Letter 2: The Emperor Anastasius, Pious, Fortunate, Renowned, Triumphant, Ever Augustus, to Hormisdas, Most Holy and Devout...

Victor, Anastasius, Pious, Fortunate, Renowned, Triumphant, Ever Augustus [Emperor], to Hormisdas, most holy and devout archbishop and patriarch. We do not think it unknown to your Beatitude that, according to the nature of the times, the matter of when one ought to speak and when to keep silent has even been ordained by the provident admonition of divine scripture [cf. Titus 2:12-13; Ecclesiastes 3:7]. Accordingly, the time of silence having now run its course has granted us incitements to speak, and therefore we have judged it opportune to commit to your hearing those things which among us are being stirred up under the appearance of religion. For before this, the harshness of those to whom had been entrusted the care of the episcopate which you now hold made us hold back from sending letters; but now the sweet report running about you has brought back to our memory the goodness of fatherly affection, so that we may seek out again those things which God and our Savior taught the holy apostles by his divine word, and above all the blessed Peter, in whom he established the strength of his Church. With these introductory remarks set down, we therefore exhort that, with respect to those matters which have been stirred up from the regions of Scythia, on account of which we have judged it fitting that a council also be convened, your apostleship make itself a mediator, so that, with contentions cut away, unity may be restored to the holy Church. And all that we desire is granted to us, if in your prayers and by the frequent address of your pages you are mindful of us. Given on the day before the Ides of January at Constantinople, and received in the consulship of Anthemius and Florentius, men of clarissimus rank, on the fifth day before the Kalends of April, by the hand of Patricius.

10 riCTOR AXASTASIUS PIUS FELIX IXCLITIJS TRIUMrHATOR SEMPER AUGrSTVS HORMISDAE SANCTISSIMO AC RELIGIOSO ARCHIEPISCOPO ET PATRiARCHAE. Bcatitudini uestrae non putamus ignotum, quod pro temporis quaiitate loquendum atque tacendum etiam diuinae scripturae prouida est ammonitione dispositum. ex- K actum proinde silentii tempus incitamenta nobis loquendi concessit atque ideo oportunum esse perspeximus, quae apud nos sub religionis specie commouentur, auditui uestro com- mittere. ante hoc siquidem duritia eorum, quibus episcopatus, 2 quem nunc geritis, erat soUicitudo commissa, temperare nos m a transmittendis faciebat epistolis; nunc autem currens de uobis suauis opinio ad memoriam nostram bonitatem paternae affectionis adduxit, ut illa requiramus, quae deus et saluator noster sanctos apostolos diuino sennone docuit ac maxime beatum Petiiim, in quo fortitudinem ecclesiae suae constituit. 1 Tit. 2, 12 13 Eccl. 3, 7 500 Honnisda Anastasio; Anastasius Hormisdae 3 his igitur praefatis initiis hortaniur, ut ad ea, quae de Scy- thiae partibus mota sunt, unde et concilium fieri conuenire perspeximus, mediatorem se apostolatus uester faciat, ut con- tentionibus amputatis unitas sanctae restituatur ecclesiae, 4 nobis autem omnia optata praestantur, si orationibus uestris et frequeuti paginarum allocutione nostri memores fueritis. Data pridie Idus lan. Constantinopoli et accepta Anthemio et Florentio uu. cc. conss. V. Kal. April. per Patricium.