Letter 13: A brief salutatory letter full of charity.
Pope Innocent I to Aurelius, Bishop of Carthage, and Augustine, Bishop of Hippo.
A brief salutatory letter full of charity. When Emperor Honorius, prompted by Innocent's letters, had written twice to Arcadius about the case of John Chrysostom without result, he asked Innocent to send five bishops, two priests, and a deacon to act as his legates in pressing the cause with the Eastern court. Innocent notifies Aurelius and Augustine of this mission and of his hopes for a just resolution of the Chrysostom affair.
AI-assisted translation — This translation was produced with AI assistance and has not been peer-reviewed. See the 19th-century translation or original Latin/Greek below for scholarly use.
Latin / Greek Original
INNOCENTII I PAP/E AD AfRELIUM GARTUAGINIENSIUM
«T AUGUSTINUM HIPPONENSIUM EPISCOPOS,
Salutaloria ct plcna charkate.
* Cum Honorius, Innocrniii liiioris provocalus,
ad Arcadium de Joannis causa liis jam scripsisset,
nec profecissei quidquam, petiit ab Imiocentio sihi
miiii episcopos quinque, presbyteros duosetdiaco-
iiiiui iiiiniii, i|ui tiriiaiii epistolam ad fratrem ferrent.
Missi soiil jEmilius Beoeventi episcoims, Cytliegius
ei Gaiidciinus ( foiie Brixianus episcopus ), necnon
presliyteri Valenliuiaiius ei Bmiifacnis, ip^e, ui vi-
deiur, qui Zosimo papae successii. Caneroriim no-
miua Pjilladius tacei, sed cuin eis Conslaniioopolim
profectos e-se docet Cyriacum, Demetiium, Piilla-
diiiin et Eulvsiiim. Epistolain lianc uni Palladio, qui n
eam dialog. pa^. 29 inseruit, debemus acceptam. " At Honorius Innoceniii et Chromatii scripta pridem
1NN0CENTIUS AURELIO et AUGUSTINO, epiSCOpiS.
Acceptissimi mibi Germani compresbyteri illo
recursus vacnus officio nostro esse non debuil. Per
caios ciiim salut ire carissimos, naiurale quodam
modo nobis videiur et conseqiiens. Gaudere igitur
io Domino vestram germanitatem , amanlissimi,
accepisset. ad Honorium scripsisse. uTroT«r;avTa zaTa
ft£f)of twv 7f3aftaaTO)V Suvaatv, flf subjccisse singitlalim
quid illic litieia; continereut, ulii litterarum singula-
iiim cirtuie.m seu siinimani diuniaxat expressam in-
nuii. Sed ex boc loco colligiiur, non lantuin sin-
giilarum Liiterarmn sunimam, > ■ • < I el ipsasmel lil-
leras aul earum exempla siiiuil ad ipsum fuisse
deslinaia.
Romani episcO|ii, el Chromatii Aquileiensis, sed et
Venerii Mediolanensis ei aliorum liileras snnul iis-
diin legatis tradilas fuisse Palladius pag. 51 scribil.
Lalinam ejus iuterpreiationem ex Ambrosio Camai-
dulensi repetiiain Baronius ad aiiniim 40/ recnden-
dam curavil. Circa vernum lempus anni 400 videtur
scripia.
Ambros. Camald. qui liic subdil, Ex omnibns fcrme
cpislolis, quas ad mc frequenles dederunt, ex hin dutis
idem conliiicnlcs, quod reliquo' subdidi. Palladius
pag. 28 irmlU Innocenliurtii cum varias epistoltfs
ad se inissa, non quas illi de iniegro ad Arcadium
millebant, seu qu;e ipse nomiiie suodestinabai, non
quae alii data oeeasione iisdem adjunxcrani, inenio-
rare salis baboit.
Innocentii exslai, sicutet in colleel. Hispan. el Isid.
Delala esi per Germanum, qui cmn Cissiauo cleri
ac populi CP. liiimas, qiiibus Innocentius epislohi 7
re^eripsit, suli iuitiiini aiiui 403 Roina; reddiderat.
Probabile est, Iniiocentium vel lioc ipsn anno 405 vel
potius sequenti, ejusdem Gerinani opera usum esse,
ut Aurelium el Angiislinuni salularet, eai|iu: occa-
sioiie Germanum Africanisenarrasse quanta Joannes
quamqiin indigna esset per|icssus, et qu;c hnnc ob
causam Innoeeulio cmn TliPniihilo discOrdia lnler^
5,3 EPISTOLjE ET DECRETA. 5U
cupimus, ct pro nobis paria ad Deum vola * re- a lllius erqa se paternum affectum et tummam in rebus
af/liais vigilanliam laudnt, el ut hoc studium non
pendere precamur : quia', ut bene nostis, commu-
nibus ei alicrnis plus agimus orationibus, quani
singularibus aul privatis.
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