Letter 27: An acknowledgment of Flavian's first letter and a promise of a fuller reply Leo to Flavian, bishop of Constantinople. On the first opportunity we could find, which was the coming of our honourable son Rodanus, we acknowledge, beloved, the arrival of your packet , which was to give us information about the case which has been stirred up to our gr...
Pope Leo the Great→Flavian, of Constantinople|c. 443 AD|leo great
christologygrief deathtravel mobility
Travel & mobility
An acknowledgment of Flavian's first letter and a promise of a fuller reply.
Leo to Flavian [Patriarch of Constantinople, 446-449], bishop of Constantinople.
At the first opportunity we could find — the arrival of our honorable son Rodanus — we acknowledge, beloved, the receipt of your letter, which was meant to inform us about the controversy that has been stirred up among you, to our great distress, by misguided error. Since this man [Eutyches], who has long appeared to be devoutly disposed, has expressed himself on the Faith in ways that are wrong — though he should never have departed from the Catholic tradition but should have continued holding the same belief as everyone else — we are sending a more complete reply through the same messenger who brought your letter. We intend to give you, beloved, all necessary guidance on the whole matter. For we will neither allow him to persist in his distorted conviction, nor permit you, beloved, who are resisting his wrong and foolish error with such faithful zeal, to be long troubled by the adversary's opposition. We ask you to receive our aforementioned son, by whom we are sending this letter, with the warmth he deserves, and to send your reply when he returns to us. Dated May 21 in the consulship of Asturius and Protogenes (449).
An acknowledgment of Flavian's first letter and a promise of a fuller reply
Leo to Flavian, bishop of Constantinople.
On the first opportunity we could find, which was the coming of our honourable son Rodanus, we acknowledge, beloved, the arrival of your packet , which was to give us information about the case which has been stirred up to our grief among you by misguided error. Since this man, who has long seemed to be religiously disposed, has expressed himself in the Faith otherwise than is right, though he never ought to have departed from the Catholic tradition, but to have persevered in the same belief as is held by all. But on this matter we are replying more fully by him who brought your letter to us, beloved: that we may give you all necessary instructions, beloved, on the whole matter. For we do not allow either him to persist in his perverse conviction; or you, beloved, who with such faithful zeal are resisting his wrong and foolish error to be long disturbed by the adversary's opposition. Our aforesaid son, by whom we are sending this letter, we desire you to receive with the affection he deserves, and to reply when he returns to us. Dated 21st May in the consulship of Asturius and Protogenes (449).
About this page
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/3604027.htm>.
Contact information. The editor of New Advent is Kevin Knight. My email address is feedback732 at newadvent.org. (To help fight spam, this address might change occasionally.) Regrettably, I can't reply to every letter, but I greatly appreciate your feedback — especially notifications about typographical errors and inappropriate ads.
◆
An acknowledgment of Flavian's first letter and a promise of a fuller reply.
Leo to Flavian [Patriarch of Constantinople, 446-449], bishop of Constantinople.
At the first opportunity we could find — the arrival of our honorable son Rodanus — we acknowledge, beloved, the receipt of your letter, which was meant to inform us about the controversy that has been stirred up among you, to our great distress, by misguided error. Since this man [Eutyches], who has long appeared to be devoutly disposed, has expressed himself on the Faith in ways that are wrong — though he should never have departed from the Catholic tradition but should have continued holding the same belief as everyone else — we are sending a more complete reply through the same messenger who brought your letter. We intend to give you, beloved, all necessary guidance on the whole matter. For we will neither allow him to persist in his distorted conviction, nor permit you, beloved, who are resisting his wrong and foolish error with such faithful zeal, to be long troubled by the adversary's opposition. We ask you to receive our aforementioned son, by whom we are sending this letter, with the warmth he deserves, and to send your reply when he returns to us. Dated May 21 in the consulship of Asturius and Protogenes (449).
Modern English rendering for readability. See the 19th-century translation or original Latin/Greek for scholarly use.