Letter 9240

Gregory the Great (Wisigothic)Unknown|gregory great
From: Pope Gregory I
To: Domnellus, Imperial Payments Agent
Date: ~598 AD
Context: Gregory explains he acted reluctantly in carrying out a military payment

You know how much I resist entanglement in secular matters, and yet here we are. I received the imperial command regarding the military payment, and though it went against everything in me, I carried it out — as duty required. I want you to know that I undertook this unwillingly, and I trust you understand why. A man in my position must serve both God and Caesar, but when the two conflict, my hesitation is genuine, not performative. That said, the order has been executed. I leave the accounting in your capable hands, and I pray that my compliance in this matter costs neither of us more than it should.

Modern English rendering for readability. See the 19th-century translation or original Latin/Greek for scholarly use.