Letter 104: Severus tells Calliopius' wife that even simple wording about Christ and the Trinity must be corrected carefully.

Because I was hearing a case, I did not have time to respond immediately to what Your Eminence, the wife of Calliopius, wrote. Now that I have read it, I must give you an admonition about the confession of faith. In matters like these, negligence is not right. Even if such a phrase is spoken simply, as you say, it is foreign to the right confession to reckon Christ as an addition to the Holy Trinity, or to put him before it and confess the Trinity in that way. I write with confidence because I know you are sound in the faith and will rejoice at such admonition. The Apostle says our speech should always be seasoned with grace. Learning and teaching these things properly, according to each person's character, belongs to every sex and is praiseworthy. Mary chose the good part, and Paul praised women who struggled with him in the gospel. I do not continue the argument further, so that an admonitory letter does not lose its brevity. But careful words about Christ and the Trinity matter, and your high rank makes that care even more necessary.

Being engaged in hearing a certain cause, I had not time to attend to what was written by your highness immediately. But, now that I have read it, I have this much to say: that concerning the confession of faith it is necessary for me to give you an admonition. For in such thinofs as these it is not riorht to be necessity is laid upon me: and woe unto me if I preach not the gospel."^ Indeed, even when such a ^ avOevTia. - Cf. Jo. Mai. p. 401, and Wright, C.B.M. 335. ^ I Co. ix. 1 6. thing is said in simplicity as you say, it is foreign and alien to the right confession, I mean that Christ should be reckoned as an addition to the Holy Trinity, or, vice versa, that we should place Him before and in this way confess the Trinity. Having positive know- ledge that you ^ are sound ^ in the faith, and that you rejoice at such an admonition, I have written to you, and that with very just confidence. But, since the same apostle says in writing in another place, " Let your speech be always seasoned with grace as with salt,"" with grace that does not fall outside the limits of devoutness I have added also the case of that woman: and that though it is certainly in no way alien to believing women to help one another, especially in such urgent matters. The practice of women teaching in public and giving expositions to men the wise Paul disallowed, saying, " I suffer not a woman to teach, nor to usurp authority over a man: but let her be in silence." ^ But that they should correct their sisters in their assemblies and conversations he properly permitted, especially those who are advanced in age, calling them "teachers of good things,"* in order that they may give an example to the others also in every- thing. Also the women who were taught at that time by the Lord show that instruction in religion is not p. 432. foreign even to the female sex. For this reason too he accepted Mary who was industrious in this matter, saying, " Mary hath chosen for herself the good part, which shall not be taken from her."^ Accordingly both to learn and to teach such things, in a proper manner and according to the character of each person, belongs to every sex and is praiseworthy and blessed, I forbear to go on to refer to Paul who says in his epistle to the Philippians about certain women, " Which /"T, combated with me in the gospel with Clement and my other helpers," '^ in order not to be thought to be prolonging the argument, and doing detriment to the brevity of an admonitory letter