Letter 18: Simplicius instructs Acacius to act in his own name before the emperor so that what was decreed at the Council of...

Simplicius, bishop, to his most beloved brother Acacius. 1. From the letter of your love, which you directed to us through our son Epiphanius, a deacon of proven faith, you set forth at greater length what the most religious men, our sons the priests and archimandrites, together with the monks, had previously written to us more briefly, and in a lengthy volume — but with necessary discourse — you reported what had been done against the ecclesiastical rules and against the Catholic faith itself by heretics, both at Constantinople and in other regions, placing all these things before our eyes, so that we might see what remedy could also be applied to those churches upon which the pernicious usurper and recidivist invader of the Alexandrian church, under cover of tyrannical domination and through the absence of the most Christian emperor, had inflicted violence and exile. 2. Therefore we have determined to implore the aid of the most merciful emperor — the sole refuge after God, who has visited His Church and the commonwealth with wonderful consolation — even if you had not asked this to be done: so that for all the benefits the Lord has granted to his reign, he will no longer permit the churches of God throughout the world, which he recognizes as subject to his rule, to be violated by the contagion and depravity of heretics, but rather that by the command of his piety they may be rendered immune from the teaching of diabolical doctrine; so that those who believed they had received the sacerdotal ministry through the presumption of a condemned man may by a promulgated imperial constitution be ordered excluded and banished from the assembly of men; so that when these have been removed and condemned to perpetual relegation in the wilderness, Catholic bishops may be either restored to their deceived churches or newly created. In this matter neither our prayers before the most religious emperor, nor the representations of your love, nor the entreaty of so many of our brethren the priests who we find have come to Constantinople, nor the supplication of the monks, need labor. For whatever pertains to the integrity of the Catholic faith, in which the security of the churches is established, he has, by the return of his piety, with the Lord attending him everywhere, anticipated the desires of all and restored them. And with a most Christian mind the grace of obtaining favor is easy, where the cause is that of religion. 3. Therefore, just as by our own letters, so too by the representation of your love and of all the brethren who have presented themselves before the most Christian emperor to give testimony of their faith, it must be demanded again that Timothy Aelurus with his followers be directed to irreversible exile. Along with him, Paul expelled from the church of Ephesus and Peter driven from the city of Antioch, and all who consider themselves bishops ordained by him or by those he had illicitly made — all must be struck by the same law. As for Antonius, who, acting as standard-bearer of those whom he sent as tyrants against the Church, appeared, as it is written, as both enemy and defender; and as for John, formerly of Constantinople, who, having received from heretics the priesthood of Apamea — which he, being a priest from elsewhere, could not have received even from Catholics — publicized himself as a heretic, and turned back the reproach of what was wrongly done to him upon its author, expelling from Antioch Peter the invader and invading the same church himself: we remove them under anathema from the fellowship of Christians and from the very name, nor is the place of satisfaction ever to be opened to them, because just as Judas among the apostles, so these men lurked among the ministers of God through the deceit and fraud of a diabolical spirit. 4. Rejoicing also at the faith and devotion of the Christian people, we earnestly beseech God, continually praying for their progress and multiplication, that persevering in the fear and love of the Lord, they may merit to be increased in number and fortified by heavenly protection. In this we especially glory and are grateful to please our God, because the increase of a devout flock pertains to the pastoral harvest. 5. It is not fitting, moreover, that our brothers and fellow bishops should remain long at Constantinople, especially now when, on account of the upheaval of the persecution that had been stirred up, the cities in the aforementioned churches are anxious and alarmed. Let no one doubtful in reason or fearful in mind expect anything new to be reconsidered against the definitions of the Council of Chalcedon after that council, since what was constituted by the universality of the priests is maintained throughout the whole world by inviolable observance and, as has been shown, confirmed by the assertion of heavenly vengeance on so many occasions. Wherefore whoever struggles against the divine judgment does not follow the venerable definitions of that council, even after so many examples of divine indignation.

Simplieii papae ad Acacium Constantinopolitannni. moll) Ut AcacmM cum monachi» et episcopis Conttanlinopoli congregatis conjunctim ab impcraiore Timotkei eorumque qui ab eo ordinali exsiliumy et restitutiouem eathaiicorum expetat (it. 1, 2). De verae fidei in populo profectu gratulatus {n. 3), me epUcopos dhutus ConstantinopoK manere sinat, oh periculum novarum molitio- num providus mohet {n, 4). Dilectissimo fratri Acacio Simplicius. 1. Litteris tuae dilectionis^ quas per filium nostrum £pipha- phanium diaconum probatae fidei direxisti^ ea, quae strictim religio- dissimi viri filii nostri presbyteri^ archimandritae cum monachis vel ante scripserant, latius indicasti^ et prolixo quidem volumine sed ") In volgatlg quod iniquitas temporum et eos quos uon solum vestro imperio Mcd: G* omittit et ante eos. — Temporiim iniquitas impiam invexerat Basilisci sanctionem, quam etiam ipse paullo ante Zenonis rcditiim abrogarat. Tum vcro tyramii hi\jus vel potius Aeluri fautores rcbelli spiritu incitati, ut Leonis papae tomus et Calchedonensis concilii decreta novo in concilio examinarentur, efQa- gitare non desistebant. Quam petitionem novissimum Basilisci edictum (apud Evagr. h. e. in, 7) repulit his verbis: de hoc argumento nec synodum fieri nec mmpUais quaestionem ullam moveri volumus^ sed ea firma et inconvulsa manere, <s) Nimirum Timotheus Aelurus ab universo orbe in encycliis ad Lconem Aognstom missiB uno ore damnatus. t&) Edifci addunt etiam. lidem mox VIU Idus. J*) Hic Bttsilisci nomini non additur Augusti titulus , quod male partum anii- aerat imperiom. In aliis documcntis post vcrgentem annimi 476, quo illius ty- rannis finem acceperat, exaratis ejus ut damnatae memoriae nomen prorsus reticeri BoraiaB 1. c. pag. 382 seq. exempla aiiert. a. 477. sermone necessario retulisti, ut quid vel Constantinopoli vel in aliis regionibus ab haereticis gestuni; disceremus; ac singula, quae contra ecclesiasticas regulas et contra ipsam catholicam fidem ubicunqae commissa sunt, ante nostros oculos collocasti: quateuus yideatiir, quo etiam remedio subveniretur ecclesiis, quibus vim sub occaskHie tyrannicae dominationis et per absentiam Christianissimi principia pemiciosus latro et recidivus invasor Alexandriuae ecdesiae lapsus ') exsiliis irrogavit. 2. Unde unicum post Deum^ qui Ecclesiam et rempublicam consolatione mirabili visitavit, etiamsi hoc fieri minime postalaaBes, clementissimi imperatoris auxiliimi duximus implorandum: ut pio omnibus, quae regno ejus Dominiis tribuit, ne ulterius in orbe ter- rarum, quas subditas suo cognoscit imperio, ecclesiae Dei ab baere» ticorum contagione et pravitiite violentur, sed doctrinae diabolicae praeceptione pietatis ipsius praestentur inmiunes; ut ii, qui sibi cre- diderint sacerdotale ministerium danmati hominis praesumptione conferri, promulgata imperiali constitutione etiam a conventu homi- num segregandi jubeantur excludi: quatenus his submotis atque in solitudinis perpetua relegatione damnatis, antistites catholici deceptis vel reddantur ecclesiis vel creentur^). In quo nec nostrae preces apud religiosissimum principem nec dilectionis tuae suggestio, aut tantorum fratrum nostrormn, quos advenisse Constantinopolim repe- rimus, imploratio sacerdotum aut supplicatio monachorum laborare poterit. Quin quidquid ad integritatem catholicae fidei pertinet^ in qua ecclesiarum est constituta securitas, regressu pietatis suae^ Do- mino se ubique prosequente, omnium praeveniens vota restituit. Ei apud mentem Christianissimam facilis est impetrandi gratia, ubi re- ligionis est causa. 3. Sicut ergo litteris nostris ita tuae dilectionis vel omniiini fratrum^), qui se ad documenta fidei suae Christianissimi principis praesentavere conspectui, suggestione repetendum est, ut Timotheus Aelurus exsiliis lapsus ; neque enim cum Cedreno sentiendum , haereticum ilhuB primum in Paphlagoniam deinde Oasim relegatum fuisso. ') Zenonem his Simplicii monitis paruisse ct ca, quibus pius pontifez Ee- clesiae consultum vohiitf pracstitisse, fidem faciet succeBsoriB ejns FelioB epi- stola 1. cum sequacibus suis ad irremeabile dirigatur exsilium^). Cum quoa. 477. Paulus ab Ephesina ecclesia^ et Petrus ab Antioehena civitate de- pulsus, atque omoes, qui ab eo se.vel ab his, quos illicite fecerat, aestiiiuuit episcopos ordinatos, eadem debent lege percelli. De An- tonio autem^ qui eorum quos contra Ecclesiam tyrannos^) miserat, autesignanus exsistens, sicut scriptum est, inimicus et defensor ap- Psalm. paruity* et^) de Johanne quondam Constantinopolitano, qui ab haere- '' ticis Apamenum sacerdotium, quod ei, qui presbyter aliunde fuerat, ▼el a catholicis sumere non licebat, se haereticum publicavit, et quod in se perperam factum est improperium retorsit in auctorem^), ex- pelleus ab Antiochia Petrum pervasorem ipsius, eamdem- ecclesiam ipse pervasit: sub anathemate a Christianorum consortio vel ipsa appellatione removemus, nec unquam his satisfactionis ^) patefacieu- dus est locus, quia sicut Judas inter apostolos ita isti inter mini- stros JDei subdola et diabolici spiritus fraude latuerunt. isentiri non possumus, qui ad ann. 477 n. 12 ss. hacc Simplicii vorba dc synodo apod Constantinopolim ab Acacio indicta intcrprctcatur. PaalMSp JoMamneg et eeteri non solum unus, sed plures ubique nomen sacerdotii prae- fereaies toia sedis apostoiicae sunt auctoritate dejecti, citjus rei teslis etiam ipse doce- tMT AcadM»^ qui praeceptionis hujus exstitit exsecutor, &) Mag^ placeret tyrannus scil. Basiliscus. De Antonio hic memorato nihil apnd ETagrium, Theodonim lectorem et Libcratum invcnimus. Ad Antomam autem quod attinet et ad Johannem quondam Constantinopolitanum (supple pretbyierum) etc, eos sub anaihemate ... removemus, Joluumem presbyterum Constantinopolitanum, qui autea depositus ab episcopo sao fheratf Apameae episcopum ordinavit. Yerum ille ab Apamenis non receptus redii Antioekiam et Petrum episcopaius std expellit auctorem et invadit ejus ecclesiam, nt legitor in breviculo Eutychianae historiae (inter Gelasii tractatus tract. I. n. l^S). Huuc autem Johannem postea Tyriorum ecclesiae praefectum ab Acacio fiiiBae, ▼isiiri smnuB in Felicis II epist. 6 n. 1 et eodem breviculo (Uelas. tract. I n. 12). i) ejnB flcilioet, qua illis aditus ad honores ecclesiasHcos pateat, non ejus, quA peccati yeniam per dignos poenitentiae fructus cousequantur. Ita porro SimpliciiiB ad mentem Acacii loquitur, qui ipsi scripserat, haereticos illos itcrum damnato*, fd forie ad apoetolicam sedem confugerint, nec visu dignos habcret, ^ et ei jam aliquam indulgentiam forsitan impetrassent , irritaui esse debere, nec eomm poeniteiiiiam recipiendam esse, supple, qua honorcs suos servarent (cf. uo- titiA epist. Simplicii non exstantium n. 6). Ipse Simplicius suam ca de re sen- tentiam aperte indicat epist. 18 n. 3, ubi de eodem Petro loquens, licet haere- tiearwm soeimM, ait, dudum exstitisse probetur et princeps\ ad communionem per taiiMfaelionem reffuiis Chrisiianis competentem, non item ad fastigium sacerdotalis digmiotis pervtnire poterit. a. 477. 4. De Christiani quoqiie populi fide et devotione gaudentes, profeetum ejus et multiplicationera Deo jugiter supplieantes expeti- mus, ut in timore atque amore Domini perseverans, et numero au- geri et coelesti raereatur protectione muniri. In quo maxime glo- riamur et Deo nostro gratulabimur complacere, quia pastoralem re- spicit fructum religiosi ovilis augmentum. 5. Diu autem fratres et coepiscopos nostros apud Constanti- nopolim non convenit demorari, nunc praecipue, quum propter con- cussionem persecutionis, quae mota fuerat, sollicitae atque attonitae suut in suprascriptis ecclesiis civitates; nec^) aliquis dubius rationis et trepidus mentis exspectet novi aliquid post Calchedonense con- cilium contra definitiones ipsius retractari^ quia per universum mun- dum insolubili observatione retinetur, quod a sacerdotum uniyersitate est constitutum et, sicut apparuit, coelestis totiens ultionis assertione finnatum. Unde divino judicio reluctatur, quisquis ejusdem vene- rabilis definita concilii post tot divinae indignationis exempla non sequitur.