Letter 13
Hormisdas→John, of Germanicia|hormisdas
imperial politicspapal authority
From: Hormisdas, Pope of Rome
To: John, bishop of Nicopolis
Date: ~516 AD
Context: Hormisdas warmly welcomes John's profession of orthodox faith and his rejection of the schismatics, praising him as an example to others and urging him to stand firm.
Hormisdas to John, bishop of Nicopolis. Delivered by the deacon Rufinus.
We rejoiced greatly in the Lord, dearest brother, upon receiving your letter, in which you declare that you received the priesthood by God's grace. This is certain faith, this is hope secure beyond doubt — the belief that the cause of every good thing rests in the ordering of heaven. Having this knowledge, dearest brother, you acknowledge with a devout spirit the grace of the blessings you have received from our God. And yet even this comes from the same font of mercy — that human humility submits to its author. For God says: "Upon whom does my spirit rest, if not upon the humble and the quiet, the one who trembles at my words?" [Isaiah 66:2].
In these qualities, then, by which you prove yourself, the example of this virtue will shine all the more brightly for others — since God's own design has brought you to the point where the church of the orthodox may glory in you. For just as one instructed in the divine testimonies and formed by the training of the sacred writings according to the apostle, you opened your ordination with this pledge: that you stood with the judgments of the apostolic see against those who have gone astray. For you could not have repaid the giver of such great blessings in any other way than by showing evident zeal for the apostolic confession against his enemies. It is well known that those who profess a guilty conscience stand outside the bounds of the faith.
HORMISDA lOHANNI EPISCOPO NICOPOLITANO. PER RUFINUM DIA-
coNUH. Gauisi sumus in domino ualde, frater karissime, acceptis litteris tuis, in quibus te profiteris sacerdotium dei gratia suscepisse. haec est fides cei-ta, haec spes sine ambi- guitate secura, qua creditur totius boni causa in supema 15
2 dispensatione consistere. cuius rei scientiam habens, frater karissime, beneficiorum, quae a deo nostro conseoutus es, religioso animo gratiam confiteris, licet hoc quoque de eodem clementiae fonte descendit, ut se auctori suo humana submittat humilitas: ait enim: super quem requiescit spiritus ao meus nisi super humilem et quietum et trementera
3 sermones meosPinhis ergo, in quibus huiusmodi probaris, clarius elucescet aliis etiam uirtutis huius futurum exemplum, quando ad hoc etiam deo instituente perductus es, ut et in
4 te catholicorum glorietur ecclesia. nam sicut diuinis testimoniis 25 eruditus et iuxta apostolum sacrarum litterarum institutione formatus hoc auspicium tuae ordinationis edidisti, ut aduersum deuiantes cum sedis apostolicae sententiis conuenires. neque
20 Esai. 66, 2
respondet epistulae 117. Edd. Car. D 449; Bar. ad a. 516, 50;
Collect. Concil; BTA I 383; Thiel 774. 11 per mfinum diaC V
charactere minutiore in marg. 12 simus V, corr. o l^ quae redditur V,
corr. p2
Epist. CXVII 8 — CXVIII 7.
525
enim remunerari aliter tantorura beneficiorum poteras largi- torem, nisi aduersus inimicos eius euidentem zelura aposto- licae confessionis ostenderes. notum est enim eos extra 5 religiosa septa consistere, qui et ipsi profitentur conscientiam
5 fidei, fiduciam * « atque ideo et infructuosa est apud eos quamuis cum religiosis congrua sanctae communionis aequa- litas, quia procul dubio qui ea, quam meruit, libertate non utitur, subiectum se iniquitatibus confitetur. quid gloriemur his, quas non sequimur, disciplinis? falso appellat magistrum,
10 qui se institutionibus eius non probat esse discipulum. sed 6 quia nobis nunc omnia in confessione similia et libertatis propriae resumpsistis aiFectum, paternae rursus hereditatis cupientes esse consortes amplectimini gratiam traditionis antiquae et in illius inconuulsi fundamenti stabilitate persistere,
15 non cu-ra temporibus corda mutantes (inconstantis enim mutabilitas ista solet esse propositi atque ideo bene fundatis oportet inhaerere, quando huiusmodi studia clementia scit fouere diuina), ut fidei uestrae firmitas uobis de aliorum salute fructificet et feruore uestri studii aliorum quoque
io animus ad resumptionem bonorum suorum possit accendi, quatenus et de uobis quoque sanctus apostolus dixisse cre- datur: aemulatio uestra prouocauit plurimos. ergo 7 Nestorii et Eutychetis impietatibus iuxta synodalia constituta damnatis sectatores quoque eorum similiter exsecrantes cum
£5 exultatione dicamus: 'exite de medio et separamini et inmundum ne tetigeritis' dicit dorainus. quemadmodum enim quis malarum inuentionum de<te>stabitur principes, si non
22 Cor. n 9, 2 25 Cor. II 6, 17
fiduciara sed Bar., fidei non fiduciam atque ideo Coust; ego indicaui lacunamy quam aic fere expleas uelim qui et . . conscientiam fidei, fiduciaro <tamen ostendendi non habent>. atque ideo instruc- tuosa F, corr. 14 persistite 16 solet esse ex sole &B8e corr, V
e
526
Synodus Epiri ueteris ad Homiisdam
declinat sequaces, aiit qiiemadmodum odit originem, qui non exsecratur et subolem? in discipulis praedicatur fama docen- tium, et donec male iactorum seminum radix per succedentes
8 culta floruerit, tamdiu auctorum memoria non peribit. addatur perditis Eutychetis et Acacius disciplinis sub communione Petri omnium quoque damnatorum mixtus errori; quod uestra dilectio litteris suis, dura fidem suam asserit, euidenter ex-
Spressit. ad instructionem uestrae fidei pleniorem, quo ordine ad communionem nostram suscipi deceat reuertentes, indi. culum subteradiecimus sperantes in deum bonorum omnium largitorem, quod laudabili circa fidem uestrae dilectionis instantia non solum hoc eorum, qui uobis uicinitate iunguntur, saluti prosit sed eorum quoque, ad quos fidei uestrae et lOreligiosae uoluntatis uelox fama peruenerit. Eufinum si- quidem diaconum, qui nobis litteras uestras obtulit, in Christi caritate suscepimus; quem apostolorum orationibus commen- dantes cum pace remisimus, hortantes, litteras a nobis tam ad caritatem tuam quam ad synodum directas populo relegatis. quod et nos pro fidei uestrae commendatione fecisse cognosce. Data XVII. Kal. Decembr. Petro cons.
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From: Hormisdas, Pope of Rome
To: John, bishop of Nicopolis
Date: ~516 AD
Context: Hormisdas warmly welcomes John's profession of orthodox faith and his rejection of the schismatics, praising him as an example to others and urging him to stand firm.
Hormisdas to John, bishop of Nicopolis. Delivered by the deacon Rufinus.
We rejoiced greatly in the Lord, dearest brother, upon receiving your letter, in which you declare that you received the priesthood by God's grace. This is certain faith, this is hope secure beyond doubt — the belief that the cause of every good thing rests in the ordering of heaven. Having this knowledge, dearest brother, you acknowledge with a devout spirit the grace of the blessings you have received from our God. And yet even this comes from the same font of mercy — that human humility submits to its author. For God says: "Upon whom does my spirit rest, if not upon the humble and the quiet, the one who trembles at my words?" [Isaiah 66:2].
In these qualities, then, by which you prove yourself, the example of this virtue will shine all the more brightly for others — since God's own design has brought you to the point where the church of the orthodox may glory in you. For just as one instructed in the divine testimonies and formed by the training of the sacred writings according to the apostle, you opened your ordination with this pledge: that you stood with the judgments of the apostolic see against those who have gone astray. For you could not have repaid the giver of such great blessings in any other way than by showing evident zeal for the apostolic confession against his enemies. It is well known that those who profess a guilty conscience stand outside the bounds of the faith.
Modern English rendering for readability. See the 19th-century translation or original Latin/Greek for scholarly use.