Letter 87: Severus urges Dionysius to correct Indacus' reception before a small spark becomes a larger separation.

Your God-loving Reverence already knows that those who preside over Christ's rational flocks must look ahead as carefully as they can. They must lead the sheep to green pasture and quiet waters, and they must watch that no harmful root or muddy, disturbed drink corrupts the healthy conscience of those they feed. Why, then, are those in Isauria and the other provinces rightly blaming you for having received Indacus, who presides over Corycus, so incautiously? He had not agreed to confess the same faith as we do, nor had he accepted the common resolutions of the whole holy synod of God-loving bishops in the East. Such a man should not have been received into communion without the judgment of the apostolic see. Even if the pressure of the days of the saving Passion and Resurrection made reception appropriate, the lawful manner of reception still should not have been neglected: everyone in the same communion must think and say the same things. Hurry, then, to correct what you neglected. If we close the eye of watchfulness even briefly, this small spark can kindle a great flame of separation. The cure is not difficult for you. We hear that the whole honorable clergy of the holy church of God in Corycus have already removed the offenses by a written renunciation and anathema, and that they readily hold the orthodox faith and confession. Or, if you prefer, make Indacus satisfy the proper requirements and come, as custom requires, to greet us. Leave the healing to us and to God. We can bring him near with healing words: "Is there no balm in Gilead?" as Jeremiah says, or has it been troubled by a lack of physicians?

That they who preside over Christ's rational flocks must look in front as much as they can, and must lead the sheep to a "place of grass," and pasture them by "the waters of stillness," and must watch lest anywhere any hurtful root and muddy perturbed drink corrupt the healthy conscience of those that are fed is already known to your love of God also. How is it therefore that those in Isauria and in the other provinces are very justly blaming you for having incautiously received Indacus, who presides over Corycus, when he has not agreed in confessing the same faith as we, nor acquiesced in the common resolutions of the whole holy Synod of the God-loving bishops in the East? First, such a man ought not to have been received to communion without the judgment of the apostolic see: and, even if by reason of the pressure of the days of the saving Passion and of the Resurrection it had been right for him to be received, the rule as to the lawful mode of reception ought on no account to have been neglected. This is that all who hold to the same communion should think and say the same things. Hasten accordingly to bring the matter that you have neglected to correction: for you see that, if for a little moment we close the eye of watchfulness, we kindle by this small spark a great flame of separation. But the course of healing is not difficult for you. In fact we hear that the whole honourable clergy of the holy church of God in Corycus have already with one accord removed the offences by a certain written renunciation and anathema, and that they readily hold to the orthodox faith and confession. Or, if you like, only make him satisfy the proper requirements and come according to custom to greet us, and leave the course of cure to us and to God. For we are able to bring him near to us by healing words, "Is there no balm in Gilead?" as Jeremiah says, or is it troubled by absence of physicians?