Letter 17
LETTER TO STEPHEN THE ABBOT
HE ENCOURAGES HIM TO WRITE THE LIFE OF SAINT AMATOR
To my most beloved and dear Stephen, presbyter, bound to me by the intimate bond of charity — Aunarius [Bishop of Auxerre, c. 561–605], bishop by the grace of God, sends eternal greetings in the Lord.
Your learning and wisdom, proven to us now by many demonstrations, have compelled us to place a certain commanding little burden upon your shoulders — yet one that will bring you not labor but honor, and that will not press you down with an unjust weight, but rather lift you up to the heavens. You well know, dearest brother, how diverse are the minds of men, and how not only the common crowd but even the entire nobility is divided into opposing pursuits. For some take pleasure in prose style, while others confess themselves delighted by verses set to meter, rhythm, and song. Therefore, in order to satisfy the wishes of all and leave no one cheated of their desire, I have decided that you should write the lives of certain most blessed confessors [saints who bore witness to the faith through their lives rather than martyrdom] — some in free prose, and others composed in metrical verse. For this reason, I implore you, by the friendship of that love which unites us, not to hesitate in rendering the life of the most blessed Bishop Germanus [St. Germanus of Auxerre, d. 448, famous for combating Pelagianism in Britain] into verse form, and to write the life of Saint Amator [Bishop of Auxerre, d. 418, predecessor and mentor of Germanus] in prose. In this way, having become followers of apostolic preaching, we may become all things to all people [cf. 1 Corinthians 9:22], and owe no one anything except to love one another [cf. Romans 13:8].
May divine mercy guard your undivided love for me, venerable brother.
Modern English rendering for readability. See the 19th-century translation or original Latin/Greek for scholarly use.
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