Letter 9

Symmachus (Pope)Unknown|pope symmachus
From: Pope Symmachus, Bishop of Rome (Apologia)
To: Emperor Anastasius of Constantinople
Date: ~504 AD
Context: Symmachus's formal defense of his position and of the independence of the Roman see against the Monophysite-sympathizing Eastern Emperor.

Symmachus, bishop, to the most pious Emperor Anastasius.

Your Piety has seen fit to involve itself in the affairs of the Roman church in ways that the tradition of the church does not support, and I must respond to that involvement with the clarity that the situation demands.

The judgment of whether a bishop of Rome has violated canon law belongs to a competent church tribunal, not to the emperor of Constantinople. This is not arrogance; it is the structure of authority that the church has developed over centuries. The emperor's role in church affairs is the protection of the church's peace, the enforcement of conciliar decisions, and the provision of resources for the church's mission. It is not the investigation, judgment, or removal of the bishop of Rome.

I want to add something about the theological situation that I suspect is the real motivation for Your Piety's interest in Roman affairs. I hold to the Council of Chalcedon. I will not moderate, qualify, or find formulas that soften the Chalcedonian definition in order to achieve a unity that is purchased by the sacrifice of truth. The Monophysite position is wrong, and accommodating it is not pastoral wisdom — it is the abandonment of the very thing that makes the church the church.

With all the respect due your office,
Symmachus, bishop of Rome

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