Letter 1035: Joseph, a Jew, the bearer of these presents, has informed us that, the Jews dwelling in the camp of Terracina having been accustomed to assemble in a certain place for celebrating their festivities, your Fraternity had expelled them thence, and that they had migrated, and this with your knowledge and consent, to another place for in like manner ...
Book I, Letter 35
To Peter, Bishop of Terracina [a coastal town south of Rome].
Gregory to Peter.
Joseph, a Jew and the bearer of this letter, has informed us that the Jewish community living near Terracina had been accustomed to gather at a certain place to celebrate their religious observances. Your Fraternity expelled them from that place. They then moved -- with your knowledge and consent -- to another location for the same purpose. Now they complain that they have been expelled from this second place as well.
If this is true, we want your Fraternity to stop giving them cause for such complaints. Let them be allowed, as has been the custom, to gather at the place they obtained with your consent for their meetings. Those who disagree with the Christian faith need to be drawn toward the unity of faith through gentleness, kindness, instruction, and persuasion -- not driven away by threats and intimidation. People who might have been attracted to belief by the appeal of preaching and the sobering thought of future judgment should not be repelled by force.
It is better that they come to hear the word of God from you willingly, rather than becoming frightened by excessive harshness.
Human translation - New Advent (NPNF / ANF series)
Latin / Greek Original
Original text not yet available in this corpus.
This letter still needs a Latin or Greek source-text backfill. The source link, when available, is preserved so the text can be checked and added later.
View sourceRevision history
- 2026-05-27v2.2.34-import
Initial corpus import from New Advent / NPNF.
Fields: letter text, metadata, source links. Source: https://www.newadvent.org/fathers/360201035.htm
Related Letters
Avitus, bishop of Vienne, to Peter, bishop of Ravenna.
You have learned from a former letter that we have desired our brethren and fellow bishops dwelling in the island of Sicily to assemble here for the anniversary of the blessed Peter the apostle. But, seeing that their suit with the magnificent Justin the ex-prætor has meanwhile hindered them, and that there is not now sufficient time for comin...
By information received from Romanus the guardian (defensore) I have learned that the monastery of handmaidens of God which is on the farm of Monotheus has suffered wrong from our church of Villa Nova with respect to a farm belonging to the latter, which is said to have been leased to the said monastery. If this is so, let your Experience restor...
The sight of the eyes brings about bodily friendship, and long companionship strengthens it, but genuine regard is the gift of the Spirit, Who unites what is separated by long distances, and makes friends known to one another, not by bodily qualities, but by the characteristics of the soul. The grace of the Lord has granted me this favour, by pe...
If with kind disposition we meet the needs of our neighbours by showing compassion, we shall undoubtedly find the Lord mercifully inclined to our petitions. Now we have learned that Pastor, who labours under exceeding weakness of sight, having a wife and two slaves, who also had formerly been with the glorious lady Jonatha, is suffering from gre...