From: Pope Hilary, bishop of Rome
To: Leontius, Bishop of Arles
Date: ~462 AD
Context: Pope Hilary's letter 6; Hilary responds to Leontius's letters, including an earlier one that arrived before his first letter reached Arles.
Hilary, bishop of Rome, to Leontius, most beloved brother.
Two letters of yours have reached me — one written before my first letter to you arrived, and one written after. I respond to them together.
The concerns you raise about the rights of your see are ones we have reviewed carefully. The established position is clear and we confirm it: the church of Arles holds the metropolitan authority in the Gallic church that previous bishops of Rome have recognized. This confirmation is given formally and without reservation.
On the question you raised about a particular episcopal election in your province: we ask you to send us a detailed report of the situation before we comment on the specific case. The general principles that govern such elections are well established; the application of those principles to a specific case requires knowing the specific facts, and your letter describes the situation in terms that do not yet give us enough information to advise you confidently.
We look forward to the continuing correspondence through which we maintain the connection between this apostolic see and the churches of Gaul.
Hilary, bishop of Rome
Uilari papae ad Leontium Arelatensem. (a.462.)
^spondet Leontio ad proximas Htteras, quas scripseraty quum praec^entes
Hilari nondum acceperat.
Dilectissimo fratri Leontio Hilarus papa^).
i- Dilectioni meae, quae^) circa ecclesias Grallicanas omnesque
m eis Domini sacerdotes etiam in inferiori gradu positos abundat,
multum accedit augmenti, quod per virum^) spectabilem Pappolum
ubnm nostrum sermonis tui ad me sunt delata principia. Ex qiio
tamen conjicio, paginam meam, quam dudum de episcopatus mei
pnmordiis misi, necdum traditam tibi fuisse, quum scriberes: de
qna utique non siluisses, nisi perlatorem aliqua causa tardasset.
tinde quod et consuetudo poscebat*) et caritas, jampridem me ex-
secutam fuisse significo, et hoc ipsis litterarum exemplaribus, quae
^^9 plenius nosse vos cupio: ut officio fraterno in nullo intelli-
8*w8 fuisse me desidem, et ita vicissim frequentandis studeamus
^oquiiB^ ut vicem nobis communis praesentiae scribendi cura com-
P^^t, frater carissime.
^* AfFectus*) itaque communis tui gratiam perire no?i passus es.
^ **^t;er eorum numerum, qui etiamtunc ecclesiae ArelatenBis privilegia
^^ ^^i^bant, prae omnibus episcopus Yiennensis erat; cf. infra epist. 10 et 11.
' ^' ' qui, suppleto ad marg. eorumy moxque ex ms. nota chronica obliterata
••• ^^^ero Aug. cons. expiscatuB est.
' *J^c epistola Hilarus proximae rescribit, quare non multo post data est.
' *tH a* a* «• L^b 0* c". At a^ ex a aliam laudat lectionem ^condnniorem
Romanis pontificibus, ut
w ^^^Uiatioue sua primarios regionum episcopos certiores fEicerent, qui eam
eobixide ceteris significarent; cf. s. Cyprian. in Com. epist. 2 n. 3.
) tt< a* ce* L^ b accepiis Uaque communis ttd gratiam perire non passus es et
<I«<^ **• soUicitudine. c* affectus itaque tui ... ei solliciiudini, c** affectus itaque com-
vui^) hocque suadent illa superioriB epiBt. 5: ut et sic affectus, qui inter tuam
to^atem et nos jamdiu coaMt, in Domino corroboraretur.
a. 462. quod ei sollicitudiiii iiitentiuu te esse cognosco, ut custodiendis pa-
ternorum canonuni regulis studere me cupias. Quo desiderio nihil
eoncipi salubrius potest, quam ut in una Ecclesia, cui oportet nec
Kp^- maculae aliquid inesse nec rugae, mia sit in omnibus observantia*)
*" ' disciplinae. Cui si aliquid eruditionis aut correctionis'') addeudum
est, rectissime per vestram diligentiam consuletur, si quemadmodum
es dignatus scribere, tam instructa ad nos fuerit persona directa,
quae inquisitionem nostram plene ex onmibus possit instruere.
Spondeo^) enim, quantum gratia Dei donat ut spondeam, hoc me ad
imiversalem sacerdotum Domini concordiam provisurum, ut onmes
non sua audeant quaerere, sed quae sunt Christi studoant obtinere.
Deus te incolumem custodiat', frater carissime.
•
◆
From:Pope Hilary, bishop of Rome
To:Leontius, Bishop of Arles
Date:~462 AD
Context:Pope Hilary's letter 6; Hilary responds to Leontius's letters, including an earlier one that arrived before his first letter reached Arles.
Hilary, bishop of Rome, to Leontius, most beloved brother.
Two letters of yours have reached me — one written before my first letter to you arrived, and one written after. I respond to them together.
The concerns you raise about the rights of your see are ones we have reviewed carefully. The established position is clear and we confirm it: the church of Arles holds the metropolitan authority in the Gallic church that previous bishops of Rome have recognized. This confirmation is given formally and without reservation.
On the question you raised about a particular episcopal election in your province: we ask you to send us a detailed report of the situation before we comment on the specific case. The general principles that govern such elections are well established; the application of those principles to a specific case requires knowing the specific facts, and your letter describes the situation in terms that do not yet give us enough information to advise you confidently.
We look forward to the continuing correspondence through which we maintain the connection between this apostolic see and the churches of Gaul.
Hilary, bishop of Rome
Modern English rendering for readability. See the 19th-century translation or original Latin/Greek for scholarly use.