Letter 83: Part of the papal correspondence surrounding the Acacian Schism (484-519), the major breach between Rome and...

Your brotherhood ought indeed, in contemplation of the divine judgment and out of regard for our charity, to have admitted without hesitation our brothers and fellow bishops Helias, Thomas, and Nicostratus — after we received them into the fellowship of our communion — to the divine mysteries with you and to have recalled them to their churches, from which the error of discord had excluded them, for the fullness of our peace, so that the unity which God has restored to his churches throughout the whole world after the long course of many years might not be injured by any divergence of our wills. But since it has happened that so welcome a matter, one so consonant with the venerable statutes of the fathers, has been deferred until now by certain delays — concerning which we recall having written also to your brotherhood's predecessor — we urge that the joy which we receive from the condemnation of the past dissension be in no way again saddened by the cause of disagreeing spirits. For indeed it appears to no one that you are communicating with us with the full affection of your mind, if you segregate from your fellowship those who communicate with us. Certainly those who defer compliance with the precepts of peace appear in vain to receive peace. For whatever delay you make in receiving them into communion, you in some measure detract from our own reconciliation, and care must be taken, dearest brother, lest, if the concord of our churches at last granted from above should take its beginning from such examples, both the venerable rule of religion and the authority of the apostolic see appear to have been diminished — which God forbid — rather than restored throughout the East.

HOWnSDA EPIPHANIO EPI8C0P0 C0N8TANTIN0P0LITAN0. OpOl- tuerat quidem fraternitatem tuam diuini contemplatione iudicii atque caritatis nostrae respectu Heliam Thomam atque 5 Nicostratum fratres et coepiscopos nostros, postquam in consortium communionis nostrae recepimus, ad diuina tecum mjsteria incunctanter admittere atque ad ecclesias suas, a quibus eos discordiae error excluserat, pro pacis nostrae plenitudine reuocare, ut unitas, quam post annorum multa 10 cun*icula per totum orbem suis deus restaurauit ecclesiis, nulla uoluntatum nostrarum distantia laederetur. sed quia 2 rem tam gratam et patrum statutis uenerabilibus congruentem quibusdam tarditatibus contigit nunc usque differri, unde etiam ad decessorem fratemitatis tuaenos scripsissememinimus, 15 hoi-tamur ut laetitiam, quam de damnata praeterita dissen- sione percipimus, in nuUo iterum discrepantium animorum causa contristet. etenim nuUi uidetur uos nobiscum pleno communicare mentis affectu, si eos qui nobiscum communicant a uestro consortio segregetis. incassum certe uidentur pacem S » recipere, qui pacis differunt praecepta complere. quicquid enim in iilorum suscipienda communione moramini, de nostra quodammodo reconciliatione detrahitis et prouidendum est, frater karissime, ne si ecclesiarum nostrarum tandem desuper indulta concordia ab his exordium sumat exemplis, et religi- s5 onis ueneranda regula et apostolicae sedis auctoritas imminuta, quod absit, per Orientem potius quam restituta uideatur. 204. Bat a, 521 post diem 26 Mart Edd. Car. P 541; Bar. ad a. 520, 65; Collect Concil; BTA I 444; Thiel 982. 6 rcci- pimas F, corr. cod. Angelic. 15 damnata praeterita dissensione scripsi: damnato praeteritae dissensione F, damnato praeteritae dissentionis errore Car. 16 nulla F, corr. Bar. 17 uobiscum F, corr. 19 segre- getis ex segregatis corr. V: segregatis o 20 qui leui rasura ex quia eorr. V 664 HonniBda Epiphanio; Hormisda lustiniano