Letter 4039: Gregory to Constantius, Bishop of Mediolanum (Milan). Having read the letter of your Holiness, we find that you are in a state of serious distress, principally on account of the bishops and citizens of Briscia (Brescia) who bid you send them a letter in which you are asked to swear that you have not condemned the Three Chapters. Now, if your Fra...

Gregory to Constantius, Bishop of Milan. Having read Your Holiness's letter, I find you in a state of serious distress, principally because the bishops and citizens of Brescia are demanding that you send them a letter in which you swear you have not condemned the Three Chapters. If your predecessor Laurentius did not do this, it should not be required of you. And if he did, then he was not in communion with the universal Church and contradicted what he had sworn in his oath. But since I believe he kept his oath and remained in the unity of the Catholic Church, there is no doubt that he never swore to any of his bishops that he had not condemned the Three Chapters. Your Holiness may therefore conclude that you should not be forced to do what your predecessor never did. However, to avoid giving offense to those who wrote to you, send them a letter declaring under anathema that you neither take anything away from the faith of the Council of Chalcedon nor accept those who do, and that you condemn whomever it condemned and absolve whomever it absolved. I believe this should satisfy them promptly. As for your report that many are offended because you name our brother and fellow bishop John of Ravenna during the celebration of Mass: inquire into the ancient custom. If it has been the custom, foolish men should not now object to it. If it has not been the custom, something that might give offense should not be introduced. I have taken care to investigate whether our brother John names you at the altar, and I am told he does not. If he does not mention your name, I do not see what necessity obliges you to mention his.

Book IV, Letter 39 To Constantius, Bishop. Gregory to Constantius, Bishop of Mediolanum (Milan). Having read the letter of your Holiness, we find that you are in a state of serious distress, principally on account of the bishops and citizens of Briscia (Brescia) who bid you send them a letter in which you are asked to swear that you have not condemned the Three Chapters. Now, if your Fraternity's predecessor Laurentius did not do this, it ought not to be required of you. But, if he did it, he was not with the universal Church, and contradicted what he had sworn to in his security. But, inasmuch as we believe him to have kept his oath, and to have continued in the unity of the Catholic Church, there is no doubt that he did not swear to any of his bishops that he had not condemned the Three Chapters. Hence your Holiness may conclude that you ought not to be forced to do what was in no wise done by your predecessor. But, lest those who have thus written to you should be offended, send them a letter declaring under interposition of anathema that you neither take away anything from the faith of the synod of Chalcedon nor received those who do, and that you condemn whomsoever it condemned, and absolve whomsoever it absolved. And thus I believe that they may be very soon satisfied. Further, as to what you write about many of them being offended because you name our brother and fellow bishop John of the Church of Ravenna during the solemnities of Mass, you should enquire into the ancient custom; and, if it has been the custom, it ought not now to be found fault with by foolish men. But, if it has not been the custom, a thing ought not to be done at which some may possibly take offense. Yet I have been at pains to make careful enquiry whether the same John our brother and fellow bishop names you at the altar; and they say that this is not done. And, if he does not make mention of your name, I know not what necessity obliges you to make mention of his. If indeed it can be done without any one taking offense, your doing anything of this kind is very laudable, since you show the charity you have towards your brethren. Further, as to what you write of your having been unwilling to transmit my letter to Queen Theodelinda on the ground that the fifth synod was named in it, if you believed that she might thereby be offended, you did right in not transmitting it. We are therefore doing now as you recommend, namely, that we should only express approval of the four synods. Yet, as to the synod which was afterwards held in Constantinople, called by many the fifth, I would have you know that it neither ordained nor held anything in opposition to the four most holy synods, seeing that nothing was done in it with respect to the faith, but only with respect to persons; and persons, too, about whom nothing is contained in the acts of the Council of Chalcedon but, after the canons had been promulged, discussion arose, and final action was ventilated concerning persons. Yet still we have done as you desired, making no mention of this synod. But we have also written to our daughter the queen what you wrote to us about the bishops. Ursicinus, who wrote something to you against our brother and fellow bishop John, you ought by your letters addressed to him, with sweetness and reason, to restrain from his intention. Further, concerning Fortunatus , we desire your Fraternity to be careful, lest you be in any way surreptitiously influenced by bad men. For I hear that he ate at the table of the Church with your predecessor Laurentius for many years until now, that he sat among the nobles, and subscribed, and that with our brother's knowledge he served in the army. And now, after so many years, your Fraternity thinks that he should be driven from the position which he now occupies. This seems to me altogether incongruous. And so I have given you this order through him, but privately. Still, if there is anything reasonable that can be alleged against him, it ought to be submitted to our judgment. But, if it please Almighty God, we will send letters through your man to our son the Lord Dynamius. About this page Source. Translated by James Barmby. From Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, Second Series, Vol. 12. Edited by Philip Schaff and Henry Wace. (Buffalo, NY: Christian Literature Publishing Co., 1895.) Revised and edited for New Advent by Kevin Knight. <https://www.newadvent.org/fathers/360204039.htm>. Contact information. The editor of New Advent is Kevin Knight. My email address is feedback732 at newadvent.org. (To help fight spam, this address might change occasionally.) Regrettably, I can't reply to every letter, but I greatly appreciate your feedback — especially notifications about typographical errors and inappropriate ads.