Letter 69: Part of the papal correspondence surrounding the Acacian Schism (484-519), the major breach between Rome and...

By the favor of the divinity, which has always instructed the catholic church through the growth of faith, the unity of the holy churches has come about through the teaching and authority of your apostolate. But since we have learned that certain men who are monks in name, for whom discord is more a matter of zeal than the love and peace of God, desiring to disturb certain things, have set out from here on their way to your angelship [a title of honor for the pope]: let your blessedness, recognizing from this present letter the cause of their malice, deign to receive them as they deserve and drive them far away, since their vain talk — of those who hasten to introduce novelties into the church which neither the four venerable synods [Nicaea, Constantinople, Ephesus, Chalcedon] nor the letters of the holy Pope Leo are known to contain — is seen to stir up disturbances in every place. For this very reason also, may your angelship deign to send to us from the most reverend bishops and deacons dispatched by your apostolate [...], and command those same men, struck with fitting correction, to be expelled, as has been said above. Therefore we ask this: that, as has been said above, you take great care to direct those very letters to us through the same bearer. The names of those men are: Achilles, John, Leontius, and Mauritius. This is our greatest cause of concern: that the unity which your labor and prayer accomplished should not be broken apart by restless men, hoping in God that if anything still dissents from the peace of the whole world, this too may be joined to the communion of the apostolic see through your prayers. Moreover, presuming upon the benevolence of your blessedness, we earnestly beg your fatherly affection that you deign to richly illuminate and adorn with relics of the holy apostles both ourselves and their basilica here, built in our house under the name of the aforesaid venerable ones, knowing that you can bestow upon us no greater gift or benefit, most blessed lord and father, than if you fulfill this our petition. Since the aforesaid agent set out on his journey suddenly, we have also sent two silk altar cloths for the adornment of the altar of the holy apostles, which, upon receiving them, we ask that through your most efficacious prayers you command that perpetual remembrance of us be made.

EXEMPLUM EPISTOLAE lUSTINlANI. DOmNO SANCTO MERITIS BEATISSIMO BT APOSTOLICO DOMNO PATRi PAPAE HORMisDAE IU3TLMANUS. Pfopitia diuinitate, quae semper ecclesiam catholicam per incrementa fidei iustituit, unitas sanctarum ecclesiarum pro doctrina et auctoritate 2 apostolatus uestri prouenit. sed quoniam coraperimus quosdam nomine monachos, quibus magis discordia studio est quam caritas et pai dei, cupientes quaedam perturbare ad angelum uestrum hinc descendentes iter ampuisse: quos beatitudo uestra praesentibus scriptis causam liuoris eonim cognoscens ita, ut merentur, suscipere et a se longe pellere dignetur, quoniam uaniloquia ipsorum festinantium nouitates introducere in ecclesia, quod neque quattuor synodi uenerabiles neque sancti papae Leonis epistolae continere noscuntur, in omni 3 loco turbas excitare uidentur: quam etiam ob rem et a uiris reuerentissimis episcopis et diaconibus directis ab apostulatu uestro * * ad nos angelus uester destinare dignetur et ipsos digna correctione perculsos, ut superius dictum est, pellere iubeat. ergo hoc petimus, ut, sicut supra dictum est, ipsas huiusmodi Utteras per eundem portitorem ad nos dirigere magnopere praecipiat. sunt autem nomina eorum Achilles, 187. Bat. (simul cum epp. 216—218) a. 519 die 29 lunii, per IJuhgium, Edd. Car. r 524; Bar. ad a, 519, 96; CoUect, Condl; Thiel 875. 8 per doctrinam et auctoritatem Bar. 9 apostolatns o^: et apostolatus V 10 discrodia F, corr. a istudio F, corr. cod. Angelic: in studio o 12 discedentes Car. 13 liboris V 15 nane eloquia F, corr. p 20 lacunam indicauit Thiel, qui addi iubet scripta de iisdem missa sunt. quae autem rescripserit beatitudo uestra, haec per eumdem portitorem; sed etiam nomen portitoris Eulogii agentis in ''bus excidisse putandum est, cf. Beitrdge p. 24 adn. 2 Epist. CLXXXVI 5 — CLXXXVin 2. 645 lohannes, Leontius et Mauritius. haec nosti^a est inaxima 4 sollicitudinis causa, ne unitas, quam uester labor oratioque perfecit, per inquietos homines dissipetur, sperantes in deo, quia, si quid est quod adhuc a totius orbis pace dissentiat, 5 hoc quoque orationibus uestris apostolicae sedis comunioni societur. praesumentes autem de beatitudinis uestrae beni- 5 uolentia paternam dilectionem nimium petimus, quatenus reliquiis sanctorum apostolorum tam nos quam basilicam eorum hic in domo nostra sub nomine praedictorum uenerabilium 10 constructam illustrare et illuminare Large dignemini, cogno- scentes, quod nullum nobis maius nec munus nec beneficium praestare potestis, domine beatissime pater, quam si hanc nostram petitionem adimpleueritis. subito autem iter arripiente 6 praedicto agente in rebus etiam duo paliios holosericos ad 15 omamentum altaris sanctorum apostolorum direximus, quos suscipientes efficacissimis precibus uestris nostri iubete iugiter memoriam facere.