Letter 7006: Almighty God, who has made your Piety to be the guardian of ecclesiastical peace, preserves you by the same faith which, through unity among priests, you preserve; and when you submit your heart humbly to the yoke of heavenly loving-kindness, it is brought to pass by heavenly grace that you tread your enemies under the foot of valour. For it can...
Pope Gregory the Great→Mauricius Augustus|c. 596 AD|Pope Gregory the Great|Human translated
Gregory to the Emperor Maurice.
Almighty God, who has made your Piety the guardian of the Church's peace, preserves you by means of the very faith which you preserve through unity among priests; and when you humbly submit your heart to the yoke of heavenly loving-kindness, it comes about through heavenly grace that you tread your enemies underfoot by the power of valor. For it cannot be of small benefit that when John of holy memory had departed this life, your Piety deliberated at length, and deferred the decision for a time, seeking counsel in the fear of Almighty God — so that the cause of God might be managed as it ought to be, with great reverence. From this I also conclude that my brother and fellow priest Cyriacus has been shown to be most fit for the pastoral office, in that the long deliberation of your Piety has raised him to this dignity. We all know how diligent and how seasoned he has long been in the administration of Church affairs. I have no doubt, therefore, that it has been by divine ordering that one who managed lesser matters well should fittingly undertake greater ones, and should pass from the administration of affairs to the governance of souls.
In all our prayers, therefore, we beseech Almighty God to repay this good work to the Serenity of our lords and to their pious children, both in the present world and with an everlasting recompense; and to grant that my aforesaid brother and fellow priest, placed over the Lord's flock, may show himself fully attentive in the care of souls — so that he may be able with an unblemished conscience both to correct what is wrong in those under him and to encourage what is right toward further growth. Thus the judgment of your Piety concerning him may be approved not only before men but also in the sight of the Majesty on high.
The venerable men, the priest George and the deacon Theodore, I have not allowed to be detained in this city, given the commands of my lords and the approach of winter.
Book VII, Letter 6
To Mauricius Augustus.
Gregory to Mauricius Augustus.
Almighty God, who has made your Piety to be the guardian of ecclesiastical peace, preserves you by the same faith which, through unity among priests, you preserve; and when you submit your heart humbly to the yoke of heavenly loving-kindness, it is brought to pass by heavenly grace that you tread your enemies under the foot of valour. For it cannot be of small advantage that, when John of holy memory had departed this life, your Piety long hesitated, and somewhat deferred the time, while seeking counsel in the fear of Almighty God, in order, to wit, that the cause of God might be ordered, as it should be, with great fear. Whence also I think that my brother and fellow priest Cyriacus is proved to be exceedingly fit for pastoral rule, in that the long deliberation of your Piety has raised him to this degree. And we all know how diligent and how practised he has long been in the administration of ecclesiastical affairs. Whence also I doubt not that it has been brought about by Divine ordering that one who had administered the least things well should fitly undertake the greater, and should pass from the charge of affairs to the government of souls. Wherefore in all our prayers we beseech Almighty God to repay this good work to the Serenity of our lords and to their pious offspring both in the present world and also with a perpetual recompense, and to grant to my aforesaid brother and fellow priest, who has been put over the Lord's flock, to show himself fully solicitous in the care of souls; that he may be able irreprovably both to correct what is wrong in his subjects and to foster what is right unto further increase; to the end that the judgment of your Piety concerning him may be approved, not only before men, but also before the eyes of the Supernal Majesty.
The venerable men, George the presbyter and Theodore the deacon, in consideration of the command of my lords and the imminence of the winter season, I have not allowed to be delayed in this city.
Almighty God, who has made your Piety the guardian of the Church's peace, preserves you by means of the very faith which you preserve through unity among priests; and when you humbly submit your heart to the yoke of heavenly loving-kindness, it comes about through heavenly grace that you tread your enemies underfoot by the power of valor. For it cannot be of small benefit that when John of holy memory had departed this life, your Piety deliberated at length, and deferred the decision for a time, seeking counsel in the fear of Almighty God — so that the cause of God might be managed as it ought to be, with great reverence. From this I also conclude that my brother and fellow priest Cyriacus has been shown to be most fit for the pastoral office, in that the long deliberation of your Piety has raised him to this dignity. We all know how diligent and how seasoned he has long been in the administration of Church affairs. I have no doubt, therefore, that it has been by divine ordering that one who managed lesser matters well should fittingly undertake greater ones, and should pass from the administration of affairs to the governance of souls.
In all our prayers, therefore, we beseech Almighty God to repay this good work to the Serenity of our lords and to their pious children, both in the present world and with an everlasting recompense; and to grant that my aforesaid brother and fellow priest, placed over the Lord's flock, may show himself fully attentive in the care of souls — so that he may be able with an unblemished conscience both to correct what is wrong in those under him and to encourage what is right toward further growth. Thus the judgment of your Piety concerning him may be approved not only before men but also in the sight of the Majesty on high.
The venerable men, the priest George and the deacon Theodore, I have not allowed to be detained in this city, given the commands of my lords and the approach of winter.
Human translation - New Advent (NPNF / ANF series)
Latin / Greek Original
Gregorius Mauricio Augusto.
Omnipotens Deus, qui pietatem vestram pacis ec- clesiasticz fecit esxe custodem, ipsa vos fide servat, quam vos in sacerdotali unitate servalis; cumque Supernz pietatis jugo cor humiliter subditis, ®* eo- lesii gratia agitur ut hosles vestros etggg pede lor- titudinis prematis. Non enim parvz potuit esse mer- cedis quod, Joanne ssanctze memorix de hac luce subiracto, ad ordinandum sacerdotem pietas vestra diu hsitavit, tempus paulo longius di>tulit , cum metu omnipotentis Domini consilium quzsivit , ut videlicet causa Dei cum magno debuisset ti-
epistola 35, de humilitate et charitate loquens : In nullo, inquit, he virtutes ab invicen diriduniur, et ambarum tam indiscreta connexio es!, ut quisquis in una earum construitur, simul utraque potiatur. Sicut enim pars charitatis est humilitas, ita prs humilitatis ext charitas, elc. Videant- itzque s8acerd: tec, ne d1m in aliis operibus , elecmoxynis, zelo, orationibus, obedientia, sibi de charitate blandiuntur; in ve-te, in supellectili, in mensa, in comitatn, Christi humilis dedignentur «equi vesligia. Vide Joan. Gerson. serm. in {lie Circumcisionis Domini, considerat. 4, ubi ve- ritales quibusdam duras el quasi ſerreas propouit.
B plena sollicitudine exhibere concedat; ut irreprehene
Sibiliter possit subjectorum suornm et prava corri- gere, et recla ad crescendum ſovere; qualenus de eo pielatis vestre judicium, non solum ante bomi- nes,-sed eljam ante supernz quoque Majestatis ocu-
Jos convalescat.
Venerabiles autem viros Georgium presbyterum, et Theodorum diaconum pro jussione dominorum, alque pro imminentia hiemalis temporis, in hac urbe moras perpeti non permisi.