Letter 91: Part of the papal correspondence surrounding the Acacian Schism (484-519), the major breach between Rome and...

It has been proven that there are no joys, especially spiritual ones, from which tribulation can be entirely separated. We rejoice at the unity of the church of Constantinople, which has been made with the apostolic see; we rejoice daily that the libelli [formulas of submission] of various bishops are being offered to us in satisfaction. A small scandal occurred in the city of Ephesus, where the Council of Chalcedon was despised and insulted: it falls to the most clement emperor, once invoked, to correct this, which you should hope will be done with the help of God. Now, though after many labors and many struggles, the church of Antioch has been set in order: a certain man named Paul has been elected, a priest of the church of Constantinople, whom the testimony of the emperor has shown to be most suited for this honor. They wanted and attempted to ordain him here; but I, not unmindful of your command, opposed this, saying: "Our lord, the most blessed pope, has commanded that according to the ancient custom, the bishop be ordained there." What you commanded prevailed. Pray that God, through the prayers of the apostle Peter, may cause even that city to receive the elected priest in peace. And because these things are being accomplished and the catholic church daily makes progress in them, the ancient adversary has stirred up monks from Scythia, who are from the household of the master of soldiers Vitalianus [consul and military commander], adversaries to the prayers of all Christians, whose restlessness has generated no small delays for the unity of the churches and greatly so regarding the ordination of the aforesaid church of Antioch. These monks, among whom is also Leontius, who says he is a relative of the master of soldiers, are hastening to Rome, hoping that certain articles will be confirmed by your blessedness. Among them, among other things, is one where they wish to say that "one of the Trinity was crucified" [the Theopaschite formula], which has been said neither in the holy synods nor in the letters of the holy Pope Leo nor in ecclesiastical custom. If this is permitted to happen, it seems to me that no small dissensions and scandals will arise among the churches. This is what the emperor Anastasius [Emperor Anastasius I, r. 491-518] eagerly hastened to impose on the catholics; this is also what the disciples of Eutyches proposed at the Council of Chalcedon, because whenever the fathers disputed concerning the Son of God our Lord Jesus Christ, they said that the Son of God, the Word, is consubstantial with the Father, homoousios with the Father. This expression has therefore never been introduced in the synods by the fathers, because it could without doubt in no way be consonant with the catholic faith. If the intention of this expression is carefully considered, to how many heresies it lies open and what evils can be introduced through it into ecclesiastical disputations — since it would take too long — we will be able to explain when we are present. Therefore it seems to me sound and useful and conducive to the peace of the churches to give no other response than this: "The holy Council of Chalcedon suffices, in which the other synods also are contained; the letters of Pope Leo, which the synod confirmed, suffice; we neither wish nor ought to introduce novelty into the church." There is also this cunning element in their proposal, to say: "We have accepted the Council of Chalcedon; we hope that you will command it to be explained to us, because it does not suffice as it has been expounded, against the Nestorian heresy" — not as though they do not understand, but attempting through subtlety to bring us to this: that the Council of Chalcedon be discussed anew. If this should happen, it is shown to be doubtful and weak and would lie open to the error of all heretics. Among other things, if after the Council of Chalcedon, after the letters of Pope Leo, after the libelli which bishops have given and continue to give and through which they have made satisfaction to the apostolic see, something new is again added, it seems to me that whatever has been done is destroyed.

UeniTii est nulla esse gaudia, magnopere spiritalia, a quibus ex toto tribulatio possit esse <8e>parata. gaudemus de unitate 2 5 Constantinopolitanae ecclesiae, quae facta est cum sede apo- stolica; laetamur cotidie diuersorum episcopornm libellos nobis satisfactionis offerri. modicum in Ephesena ciuitate 3 contigit scandalum, ubi contempta est et iniuriata synodus Chalcedonensis: est inuocato clementissimo imperatori hoc 10 corrigere, quod et sperate cum dei adiutorio fieri. nunc, 4 etsi post labores, etsi post intentiones plures, Antiochena ecclesia ordinata est: electus quidam Paulus est nomine presbyter Constantinopolitanae ecclesiae, quem huic honori aptissimum imperatoris testimonio comprobatum est. uoluerunt 15 et temptauerunt hic eum ordinare; ego iussionis uestrae non immemor contradixi dicens ^iussit domnus noster beatissimus papa secundum antiquam consuetudinem ibi eum episcopum ordinari'. hoc obtinuit, quod praecepistis. orate, ut deus precibus apostoli Petri et ipsam ciuitatem cum pace faciat » electum suscipere sacerdotem. et quia ista aguntur et in 5 his cotidie proficit ecclesia catholica, insidiator antiquus excitauit monachos de Scythia, qui de domo magistri militum Uitaliani sunt, omnium Christianorum uotis aduersarios, quorum inquietudo non paruas moras generauit unitati « ecclesiarum et magnopere de praedictae ecclesiae Antiochenae ordinatione. isti monachi, inter quos est et Leontius, qui se 6 dicit parentem esse magistri militum, Romam festinant sperantes aliquanta capitula a beatitudine uestra confirmari. est in ipsis inter cetera, ubi uolunt dicere unum de trinitate 216. Bat. (simul cum epp, 187 et 217—218) a. 519 die 29 lunii per Eulogium. Edd. Car, P 521; Bar. ad a. 519, 78; Ctllect. Con" cil; Thiel 868. 4 aeparata o': parata V 6 loetamur V 9 inuocato clementissimo imperatori F: inuocatus clementissimus imperator Car, 10 speratf V: sperat o* 24 unitate F, corr. 676 Suggestio GermaBi etc. ad Hormisdam crucifixum, quod est nec in sanctis synodis dictum nec in epistolis sanctl papae Leonis nec in consuetudine ecclesiastica. quod si permittitur fieri, mihi uidetur dissensiones aut scandala 7 non mediocria nasci inter ecclesias. istud Anastasius imperator magnopere catholicis imponere festinauit, istud et Eutychetis 5 discipuli in synodo Calcedonensi proposuerunt, quia quotiens- cumque patres de dei filio domino nostro lesu Christo disputauerunt, filium dei uerbum consubstantialem patri, horaousion patri dixerunt. iste autem sermo ideo numquam est in synodis a patribus introductus, quia procul dubio catholicae 10 Sfidei minime poterat conuenire. cuius sermonis si subtiliter adtendatur intentio, ad quantas haereses pateat et quae mala per eum possint disputationibus ecclesiasticis introduci, quoniam longum est, praesentes insinuare poterimus. unde sanum mihi uidetur et utile et ad pacem ecclesiarura 15 conueniens nihil aliud responsura dare nisi ^sufficit sanctura Calcedonense concilium, in quo et aliae synodi continentur: sufficiunt epistolae papae Leonis, quas synodus confirmauit: nouitatem in ecclesiam introducere nec uolumus nec debemus'. 9 est in propositione eorum callida et hoc dicere "nos synodum ao Calcedonensem suscepimus; hoc speramus, ut iubeatis nobis eam exponere. quia non sufficit sic, quomodo est exposita, contra haeresim Nestorianam', non, quasi non intellegentes, nisi conantes per subtilitatem ad hoc nos adducere, ut disputetur de synodo Calcedonensi. quod si factum fuerit, «.> dubia et infima ostenditur et haereticorum omnium patuit lOerrori. inter alia si post synodum Calcedonensem, si post epistolas papae Leonis, si post libellos, quos dederunt et dant episcopi et per ipsos satisfecerunt sedi apostolicae, iterum aliquid nouum addatur, sic mihi uidetur, quia quicquid sa factum est destruitur. Data IIL Kal. luL Constantinopoli. Epiit. CCXVI 7 — CCXVII 5. 677