Letter 92: Part of the papal correspondence surrounding the Acacian Schism (484-519), the major breach between Rome and...

Your son, the magnificent Justinianus, acting in accordance with his faith, has established a basilica of the holy apostles, in which he desires the relics of the blessed martyr Lawrence to be placed as well: he hopes through our humble agency that you will swiftly grant the relics of the aforesaid saints. The petition of the aforesaid man followed the Greek custom, and we in turn set forth the custom of the apostolic see. He accepted the reasoning. And because the fervor of his faith is such as to deserve whatever he has requested from the apostolic see, and what he hopes for is such that [...]. After those who were assigned here — having been recognized by all as thinking nothing of peace — failed, they have run to your blessedness, hoping to gain your approval by stealth and to confirm their intentions through letters from your see. These men accuse bishops from their own province, among whom is Paternus, bishop of the city of Tomi [in Scythia Minor, modern Romania]. They presented petitions, and compelled by the command of the most pious emperor and of our lord Vitalianus, master of soldiers, we frequently assembled for the hearing of the case — not as though we wished to occupy ourselves with these affairs, because the precepts of your blessedness are before our eyes, by which you commanded that, intent only upon the cause for which we had come, we should involve ourselves in no other business — but hoping that their contentions could be pacified, we entered into this. And since, with us laboring long and them accepting no reasoning, we were making no progress toward our goal, the most clement emperor in a public assembly, at which he also commanded us to be present, restored the aforesaid bishop Paternus and the magnificent Vitalianus to good terms; he also commanded the accusers to submit to their bishop. But when the monks were likewise being brought toward concord, they slipped away in flight and preferred to leave the city rather than to arrive at concord. The aforesaid monks, coming to Italy, will especially put forward certain articles, among which is contained "one of the Trinity was crucified" [the Theopaschite formula], hoping to have it thus confirmed by the authority of your blessedness. As we have also indicated in other letters, so now too we say this: that no novelty be written from the apostolic see, because we also indicated this before the emperor and before the senate, saying: "Beyond the four synods, beyond the letters of Pope Leo, we neither say nor admit anything; whatever is not contained in the aforesaid synods or what was not written by Pope Leo, we do not accept, because if our lord should wish to write any novelty whatsoever, that beginning will be worse than the one which was made through Eutyches. It ought to suffice for the church what it has endured through sixty years from Eutyches until now." We have written what seemed right to us; it is in your power to deliberate what God commands you, since they strive to assert this in such a manner, desiring to satisfy themselves, that we should profess and say that one of the Trinity suffered — which neither the fathers nor the synods said. We have set these things out point by point lest their subtlety glory in our simplicity: on account of these new intentions of theirs, they have stolen upon the magnificent Vitalianus by trickery and led him to both vindicate such things and to bring whatever impediments he could against us for such matters — whose change of heart the whole church mourns with us. Therefore we ask that you deliberate with the customary caution and the vigilance with which our lord is accustomed to act, and consider how those who have departed from us in such a manner and have been separated from our communion are to be received, and what response should be given to them and how their articles should be repelled, because the whole catholic church of Constantinople abhors them.

Filius uester magnificus uir lustinianus res conuenientes fidei suae faciens basilicam sanctorum apostolorum, in qua desiderat et beati Laurentii martyris reliquias esse, constituit: sperat per paruitatem nostram, ut praedictorum sanctorum reliquias celeriter concedatis. habuit quidem petitio praedicti 2 uiri secundum morem Graecorum et nos e contra consue- tudinem sedis apostolicae exposuimus. accepit rationem. et quia talis feruor est fidei eius, qui mereatur quicquid de apostolica sede depoposcerit, et tale est, quod sperat, unde omnis 18 Constantinopolim V 218. Bat. ut ep. 216. Edd. Car. I* 524; Bar. ad a. 519, 93; Collect, Concil; Thiel 873. 28 meretur F, correxi 29 ade ex tlrc corr, V 678 Suggestio Germani etc. ad Honnisdani • po8tea<quam> hic defecerunt adsignati ab omnibus nihil pacificum cogitare, ad beatitudinem uestram cucurrerunt sperantes subripere et per litteras uestrae sedis suas intentiones 6 confirmare. isti de sua prouincia episcopos accusant, inter quos est Faternus Tomitanae ciuitatis antistes. petitiones obtulerunt et coacti piissimi principis et domni Uitaliani magistri militum iussione frequenter ad audientiam causae conuenimus, non quasi uolentes in his negotiis nos occupare, quia nobis sunt ante oculos beatitudinis uestrae praecepta, quibus praecepistis, ut causae tantum, ubi ueneramus, intenti nuUis aliis negotiis misceremur, sed sperantes posse intenti- 7 ones eorum pacari ad hoc descendimus. et quia nobis diu laborantibus et illis nuUam suscipientibus rationem nihil proficiebat, in quo tendebamus, clementissimus imperator in conuentu publico, ubi et nos interesse iussit, Paternum praedictum episcopum et magnificum uirum Uitalianum reduxit ad gratiam; accusatores quoque eius suo praecepit episcopo supplicare. monachi uero cum similiter ad concordiam quaere- rentur, fuga lapsi maluerunt de ciuitate disceCde>re quam ad 8 concordiam peruenire. magnopere praedicti monachi ad Italiam uenientes aliquanta capitula proponere habent, inter quae et *unum de trinitate crucifixum' continetur, sperantes ita confirmari ex auctoritate beatitudinis uestrae. sicut et in aliis litteris significauimus, et modo hoc dicimus, ut nuUa nouitas a sede apostolica scribatur, quia et nos ante impera- 9 torem et ante senatum hoc indicauimus dicentes: *extra synodos quattuor, extra epistolas papae Leonis nec dicimus nec admittimus ; quicquid non continetur in praedictis synodis aut quod non est scriptum a papa Leone, non suscipimus, quia si uoluerit domnus noster qualemuis nouitatem scribere, peius erit istud initium quam illud, quod factum est per 1 quam addidi liiDC disce.sserunt Bar. 3 subrepere p 5 tho- mitane V 10 ubi V: cui Bar. 12 paccari V 15 interesse iuseit scnpsi: interiuseit esse V, interfuimus Car. 19 discere F, carr. o or Epiflt. ccxvii 6 — ccxvm 2. 679 Eutychetem. suf&cere debet ecclesiae, quod per LX annos ab Eutjcbete usque modo sustinuit". nobis quod uisum est, 10 scripsimus; in uestra potestate est deliberare, quod uobis deus imperauerit, quoniam hoc illi nituntur asserere eo modo sibi satisfacere cupientes, ut ita profiteamur et dicamus unum de trinitate passum esse, quod nec patres nec synodi dixernnt. ista ideo per singula exposuimus, ne illorumll subtilitas glorietur in nostra simplicitate : propter istas nouas suas intentiones Uitaliano magnifico uiro subripuerunt et talia uindicare et pro talibus rebus contra nos, quaecumque potuit, impedimenta afferre, cuius immutationem omnis nobiscum deflet ecclesia. quapropter rogamus, ut consueta cautela etl2 qua solet domnus noster uigilantia cogitetis, et quomodo suscipiendi sint, qui a nobis taliter recesserunt et a nostra ftienint communione seiuncti, et quid eis respondeatur uel quomodo eorum capitula repellantur, quia eos omnes Gonstan- tinopolitana catholica exhorret ecclesia. Data III, Kal. lulias Constantinopoli.