamus hortantes, ut elabores, ne eius quieti inimicorum possit nocere subreptio. 6 quem Ammonium diaconum ad nos uenientem in sedis apo- stolicae noluimus communione suscipere tamdiu, donec habito cum Sergio diacono tractatu quid ordinari debuerit quaere- remus, et hoc deliberatio nostra supra dicto diacono probabilis inuenit, ut per testimonium libelli communioni catholicae iun- geretur: quo libello soUemniter oblato nostrae offerentem com- 7 munioni significamus adiunctum. Paulinum ecclesiae Bomanae defensorem commendamus et hortamur, ut nihil indispositum pro festinatione uestri reditus relinquatis, quia melius cuncta sub prolixitate temporis cum dei nostri iuuamine disponuntur et gratius est, <si> sub mora omnium ecclesiarum ordinetur status quam cum per festinationem aliquid imperfectum rema- neat, unde itenim et labor nobis generetur et nostris afferatur ordinationibus diSicultas. Data die <quo> supra cons. ss. 2 accipies Car. egypcios V 3 homine F, corr. o 4 urbis V, corr. 5 fratrum Car.: et fratrum V 9 memor F, corr. cor uerti F, corr. a 11 aliquid F {cf. p. 630, 5), corr. nituntur Car. 15 noluisti F, corr. a man. post. {cf. p. 630. 9) 17 <de> supradicto 23 temporibus F, corr. o^ 24 si addidi, ut p 25 festinacione F, co)r. a 27 die <quo> supra acripsi {%. e. 3 Dec. a. 519) : dif F Epist. CLXXV 4 — CLXXVI 3. 638