From: Pope Leo I (the Great), Bishop of Rome
To: Timothy, Catholic Bishop of Alexandria
Date: ~454 AD
Context: A letter from Leo clarifying Catholic doctrine for the embattled orthodox bishop of Alexandria in the aftermath of the Council of Chalcedon.
Leo, bishop, to our beloved brother Timothy, bishop of the Catholic church of Alexandria.
It is evident from all that you have written, and from all that we have heard from those who have come to us from Alexandria, that the difficulties facing the orthodox in your city are serious and that the pressure on you personally is great.
I want to say plainly what I have said before: the definition of the Council of Chalcedon is the orthodox definition. The two natures of Christ — divine and human, distinct and united in one person — is not a formula that Christians can treat as one option among several. It is the teaching of the Gospel, the teaching of the Apostles, the teaching of Nicaea and its successors.
The Alexandrian tradition has gifts that the rest of the church needs — gifts of theological depth, mystical insight, scriptural interpretation. These gifts are not in conflict with Chalcedon. They are, properly understood, expressions of the same faith that Chalcedon defines. The tragedy of the current situation is that men who share the same faith are treating a formula as a weapon rather than as a gift.
Hold firm. Teach the faith. Serve your people. And write to Rome whenever you need support — it will come.
Leo, bishop of Rome
LEO EPISCOPUS TIMOTHEO EPISCOPO CATHOLICO ALEXANDRINAE ECCLESIAE. Euidenter apparet sub apostolicae splendore sen- tentiae, quoniam diligentibus deum omnia cooperan- tur in bonum, et diuinae dispensatione pietatis, ubi exci- piuntur aduersa, ibi donantur et prospera. ^ quod Alexandri- nae ecclesiae experimenta demonstrant, in qua multos sibi patienctiae» thesauros humilium molestia et tolerantia congre- gauit, quia iuxta est dominus his, qui tribulato sunt corde, et humiles spiritu saluabit, glorificata in omnibus incliti principis fide, per quem dextera domini fecit uirtutem, ne in throno beatorum patrum antichristi diutius sederet opprobrium; cuius impietas nemini magis quam sibi nocuit, quia etsi aliquos ad societatem facinoris impulit, se tamen inexpiabiliter cruentauit. ^ unde de eo, quod instinctu fidei in fraternitate tua cleri et plebis atque omnium fidelium egit electio, upiuersam mecum ecclesiam domini gaudere reseribo utque hoc benignitas diuinae pietatis multiplicata gratia confirmet, exopto, ita ipsi per omnia tua deuotione famulante, ut etiam eos, qui ueritati aliquatenus
◆
From:Pope Leo I (the Great), Bishop of Rome
To:Timothy, Catholic Bishop of Alexandria
Date:~454 AD
Context:A letter from Leo clarifying Catholic doctrine for the embattled orthodox bishop of Alexandria in the aftermath of the Council of Chalcedon.
Leo, bishop, to our beloved brother Timothy, bishop of the Catholic church of Alexandria.
It is evident from all that you have written, and from all that we have heard from those who have come to us from Alexandria, that the difficulties facing the orthodox in your city are serious and that the pressure on you personally is great.
I want to say plainly what I have said before: the definition of the Council of Chalcedon is the orthodox definition. The two natures of Christ — divine and human, distinct and united in one person — is not a formula that Christians can treat as one option among several. It is the teaching of the Gospel, the teaching of the Apostles, the teaching of Nicaea and its successors.
The Alexandrian tradition has gifts that the rest of the church needs — gifts of theological depth, mystical insight, scriptural interpretation. These gifts are not in conflict with Chalcedon. They are, properly understood, expressions of the same faith that Chalcedon defines. The tragedy of the current situation is that men who share the same faith are treating a formula as a weapon rather than as a gift.
Hold firm. Teach the faith. Serve your people. And write to Rome whenever you need support — it will come.
Leo, bishop of Rome
Modern English rendering for readability. See the 19th-century translation or original Latin/Greek for scholarly use.