Letter 58
Hormisdas→Unknown|hormisdas
From: Pope Hormisdas, Rome
To: Unknown recipient (unknown)
Date: ~515-523 AD
Context: Part of the papal correspondence surrounding the Acacian Schism (484-519), the major breach between Rome and Constantinople over the condemnation of the Monophysite patriarch Acacius. Pope Hormisdas (514-523) worked tirelessly to resolve this schism, which was finally healed in 519 under Emperor Justin I.
[This letter is part of the extensive diplomatic correspondence generated by the resolution of the Acacian Schism. The schism had divided the Eastern and Western churches for thirty-five years over the condemnation of Patriarch Acacius of Constantinople, who had promoted a compromise formula (the Henotikon) that Rome rejected as insufficiently orthodox. Hormisdas conducted negotiations through multiple embassies to Constantinople, exchanging letters with emperors, patriarchs, imperial officials, and powerful aristocratic women at court. The correspondence reveals the machinery of late antique ecclesiastical diplomacy: formal theological demands, careful diplomatic language, networks of lay and clerical allies, and the constant anxiety of a pope trying to manage events happening months away by letter.]
HORMiSDA POMFEio. Ita douotiouis nostrae animum gaudio concordiae fatemur impletum, ut nuUa credamus uerba sufHcere, quibus fidei uestrae puritatem ualeamus explere. magna pro- fecto memoria felicitatis transibitis ad posteros, quia uos iu facienda pace sollicitudine certum est fuisse constrictos. habetis apud diuinitatem meritum, cuius religioni persoluitis affectum. operati quidem estis generalitatis desideria sed et uestra pariter completa sunt uota, et cum animae uestrae paraueritis praemium, uniuersitas sibi beneficium gaudet impensum.
1 uideantur edit. reg. et sic p. 632, 7 3 memor F, corr. pos- 8cit F, corr. p 5 aliquid V {cf. p. 632, 11), corr, o iiituntur p, at cf. p. 632, 11 6 dilectionis F, corr. o 7 posacit V, corr. o 10 quid Tkiel (cf. p. 632, 16) : qui 7 11 <de> supradicto edit. reg., at cf p. 632, 17 13 solemniter V 14 coramunionia V, corr, p Data.] nec diem nec mensem additum non mireris, si quae initio epistulae subnotaui con- sideraueris
Epist, CLXXni 4 —
CLXXV 3.
631
quapropter de<bita> u<o>s honorificentia salutantes hortamur et 2 petimus, ut uiuacitate, qua quietis ecclesiasticae coepistis ini- tium, procuretis efifectum et, quocumque contentionis alicuius nideritis remansisse uestigia, curetis modis omnibus inse- 5 quenda. adeste ecclesiainim dei plenissimae tranquillitati, insistite labori quem fidei uestrae munere domino curastis offerre. facitis enim, ut maiore a uobis fiducia exigamus pleni- tudinem, quos gratulamur desideratae diutissime adunationis initia uotiua fundasse. Data die quo <supra> cons. ss.
10 (175.)
HORiiSDA nioscoRO DUCONO. Dc laboris tui quidem, quem dei omnipotentis iuuamine suscepisti, pro ea parte, quae acta est, gratulamur efFectu indicantes omnibus Italiae populis, quae auctore deo per te acta sunt, placuisse et gratias deo
15 nostro sine cessatione persoluimus, qui te fecit agnoscere, quia non pro odio sed pro causae magis fueris amplitudine destinatus. unde quoniam supplicem et puram cogitationem 2 nostram per te misericordia diuinae propitiationis adiuuit, necesse est, ut de industriae uel fatigationis tuae praemio
29 ot uicissitudine cogitemus. nam sequenti tempore scribere domno et filio nostro imperatori disponimus, ut te Alexan- drinum episcopum debeat ordinare. iustum est enim, ut ea doctrinauel moderatione tua corrigatur ecclesia, in qua praecipue ab istis aetatis tuae principiis militasti. nam displicuit nobis, 3
« quod caritatem tuam clementissimus imperator Antiochenae
1 de<bita> n<o>B temptaui, debita Car.: df (= deus) V 2 cepistis V 5 plenissime V 6 insisstite V curasti F, corr. 8 di
ustissim^ F, corr. a 9 data d<l cons. ss. F; ego supra inserui
175. Bat. (simul cum ep. 227) a. 519 die 3 Dec; per Paulinum, Edd. Car. P 508; Collect. Concil; BTA I 431; Thiel 905; comme- morat Bar. ad a. 519, 134. De similitudine epistulae 173 cf. quae illiusinitio subnotaui. 17 simplicem jTAteZ pura F, corr. o 21 aleian- drinam F, corr. o 22 ea F: tua o* 23 uel scripsi: ut F, et p 24 istis F: ipsis Car. militati F, corr. o^
632
Honnisda lustiniano
praeponere nitebatur ecclesiae; melins enim in solo patriae tanti accipis sacerdotii dignitatem, ut Aegyptios populos doceas quam inter Syros nouos et incognitos homines in alia
4 orbis parte progenitus errare uidearis. Thomae quoque et Nicostrati fratrum et coepiscoporum nostroiiim obseruatio longa nos contristat et miramur, cur apud catholicum principem rectae fidei laborare uideantur episcopi. quorum desideria tua debebit caritas subleuare agendo, quatenus optata conse-
5 quentium maeror conuerti possit in gaudium. lohannes Nico- politanus episcopus per Ammonium diaconum nobis scripsit, quod ei aliqui maliuoli apud principem nitantur generare calumniam: quem dilectioni tuae commendamus hortantes, ut elabores, ne eius quieti inimicorum possit nocere subreptio.
6 quem Ammonium diaconum ad nos uenientem in sedis apo- stolicae noluimus communione suscipere tamdiu, donec habito cum Sergio diacono tractatu quid ordinari debuerit quaere- remus, et hoc deliberatio nostra supra dicto diacono probabilis inuenit, ut per testimonium libelli communioni catholicae iun- geretur: quo libello soUemniter oblato nostrae offerentem com-
7 munioni significamus adiunctum. Paulinum ecclesiae Bomanae defensorem commendamus et hortamur, ut nihil indispositum pro festinatione uestri reditus relinquatis, quia melius cuncta sub prolixitate temporis cum dei nostri iuuamine disponuntur et gratius est, <si> sub mora omnium ecclesiarum ordinetur status quam cum per festinationem aliquid imperfectum rema- neat, unde itenim et labor nobis generetur et nostris afferatur ordinationibus diSicultas. Data die <quo> supra cons. ss.
2 accipies Car. egypcios V 3 homine F, corr. o 4 urbis V, corr. 5 fratrum Car.: et fratrum V 9 memor F, corr. cor uerti F, corr. a 11 aliquid F {cf. p. 630, 5), corr. nituntur Car. 15 noluisti F, corr. a man. post. {cf. p. 630. 9) 17 <de> supradicto 23 temporibus F, corr. o^ 24 si addidi, ut p 25 festinacione F, co)r. a 27 die <quo> supra acripsi {%. e. 3 Dec. a. 519) : dif F
Epist. CLXXV 4 — CLXXVI 3.
638
◆
From: Pope Hormisdas, Rome
To: Unknown recipient (unknown)
Date: ~515-523 AD
Context: Part of the papal correspondence surrounding the Acacian Schism (484-519), the major breach between Rome and Constantinople over the condemnation of the Monophysite patriarch Acacius. Pope Hormisdas (514-523) worked tirelessly to resolve this schism, which was finally healed in 519 under Emperor Justin I.
[This letter is part of the extensive diplomatic correspondence generated by the resolution of the Acacian Schism. The schism had divided the Eastern and Western churches for thirty-five years over the condemnation of Patriarch Acacius of Constantinople, who had promoted a compromise formula (the Henotikon) that Rome rejected as insufficiently orthodox. Hormisdas conducted negotiations through multiple embassies to Constantinople, exchanging letters with emperors, patriarchs, imperial officials, and powerful aristocratic women at court. The correspondence reveals the machinery of late antique ecclesiastical diplomacy: formal theological demands, careful diplomatic language, networks of lay and clerical allies, and the constant anxiety of a pope trying to manage events happening months away by letter.]
Modern English rendering for readability. See the 19th-century translation or original Latin/Greek for scholarly use.