The letter shows Severus resisting local pressure until the cleric's own bishop regularizes the case by letter. Source id I.28; Brooks page 89; original Syriac source-text backfill remains pending.
After Your God-loving Reverence left this great Christ-loving city during the revered days of the holy fast, many leading men came to my lowliness with a petition and a unanimous request on behalf of the devout Romulus. They asked that, as long as he remained here, he be allowed to lead prayers without fear of punishment. Those were their actual words, chosen to move me toward mercy.
But I answered, "I will not permit this under any circumstances until his bishop" - meaning Your God-loving Reverence - "releases him from the inhibition placed on him. In everything we must observe the rules and ordinances of the church."
I therefore ask you to do me this favor: send me the words of forgiveness by letter, so that I too may lawfully give him permission and fulfill the desire of those who asked. They are pressing me every day, so to speak, and begging me to agree to this easy and humane request.
I have written to the saintly metropolitan, my lord Philoxenus, describing the position in which we stand. He will certainly inform you of it and urge you to offer prayers for the general state of affairs.
After your love of God had departed hence, and had left this great Christ-loving city in the venerated days of the holy fast, many of the prominent men came up to my meanness, and presented to me a petition and a unanimous entreaty on behalf of the devout Romulus, asking that he might be allowed to conduct prayers without fear of punishment so long as he resides here. These were the actual words that they said, wishing to dispose me more to the side of mercy. But I said, "On no account will I permit this, until his bishop," meaning your love of God, "shall free him from his inhibition. For we must in all things observe the rules and ordinances of the church." I beg you therefore to do me this favour, and pronounce to me by letter the words of forgiveness, in order that I also may thus lawfully give him permission, and may fulfil the will of those who asked; who are every day, if I may so say, worrying me, and entreating me to assent to this easy and humane request. The position in which we stand I have described in writing to the saintly metropolitan the lord Philoxenus; and he will no doubt inform you of it, and will stir you up to offer prayers concerning the general state of things.
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After Your God-loving Reverence left this great Christ-loving city during the revered days of the holy fast, many leading men came to my lowliness with a petition and a unanimous request on behalf of the devout Romulus. They asked that, as long as he remained here, he be allowed to lead prayers without fear of punishment. Those were their actual words, chosen to move me toward mercy.
But I answered, "I will not permit this under any circumstances until his bishop" - meaning Your God-loving Reverence - "releases him from the inhibition placed on him. In everything we must observe the rules and ordinances of the church."
I therefore ask you to do me this favor: send me the words of forgiveness by letter, so that I too may lawfully give him permission and fulfill the desire of those who asked. They are pressing me every day, so to speak, and begging me to agree to this easy and humane request.
I have written to the saintly metropolitan, my lord Philoxenus, describing the position in which we stand. He will certainly inform you of it and urge you to offer prayers for the general state of affairs.
AI-assisted translation - This translation was produced with AI assistance and has not been peer-reviewed. See the 19th-century translation or original Latin/Greek below for scholarly use.
Latin / Greek Original
Original text not yet available in this corpus.
This letter still needs a Latin or Greek source-text backfill. The source link, when available, is preserved so the text can be checked and added later.