Letter 5063: **From:** Gregory I, Bishop of Rome

TO ALL THE BISHOPS THROUGHOUT HELLAS [Achaia / Greece]. [Summary:] He gives thanks for the correction of Anastasius, whose fall should be a warning to them; let them obey John, his successor. Let them not allow clergy to be ordained or promoted either for a payment given, or for anyone's favor, or by petition. Gregory to all the bishops established throughout the province of Hellas. Thanks to almighty God I render together with you, most dear brothers, who has brought to the knowledge of all the hidden wound which the ancient enemy had inflicted, and has checked it by a salutary incision in the body of his Church. On which account we must both rejoice and grieve. We must rejoice, indeed, at the correction of the crime, but grieve at the fall of a brother. But since for the most part the fall of one is wont to be a warning to another, let whoever fears to fall in this matter take heed, let him not offer the enemy an entrance, let him not suppose that what is done lies hidden. For Truth cries out: Nothing is hidden that shall not be revealed (Matthew x, 26). For that voice is now the herald of our action, and, with that same witness, by every means brings into the open what is done in secret. Or who would strive to hide his own deeds from him who is both witness and judge of them? But because sometimes, while one thing is attended to, another is not guarded against, it behooves each one to be watchful against all the snares of the enemy, lest while he conquers in one thing, he be overcome in another. For even the earthly enemy, who desires to invade fortified places, employs this method before fighting: he secretly lays ambushes, and makes a show of attacking the storming of one place only, so that, while men gather to the defense of that place where the danger presses, other places about which there is no suspicion may be captured. And it comes to pass that he who, recognized, has been repulsed by the strength of the one resisting, obtains in secret what he could not obtain by open contest. But because in all these matters there is need of the help of divine protection, let each of us cry out to the Lord with the voice of the heart, saying: Lord, do not put your help far from me; look to my defense (Psalm xxi [xxii], 20). For it is manifest that unless he himself shall have given help, and shall have defended those crying to him, our enemy cannot be conquered. Moreover, receiving the letter of your charity through our brother and fellow bishop Andrew, know that we have transmitted the pallium to our brother John, bishop of the Corinthians; whom it greatly behooves you to obey, especially since the order of ancient custom defends this for him, and his good qualities, to which you yourselves bear witness, invite it. For from the report of certain persons (Gratian I, dist. 1, c. 117) I have learned that in those parts no one comes to sacred orders without the giving of a payment. But if it is so, weeping I say it, and groaning I declare it, that when the priestly order has fallen within, it will not long be able to stand without. For we know from the Gospel what our Redeemer did through himself, because, having entered the temple, he overturned the seats of those selling doves (Matthew xxi, 12). For to sell doves is to sell for temporal gain the Holy Spirit, whom almighty God, consubstantial with himself, bestows upon men through the imposition of hands. From this, as I have said before, it is intimated by that evil what follows, namely that those who presumed to sell doves in the temple of God, by God as judge their seats fell. Which error, indeed, is propagated among subordinates with increase. For he too who is brought to a sacred order, already corrupted in the very root of his own advancement, is the readier to sell to others what he bought. And where is that which is written: Freely you have received, freely give (Matthew x, 8)? And since the first heresy to arise against holy Church was the simoniacal heresy, why is it not weighed, why is it not seen, that he who ordains anyone for a price, by promoting him acts so that he becomes a heretic? And therefore we exhort that none of you allow this to be done again; but let no one dare to promote any to sacred orders either by anyone's favor or by petition, unless one whom the quality of life and conduct shall have shown to be worthy of this. For if hereafter we shall perceive it done otherwise, know that it will be checked by strict and canonical vengeance. Given on the 15th day of the month of August, in the 13th indiction. [Editorial notes:] [On the address "throughout Hellas":] ...lada; which also the Norman and Corbie manuscripts have, where it reads: "to the bishops residing in the province of Arellada." In the Reginensis manuscript: "to the bishops of Arellade of the province." In three Vatican manuscripts, which we have preferred, it is given as "throughout Hellas." Hellas is properly Achaia, which is near Corinth, from whom it received the word of God. Hence Paul, II Corinthians i, 1: To the Church of God which is at Corinth, with all the saints who are in all Achaia. Perhaps for this reason holy Gregory called them the bishops of Hellas, since by ancient custom they were subject to the bishop of Corinth. [Variant readings:] The printed editions read "in which anyone falls," etc.; and a little later, "nothing covered that shall not be revealed, and hidden that shall not be known." [...] 793 OF THE BOOK OF LETTERS, BOOK VI. — INDICTION XIV. — LETTER I. [Dating note:] In two Tellier manuscripts and in the Vatican D manuscript, indiction 14 is noted. But since in all the manuscripts, even the Vatican ones, which contain the letters according to the order of the indictions, this letter is found in the series of those written in indiction 15, we ought not to move it from its place. The same reasoning holds for the preceding letter, which was written at the same time. [...]

AD UNIVERSOS EPI*COPOS PER HELLADIAN. Gratulatur de Anaslasii correctione, cujus casus 8 illis cauiela, Joanni illius 8uccessori obediant, Non pa- tiantur, aut dato pramio, aut alicujus gratia rel up» plicatione clericos ordinari vet promoveri. Gregorius universis episcopis * per Helladiam pro- vinciam constitutis. . | Gratias omnipolenti Deo vobiscum, ſratres charis- Simi, reſero, qui latens vulnus quod antiquus hostis inuierat ad omnium fecit pervenire notitiam, et de Ecclesix: $uz corpore $aluliſera jllud incisione com- pescvit, Ex qua re et grudendum nohbis est, et dolen- dum. Gaudendum quippe de correctione farinoris, dolendum vero de casu fratris. Sed quoniam plerum- que allerius casus, alterius s0let esse caulela, Þ hoe quisquis cadere tlimet, attendat, aditum hosti non prabeat, non pulet latere quod agitur. Nam Veritas clamat : Nikhil occultum quod non revelabitur (Matth. x, 26).. llc enim vox actionis nostrz jam. przco es, et, ips0 lesle, modis omnibus adducit ad publicum quod agitur in Secrety. Aut quis actus $uns ante illum nitatur abscondere, qui corum et teslis et judex est ? C Quia vero nonnunquam dum aliud attenditur aliud non cavelur, oportet ut contra omnes hostis insidias quisque debeat esse $ollicitus, ne dum in uno vincit, Superetur in allero, Nam et terrenus hostis, qui mu- nita loca cupit invadere, pugnandi ante sic utitur : Latenlier quidem ponit insidias, et ad unius loci $6 expugnationem totlus ostendit, JYQ ut dum ad de- ſensionem loci jllius ubi instat periculum convenitur, loca alia de quibus nulla est suspicio capiantur, Et evenit ul qui cognilus resislentis virtue repulsus est, latens oblineat quod certando non potuit. Sed quia in his omnibus divine protectionis auxilio opts est, roce cordis singuli clamemus ad Dominum, dicentes : Domine, ne longe ſacias auxilium tuum a me, ad de- ſensionem meam respice (Pgal. xxi, 20). Manifſestum D namque es quia nisi ipse auxiliatus ſuerit, et ad se lada ; quod etiam habet Norm. et Corb., ubi : episco- pis Aretlada Provincia consistentibus. In Reg., epizco- pis Arellade constitutis provincie. In tribus Vatic., quo0s prztulimus, habetur per Heltadiam. Hellas est proprie Achaia, quz Corintho, a quo verbum Dei ac- cepil, vicina. Hinc Paulus, Il Cor. 1, 1 : Eccl-sie Dei que es: Corinthi, cum omnibus sanctis qui sunt in universa Achaia. Ideo forte Sanctus Gregorius dirit Helladizz episcopos, ex antiqua consueludine, epi- Scopo C: rinthi esse Subditos. Editi, quo quisque cadere, elc..; paulo post, nihil oper- tum quod non revelttur , et occultum quod non $cia- tur, —_ - —omuoeye womooey - = 3 YI ner 793 EPISTOLARUM LIB. VI. — INDICT. XIV. — EPIST. I. 7% clamantes defenderit, hostis noster vinci non po= A porale percipere. Ex quo, ut praedixi, malo innuitur terit. Przterea epistolam charitatis vestrix per Andream ſratrem et coepiscopum nostrum suscipientes, paliium Joanni fratri nostro Corinthiorum episcopo nos trans- misis$e cognoscite; cui vos magnopere convenit obe- dire, presertim dum hoc sibi et antique consuetudi- nis ordo deſendat, et bona ejus, quibus ipsi testimo- njum perhibetis, invitent. Quibusdam namque nar- rantibus (Grat. 1, g. 1, c. 117) -agnovi quod in illis partibus nullus ad sacrum ordinem 8ine commodi da- tione perveniat. Quad «i ita est, flens dico, gemens- que denuntio, quia cum sacerdotalis ordo intus ceci- dit, foris quoque dia $tare non poterit. Scimus quippe ex Evangelio, quid Redemptor noster per se- quid sequatur, quia qui in templo Dei columbas ven- dere presumpserunt, eorum Deo judice cathedrz ce- ciderunt. Qui videlicet error in $subditis cum aug- mento propagatur. Nam ipse quoque, qui ad sacrum ordinem perducitur, jam in ipsa provectus $ui radics vitialus, paratior est aliis vendere quod emit. Et ubi est quod scriptum est : Gratis accepistis , gratis date (Vatth. x, 8)? Et cum prima contra sanciam Eccle- siam simomaca hzresis sit exorta, cur non perpen- - ditur, cur non videtur quia eum quem quis cum pre- tio ordinat, provehendo agit ut bezreticus fiat ? Ideo- que hortamur ut nullus vestrum denuo hoe fieri pa- tiatur ; sed neque gratia alicujus, neque Supplicatione, aliquos ad sacros ordines audeat promovere, © nisi metipsum ſecerit, quia-ingressus in templum, cathe- B eum quem vitz et actionis qualitas ad hoc dignum dras vendentium columbtas evertit (Matth. xx1, 12). Columbas quippe veudere est de sancto Spiritu, quem 8ihi consubslantjalem Deus omnipotens per imposi- tiorem manuum bominibus tribuit, commodum tem- 1 In duobus Teller. et in Yatic. D notatnr indictio 14. At cum in omnibus Mss. etiam Vaticanis, qui epi- esse monstraverit. Nam si aliter factum denuo sense- rimus, districia et canonica illud noveritis ultions compesci. 4 Datum die 15 mensis Augusli, indi clione 13. © stolas secundum indictionum ordinem continent, hae epistola in serie scriptarum indictione 15 reperiatur, eam loco movere non debuimus. Eadem ratio mi- litat pro superiori epistola, quz eodem lempore scri- pla ſuit. —_