Letter 20

From: The bishops of Tarraconensis To: Pope Hilary, bishop of Rome Date: ~464 AD Context: Pope Hilary's letter 13; the Spanish bishops of Tarraconensis write to Hilary about two problems: a bishop named Silvanus who had improperly consecrated a bishop, and a disputed episcopal succession at Caesaraugusta (Zaragoza). The bishops of the province of Tarraconensis to the most holy Pope Hilary, greetings. We write to lay before the apostolic see two matters on which we need guidance. The first: Bishop Silvanus of Calahorra has consecrated a bishop for a see whose people had not requested a bishop and without following the procedure established by the canons. The bishop consecrated is now in place in a diocese that did not want him and that did not participate in his selection. The second: the bishop of Caesaraugusta has named a successor without the participation of the clergy and people of the diocese, and the named successor — a man named Irenaeus — is being pressed on the diocese against the wishes of at least part of the community there. In both cases, the canonical procedure for episcopal elections has been bypassed. We raise these cases with you because the jurisdiction of this province is your concern as well as ours, and because we want the guidance of the apostolic see before we act on our own authority. The bishops of Tarraconensis

Episcoporum Tarraconensium ad Uilarum papam. ^64^) l3. De SUwmo CaiagtiritaHO episcopo, qui episcopum poptdis non petentibus ordi- mmii ei Caesaraugu9iani episcopi preebyiero manus imposuit^ conqueruntur, Hilarumque consuiuni, quid ibi faciendum aut qtia ratione ejusmodi abusibus occurrendum sit, Domino beatissimo' et apostolica reverentia a no- bis in Christo colendo papae Ililaro Ascanius episcopus et universi episcopi Tarraconensis provinciae. 1. Etiamsi nulla^) exst-aret necessitas ecclesiasticae disciplinae^ expetendum re vera nobis fuerat illud privilegium sedis vestrae, quo susceptis regni clavibus post resurrectionem Salvatoris per totum orbem beatissimi Petri singularis praedicjitio universonmi illumina- tioni prospexit: cujus^) vicarii principatus sicut emiuet, ita riietuen- dus est ab omnibus et amandus. Proinde nos Deum in vobis primi- tus^) adorantes, cui sine querela servitis, ad fidem recurrimus in*) et ad morg. NiciensiSj c* c** Nicaensis, A* Nictiaensis; sequimiir K' |5 F. Leonis definitio hic memorata desideratur, nisi forte illa geueralis epist. 10 n. 6. • n c* c" in altera merhoratarum^ alii editi in alterum. Restituendiun duximus iJi aliero memoraiorum scil. locorum, ut suadebat quod mox subjicitur: ad unius auttMiiiiM praedicia loca regimen revertantur, Hujus aut^^ni deoreti cxsecutioniis lucnlentimi exemplmn exhibent Aurelianensis V^ concilii subscriptionos, intor quas (egitar: Aeiius presbyier direcius a domno meo Magno episcopo ecclesiae Cemelensis ei Sieensis subscripsi. **) Ita c* c'* cum mBS. At a' quemdam modum prohibuit, Ita decemit Hila- nis, dno loca ad mium redire antistitem, ut simul excuset Ingenuum, quod in eorom altero (scil. Nicensi) episcopum consecrarit, ne alienao ambitioni (scil. Aaxanii) occasionem daret. ') In c^ librarii oscitantia deest nuUa, Deinde pliires mss. staret (et similiter infra giirpaia)^ H* a' et duo mss. (uuus secunda manu) instaretj aUi exstaret, F* muUe Miarei necessiiaiis, H^ Jam si ... staret, DeindtJ F* quod susceptis, mox- qae H' H* iihamnaHone. ») cujus (flcil. Petri) vicarii: intelligendus Romanus pontifex. Petri enim suc- cetaoTea jam priBciB temporibuB ejusdem vicarii vocari (;on6ueverunt. >) Ita msB. (F* W H"), h<. At c* c' penitus. ') Ita A*. In aliifl deest in. a. 463 aposiolico ore laudatam, inde responsa quaereutes^ unde nihil errorey ~~^^' nihil praesumptione, sed pontificali totum deliberatione praecipitur. 2. Quum haec ita se habeant, est tamen inter nos falsus frater, cujiis praesimiptionem ^) sicut diutius tacere non licuit, ita et loqoi futuri judicii necessitas imperavit. Silvanus quidam episcopusCalagurM in ultima parte nostrae provinciae constitutus^ ordinationes sibi inde- bitas usurpando; humilitatem uostram ad hoc usque perduxit, ut contni ejus vanissimam superstitiouem sedis vestrae unicum remedium fla- gitemus. Hic namque jam ante septem aut octo amplius ami06, jwstpouens patnim regulas et vestra^) instituta despiciens, nullis J petentibus populis episcopum ordinavit: cujus praeproperum factom ] existimantes fraterna et pacifica posse admonitione santiriy profecit iii pejus. Denique dum ') contra vetustatem canoniun; contra synodi constituta alterius fratris nostri presbyterum, spiritu tantum prae- sumptionis accensus, in eodem loco, qui ilii fuerat destinatus, coi invito et repugnanti imposuerat manus et qui nostro jam coetui fuerat aggregatus, episcopum fecit : hinc factum est, ut de ejus mi- serrima temeritate ad nas Caesaraugustanae urbis episcopus frater noster referret^), cujus diligentia et soUicitudo admodum prospexeraty si in aliquo profuisset. Siquidem cunctis in vicinia positis episcopiSy iie se scliismatico adjungereut, frequentissime contradixit; sed ob- ' stinatione danmabili totiim, quod erat illicitum et quod nobis pndor est dicere, non erubuit solus ille coinmittere. 3. ' Proinde quia his pracsumptionibus, quae unitatem diyidunt| quae schisma faciunt, velociter debet occurri, quaesumus sedem ve*,' stram, ut quid super hac parte observare^) velitis, apostolicis affii- ; tibus instniamur: quatenus fraternitat^ coUecta prolatis in medium '. venerandae synodi constitutis, contra rebellionis spiritum vestra ao- ' ctoritate subnixi, quid oporteat de ordinatore et de ordinato fieri^ ■ "*) In plerisque mss. (etiam H^ H^) hic additur dum (in H" ^inaii), quod edUi omiserunt; moxque F* H^ H^ accessus (loco accensus). — Is episcopus, cigQs ela* ricum episcopiun fecit Silvanus , ex sequeutibus intelligitur esse CaeBaraugusla- nus. Id vero factiun adversatur Nicaeno c. 16, Antioch. in encaeniis c. 13 et 2S, Sardic. c. IS et 19, Carthag. I c. 5, Innocentii epist. 2 n. 10 al. ®) H^ observari, moxque in H" deest et de ordinato. EPISTOLAE 13. 14. 157 intelligere Deo adjuyante possimus. Erit profecto vester triumphus, a. 463 si apostolatos yestri temporibuS; quod sancti Petri cathedra obtinet ^^)y ratholica audiat Ecclesia^ si novella zizaniorum semina fuerint ex- stirpata. St •absoriptio. Orantem pro nobis sanctum apostolatum Testmm jugi aeyo divina conservet aeternitas!