Letter 169: If we should seek to reward your Majesty's glorious resolution in defense of the Faith with all the praise that the greatness of the issue demands, we should be found unequal to the task of giving thanks and celebrating the joy of the universal Church with our feeble tongue. But His worthier recompense awaits your acts and deserts, in whose caus...
Pope Leo the Great→Leo Augustus|c. 461 AD|leo great
Leo, the bishop, to Leo Augustus [Emperor Leo I, who ruled the Eastern Roman Empire 457-474].
I. He heartily thanks the Emperor for what he has done and asks him to complete the work.
If we sought to reward your Majesty's glorious resolution in defense of the Faith with all the praise the greatness of the matter demands, we would be unequal to the task of giving adequate thanks or celebrating the joy of the universal Church with our feeble words. But a worthier recompense awaits your deeds from Him in whose cause you have shown such excellent zeal, and are now gloriously triumphing in the achievement of the desired outcome. Your clemency should therefore know that all the churches of God join in praising you and rejoicing that the unholy usurper [Timothy Aelurus, the Eutychian anti-patriarch] has been removed from the neck of the Alexandrian church, and that God's people — on whom this murderous robber has been so great a burden — are restored to the ancient liberty of the Faith. They can now be called back to the way of salvation by the preaching of faithful priests, since the whole source of the infection has been eliminated in the person of its originator. Now therefore, since you have accomplished this with firm resolution and steadfast will, complete your work for the Faith by issuing such decrees as shall be pleasing to God in favor of this city's Catholic bishop [Timothy Salophaciolus, the orthodox replacement], who is untainted by any trace of the heresy now so often condemned — lest the wound, apparently healed but still lurking beneath the scar, should grow, and the Christian people, who by your public action have been freed from the perversity of heretics, should again fall prey to deadly poison.
II. Good works as well as integrity of faith are required in a priest.
But you see, venerable Emperor, and clearly understand, that when considering the person whose excommunication is in question, it is not only the integrity of his faith that must be examined. For even if that could be purged by punishments and confessions, and completely restored by any conditions, the wicked and bloody deeds that have been committed can never be undone by the assertions of persuasive words. In God's bishop, and particularly in the priest of so great a church, the sound of the tongue and the words of the lips are not enough, and nothing avails if God speaks through His voice while the mind stands convicted of blasphemy. For of such people the Holy Spirit says through the Apostle: "having an appearance of godliness but denying its power," and again elsewhere: "they profess to know God, but by their deeds they deny Him." Since in every member of the Church both the integrity of true faith and the abundance of good works are expected, how much more should both of these predominate in the chief bishop — because the one without the other cannot be in union with the Body of Christ.
III. Timothy's request for leniency on the basis of his orthodoxy must not be granted.
Nor need we now recount all that makes Timothy accursed, since what has been done through him and on his account has abundantly and publicly come to the knowledge of the whole world. Whatever was perpetrated by the unruly mob against justice all rests on his head, whose purposes were served by those violent hands. Therefore, even if in his profession of faith he omits nothing and deceives us in nothing, it best accords with your glory to exclude him absolutely from his design — because in the bishop of so great a city the universal Church ought to rejoice with holy celebration, so that the true peace of the Lord may be glorified not only by the preaching of the Faith but also by the example of upright conduct. Dated June 17, in the consulship of Magnus and Apollonius (460). (Delivered by the hand of Philoxenus, agent of the imperial post.)
Leo, the bishop, to Leo Augustus.
I. He heartily thanks the Emperor for what he has done, and asks him to complete the work in any way he can.
If we should seek to reward your Majesty's glorious resolution in defense of the Faith with all the praise that the greatness of the issue demands, we should be found unequal to the task of giving thanks and celebrating the joy of the universal Church with our feeble tongue. But His worthier recompense awaits your acts and deserts, in whose cause you have shown so excellent a zeal, and are now triumphing gloriously over the attainment of the wished-for end. Your clemency must know therefore that all the churches of God join in praising you and rejoicing that the unholy parricide has been cast off from the neck of the Alexandrine church, and that God's people, on whom the abominable robber has been so great a burden, restored to the ancient liberty of the Faith, can now be recalled into the way of salvation by the preaching of faithful priests, when it sees the whole hotbed of pestilence done away with in the person of the originator himself. Now therefore, because you have accomplished this by firm resolution and steadfast will, complete your tale of work for the Faith by passing such decrees as shall be well-pleasing to God in favour of this city's Catholic ruler , who is tainted by no trace of the heresy now so often condemned: lest, perchance, the wound apparently healed but still lurking beneath the scar should grow, and the Christian laity, which by your public action has been freed from the perversity of heretics, should again fall a prey to deadly poison.
II. Good works as well as integrity of faith is required in a priest.
But you see, venerable Emperor, and clearly understand, that in the person, whose excommunication is contemplated, it is not only the integrity of his faith that must be considered; for even if that could be purged by any punishments and confessions, and completely restored by any conditions, yet the wicked and bloody deeds that have been committed can never be done away by the protestations of plausible words: because in God's pontiff, and particularly in the priest of so great a church, the sound of the tongue and the utterance of the lips is not enough, and nothing is of avail, if God makes proclamation with His voice and the mind is convicted of blasphemy. For of such the Holy Ghost speaks by the Apostle, having an appearance of godliness, but denying the power thereof, and again elsewhere, they profess that they know God, but in deeds they deny Him. And hence, since in every member of the Church both the integrity of the true Faith and abundance of good works is looked for, how much more ought both these things to predominate in the chief pontiff, because the one without the other cannot be in union with the Body of Christ.
III. Timothy's request for indulgence on the score of orthodoxy must not be allowed.
Nor need we now state all that makes Timothy accursed, since what has been done through him and on his account, has abundantly and conspicuously come to the knowledge of the whole world, and whatever has been perpetrated by an unruly mob against justice, all rests on his head, whose wishes were served by its mad hands. And hence, even if in his profession of faith he neglects nothing, and deceives us in nothing, it best consorts with your glory absolutely to exclude him from this design of his , because in the bishop of so great a city the universal Church ought to rejoice with holy exultation, so that the true peace of the Lord may be glorified not only by the preaching of the Faith, but also by the example of men's conduct. Dated 17th of June, in the consulship of Magnus and Apollonius (460). (By the hand of Philoxenus agens in rebus. )
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Source. Translated by Charles Lett Feltoe. From Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, Second Series, Vol. 12. Edited by Philip Schaff and Henry Wace. (Buffalo, NY: Christian Literature Publishing Co., 1895.) Revised and edited for New Advent by Kevin Knight. <https://www.newadvent.org/fathers/3604169.htm>.
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Leo, the bishop, to Leo Augustus [Emperor Leo I, who ruled the Eastern Roman Empire 457-474].
I. He heartily thanks the Emperor for what he has done and asks him to complete the work.
If we sought to reward your Majesty's glorious resolution in defense of the Faith with all the praise the greatness of the matter demands, we would be unequal to the task of giving adequate thanks or celebrating the joy of the universal Church with our feeble words. But a worthier recompense awaits your deeds from Him in whose cause you have shown such excellent zeal, and are now gloriously triumphing in the achievement of the desired outcome. Your clemency should therefore know that all the churches of God join in praising you and rejoicing that the unholy usurper [Timothy Aelurus, the Eutychian anti-patriarch] has been removed from the neck of the Alexandrian church, and that God's people — on whom this murderous robber has been so great a burden — are restored to the ancient liberty of the Faith. They can now be called back to the way of salvation by the preaching of faithful priests, since the whole source of the infection has been eliminated in the person of its originator. Now therefore, since you have accomplished this with firm resolution and steadfast will, complete your work for the Faith by issuing such decrees as shall be pleasing to God in favor of this city's Catholic bishop [Timothy Salophaciolus, the orthodox replacement], who is untainted by any trace of the heresy now so often condemned — lest the wound, apparently healed but still lurking beneath the scar, should grow, and the Christian people, who by your public action have been freed from the perversity of heretics, should again fall prey to deadly poison.
II. Good works as well as integrity of faith are required in a priest.
But you see, venerable Emperor, and clearly understand, that when considering the person whose excommunication is in question, it is not only the integrity of his faith that must be examined. For even if that could be purged by punishments and confessions, and completely restored by any conditions, the wicked and bloody deeds that have been committed can never be undone by the assertions of persuasive words. In God's bishop, and particularly in the priest of so great a church, the sound of the tongue and the words of the lips are not enough, and nothing avails if God speaks through His voice while the mind stands convicted of blasphemy. For of such people the Holy Spirit says through the Apostle: "having an appearance of godliness but denying its power," and again elsewhere: "they profess to know God, but by their deeds they deny Him." Since in every member of the Church both the integrity of true faith and the abundance of good works are expected, how much more should both of these predominate in the chief bishop — because the one without the other cannot be in union with the Body of Christ.
III. Timothy's request for leniency on the basis of his orthodoxy must not be granted.
Nor need we now recount all that makes Timothy accursed, since what has been done through him and on his account has abundantly and publicly come to the knowledge of the whole world. Whatever was perpetrated by the unruly mob against justice all rests on his head, whose purposes were served by those violent hands. Therefore, even if in his profession of faith he omits nothing and deceives us in nothing, it best accords with your glory to exclude him absolutely from his design — because in the bishop of so great a city the universal Church ought to rejoice with holy celebration, so that the true peace of the Lord may be glorified not only by the preaching of the Faith but also by the example of upright conduct. Dated June 17, in the consulship of Magnus and Apollonius (460). (Delivered by the hand of Philoxenus, agent of the imperial post.)
Modern English rendering for readability. See the 19th-century translation or original Latin/Greek for scholarly use.