Letter 3

From: Pope Gregory the Great To: Leander of Seville, bishop Date: ~591 AD Context: Gregory writes to his close friend Leander of Seville [older brother of Isidore, who had spent time in Constantinople and was instrumental in converting Reccared to Catholicism] accompanying a copy of his Moralia in Job, the great scriptural commentary that grew out of lectures Gregory gave in Constantinople. Gregory to his most holy brother and fellow bishop Leander, greetings. My dear friend — for after the years of our friendship in Constantinople I cannot address you otherwise — the Moralia in Job [Gregory's massive allegorical commentary on the book of Job, written partly at Leander's request] is finished, or at least I have stopped revising it, which is the closest I will ever come to finishing it. The work grew beyond anything I planned. What began as notes on Job's spiritual significance became, over time, an exploration of the whole of Christian life through the lens of Job's sufferings and faithfulness: the nature of virtue and vice, the structure of the spiritual life, the meaning of suffering, the pastoral responsibilities of those who lead Christian communities. It is long — too long, perhaps, for most readers, though I hope the length is justified by the subject matter. Job did not suffer briefly, and the meditation on suffering cannot be brief. I send it to you because you asked for it, years ago in Constantinople, and because I know you will read it seriously and that your reading will help me understand whether it does what I hoped it would do. You have always told me the truth, and I have always needed to hear it. The news from Spain — the conversion of the Goths — has brought me more joy than almost anything I have heard in my years as bishop. You had a hand in that. I am grateful. Gregory