Letter 12

From: John, bishop of Nicopolis To: Hormisdas, Pope of Rome Date: ~October 516 AD Context: John reports his election as bishop of Nicopolis after the death of Archbishop Alcison, and asks for papal recognition and communion — a sign of support for Rome from within the Eastern church during the Acacian Schism. Copy of the report of John, bishop of Nicopolis. Delivered by his deacon Rufinus. To my lord, all-holy and most blessed father of fathers, fellow minister and prince of bishops, Hormisdas: John sends greetings in the Lord. My constant concern has always been to seek nothing beyond managing my own affairs and committing my familiar daily life to the anxious care of my duties. But since the judgments of God are "a great deep" [Psalm 36:6], as I know Your Beatitude also teaches — when our father and late archbishop Alcison was called by Christ, the prince of shepherds, to the mansions above, by a wisdom that he alone who is the Lord of all possibilities understands — the holy synod of good works and the clergy transferred to me the shepherd's lot. Referring all things to God, who "makes the tongues of the stammering speak freely" [cf. Wisdom 10:21], I properly hasten to your prayers, so that in accordance with the custom of the apostolic see, you may deign to extend your care over all the churches to include that of Nicopolis as well, following your ancient spiritual arrangement. For when I asked that a letter of communion be given to me, all the orthodox bishops of our province eagerly agreed.

EXEMPLUM RELATIOXIS lOHANNIS EPISCOPI NICOPOLITANI. PER RUFINUM DIACONUM EIUSDEM. DOMINO MEO CUNCTA SANCTISSIMO AC BEATISSIMO PATRI PATRUM 10 COMMINISTRO AC PRINCIPI EPISCOPORUM HORMISDAE I0HANNE8 IN 2 DOMiNO SALUTEM. Cura mihi extitit semper nihil amplius quaerere nisi agere propria et familiarem conuersationem sollicitudinis anxietati mandare. sed quia dei iudicia abyssus multa est, sicut et uestram cognosco docere beatitudinem, 15 patre nostro quondam atque archiepiscopo Alcisone a pastorum principe Christo ad supernas mansiones euocato ea ratione, qua ipse cognoscit qui est possibilium dominus, in me sancta synodus bonorum actuum ac clerus pastoris transtulit sortem. 3 ego autem cuncta referens deo, qui balbutientium linguas 20 liberas facit, decenter ad uestras orationes concuiTO, ut iuxta consuetudinem apostolicae sedis uestrae cunctarum ecclesiarum curam et Nicopolitanorum habere dignemini secundum antiquam 4 spiritalem dispositionem uestram. petenti etenim mihi dari 14 Psalm. 35, 7 5 die p: di V 117. Dat (stmul cton ep. 119) a. 516 initio mensis Octobr. per Bufinum, Edd. Car. P 448; Bar. ad a. 616, 44; Collect. Concil; Thiel 770. 8 per Rufinum diaconum eiusdem charactere miniUiore V in marg. 13 propria et scripsi: propriam et V (propria et . . anxietate mundare Thiel. propria et . . conuersationem <uacuam> sollicitudinis <et'' anxietatis mundanae Bar.) 16 a pastorum scripsi (cf. Petr. 15, 4): apostolorum V, episcoporum Car, a> Christo Car, 17 euocatum F, corr. o2 19 pastoris ex pastorum V 20 balbutientium 0: balbutaen- tium ex balbutantium V 22 sq. uestiae <quae/ . . curam <habet> Car. Epist. CXVI b 5 — CXVII 7. 523 . responsum ad apertionem oris, sicuti docuit beatus apo- stolus atque ipse etiam dominus praecepit, mecum petite horum datorem et cum quaerente pariter quaerite et pulsantem spiritali manu uestra suscipite. hoc enim uobis facientibus 5 potero, sanctissime, et accipere et inuenire et adaperiente Christo recte per uerbum ueritatis incedere. quoniam uero 5 quidam dissimulantes nobiscum credere atque sectari sanctas synodos, quae Nicaeae Constantinopoli at<}ue Ephesi congregatae sunt, in quibus principes extiterunt sanctissirai <beatae> 10 memoriae episcopi Caelestinus apostolicae sedis uestrae et Cyrillus Alexandrinae, insuper etiam quae Calcedone aduersus Eutychem impium congregata est, quae omnes praedictas ueritatis atque orthodoxiae in se ratione lirmauit: tamen aadent nos impugnare tamquam uinculum concordiae sine lii ratione uitantes. uotum autem mihi est uestram sequi 6 doctrinam, sicut inter sanctos praecessor meus Alcison extiterat, et anathematizo Dioscorum ac Timotheum appellatione Ellurum et Petrum horum successorem et Petri communione cum his permixtum Acacium et Petrum, qui Antiochenam perturbauit 20 ecclesiam, sequens in omnibus synodicas ac proprie apostolicas epistolas scriptas a uero praesule Romanae ecclesiae Leone. rogo autem: plenius atque perfectius, quae seruari oportet, 7 commonete et, quibus abstinere debeam, uestris custodibus litteris intimate, ut etsi fortassis adhuc inexercitatus ordini 85 deputor lectionum seu dixi siue egi apostolicis doctrinis uestris incongruum, uestris imbutus sermonibus possim haereticorum obsistere machinis. hoc enim facientes, sanctissimi, firmiores 1 Ephes. 6, 19 5 aperiente p 6 recta Bar. in marg, incidere corr. Bar, 6 quoniara V: quamquam Hariel 7 dissimulantes] 8C. sunt 9 quibus V: qua Bar. in marg. sanctissimae o; ego addere malui beatae 12 eu- tichem V 13 ueritatis acripsi: ueritates F, quod retinentes atque ortho- doia Car., aeque orthodoxiae Thiel 19 antiocenam V 21 uiro F, carr. Bar. 24 etsi V: si Bar. 27 macinis V sanctissinie Car. 524 Hormisda lohanni Nicopolitano Bostrae sanctae synodi inuenietis episcopos et bonorum actuum cleiiim ac populum confirmabitis tamquam familiarem uobis 8 reddentes sanctam Nicopolitanorum ecclesiam. uenerabilem uero diaconum Rufinum ad tam necessaiiam causam directum pacifice, sicut uos decet, rogati suscipite et fiduciam tribuentes celerem 6 eius recursum ad nos praestare dignemini portantem spiritalia 9 atque apostolica constituta, cuncta sanctissime. omnera in Christo fratemitatem uestrae beatitudinis ego et qui mecum sunt plurimum salutamus in domino.