Letter 54: Hormisdas to John, Bishop of Constantinople.

Hormisdas to John, bishop of Constantinople. As I consider the writings of your charity, in which you professed that you hold one faith together with the see of the blessed apostle Peter, it pleases me to cry out with prophetic liberty: behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brothers to dwell together in unity! For it makes no difference by how great distances of place we are separated, since now, by God's authorship, we are joined together in one fellowship of the faith. For now, through divine mercy's provision, the members of Christ, once scattered, come together into the countenance of one body, and the inheritance of our Lord, snatched away by most wicked robbers and foretold by prophetic voices, is restored; and truly upon the faith of this rock, that is, upon the firmness of the chief of the apostles, the foundations of the Eastern church are made solid. And since these things are made known by your letter, it must be said with timely exultation: how beautiful are the feet of those who proclaim peace, of those who proclaim good things! Thanks, therefore, to the most excellent Trinity, which has granted that those agreeing in Christ should be rulers both of the church and of the state! For indeed there is great salvation in affairs whenever, in the truth of the catholic faith, one mind binds together priests and princes. This is the firm bond of peace, this is the fellowship sent down from heaven; for it is not right that subjects should feel otherwise than that in which they see their superiors agree. Is it doubtful that divine providence has arranged all these things: first, that it would choose such a one to be prince, who, when he saw that he had taken up the rule of men, did not forget that he himself was subject to God; and next, that it gave your brotherliness as such a leader to its church, who could not be doubted to be about to undergo, together with our see, that is, the apostolic see, a sure and abiding concord of faith? For indeed, the document of faith having been willingly accepted by us, since you were eager for restoration in Christ, you are recognized never to have been alien from us in the divine predestination. And so, most beloved brother, press forward upon the benefits of our God that run of their own accord; gather more fully the members of the flock once scattered, and guard those gathered. Remember that you are now mercifully the steersman of the ship assigned to you by Christ; see that you consider the spirits of diabolical defiance disturbing the safe paths of a quiet journey, and let not the waves of uncertain tempest escape you, which you should look out for with watchful mind and check with reason raised up to God. Let no negligence of the business committed to you wrest the helm of the Lord's vessel from your hands; gaze with ever-fixed eyes upon that one and only sign of the right path, so that more surely you may despise the disturbances of the diabolus who blows against you, and may reach the calm of the promised harbor. For this is the wrestling-school of the Christian's contest; to such a soldiery of Christ the palm of everlasting life is set forth. To you, considering these things most rightly, the protection of the leader will not be lacking to his soldier; and the more the snares of the enemies are multiplied, by so much does the grace of the highest ruler make the venom of the adversary to be the material of his own mercy, just as the word of apostolic truth has asserted, saying: where iniquity abounded, grace did much more abound; do you only cleave to the divine and most right institutions by fostering ecclesiastical concord, so that, marked as it were by a certain token of peaceful will, you may be proved to be a disciple of him who says: my peace I give to you, my peace I leave to you. Exhort also, although he tends of his own accord toward what is right, our most clement son the prince Justin, divinely provided to the Christian age, to bring to completion those things which he deigned to promise in his royal letters: that, by edicts sent to those whom even now a wandering error draws away from the breasts of the mother church, he may check diabolical fraud both by the authority of religion and by the moderate power of empire, and may reckon this to be his greatest victory against the common enemy of all humanity, if by the help of supernal divinity he has crushed the venom of the ancient serpent. Concerning the state of the churches of Antioch and Alexandria also, do not cease to be solicitous, and supplicate the most clement prince thereupon, that in these too he may restore peace by religious ordinance, so that he may add to good beginnings the full crown of perfection. For in vain is a good work begun, if perfection does not follow it through to the whole. We commend, moreover, the legates appointed by the apostolic see, whom your beloved self should cause so to return to us, that they may be able to bring back to us full joy concerning the peace restored to all the churches. Given on the seventh day before the Ides of July, in the consulship recorded above. [ep. 170] Hormisdas to the bishops Germanus and John, the deacons Felix and Dioscorus, and the presbyter Blandus. For those things which the report of your charity has set forth as accomplished, we render thanks to our God, who has deigned to assist your labor, and we exhort you that you ought to attend with fitting offices upon the most clement prince and upon the most pious Augusta his consort, and to act, with the help of our Christ, so that, all things being arranged under ecclesiastical observance, all the churches which are situated in whatever part of the world may be recalled to the communion of the apostolic see. But concerning the churches of Alexandria and Antioch labor, that they may be joined to our faith under reasonable observance, since the perfection of so great a matter acquires the grace of divine propitiation as much for the most clement prince as for you. Given on the day as above, in the consulship recorded above.

HORMISDA lOHANNI EPISCOPO CONSTANTINOPOLITANO. CoUSi- deranti mihi tuae scripta caritatis, in quibus cum sede beati apostoli Petri unam tibi fidem esse professus es, prophetica libet exclamare licentia: ecce quam bonum et quam iocundum est habitare fratres in unum! neque enim 20 refert, quam longinquis locorum spatiis diuidamur, quando 2iam deo auctore una fidei cohabitatione coniungimur. nunc enim misericordia procurante diuina in unius corporis uultum dissipata olim Christi membra conueniunt et ab iniquissimis direpta latronibus annuntiata propheticis uocibus domini nostri » redintegratur hereditas et uere in huius petrae fide, id est apostolorum principis firmitate, Orientalis ecclesiae fundamenta 19 Psalm. 132, 1 26 cf. Matth. 16, 18 169. DaU ut ep. 168, Edd. Car. P 502; ColUct. Concil.; BTA I 424; Thiel 879; eommemorat Bar. ad a. 519, 77. 20 est om, a cum Vulgata 21 loquorum F 25 annunciat apropheticis F Epiat. CLXVIII 10 - CLXIX 6. 625 solidantur. quae cum facta tuis litteris indicentur, tempestiua exultatione dicendum est: quam speciosi pedes euan- gelizantium pacem, euangelizantium bona! gratias 3 igitur excellentissimae trinitati, qnae consentientes in Christum 5 ecclesiae ac rei publicae dedit esse rectores! enimuero magna rerum salus est, quotiens in fidei catholicae ueritate sacer- dotes ac principes mens una conectit. hoc firmum pacis uineulum est, haec caelitus demissa societas; neque enim fas est, in quo uident concordare praepositos, aliud sentire sub- 1« iectos. an dubium est cuncta haec prouidentiam disposuisse 4 diuinam: primum eum principem esse delectura, qui cum se hominum suscepisse uideret imperium, non se oblitus est deo esse subiectum: dehinc quod talem fraternitatem tuam ecclesiae suae praesulem dedit, quem non esset ambiguum » cum sede nostra, id est apostolica, certam mansuramque fidei subiturum esse concordiam? etenim libello a nobis fidei libenter accepto, cum redintegrationis in Ghristo fueris auidus, Dumquam iu praedestinatione diuina fuisse a nobis cognosceris alienus. itaque, dilectissime frater, dei nostri sponte currentibus 5 so instate beneficiis ; sparsi olim gregis plenius membra coUigite et custodite collecta. memento nunc clemen<ter> te adsignatae a Christo nauis esse rectorem; fac cogites diabolicae contu- maciae spiritus quieti itineris secura turbantes nec te lateant fluctus tempestatis incertae, quos euigili mente prospicias et » erecta in deum ratione compescas. nulla tibi commissi negotii 6 neglegentia clauum dominicae ratis extorqueat; illud unicum 2 Rom. 10, 15 1 tenipestatiaa carr, p 3 enangelizanzium V 4 sq, consentientes . . ac edit, reg.: consencientis . . hanc V 4 Christo uulgo 7 ac o: hac V 8 dimissa F, correxi neque o*: namque V 9 quo a: co F con- cordari F, corr. Coust. propositos F, corr. 10 sq. prouidencia . . diuina F, corr. 11 dilectom F. corr. 12 susscepisse F ob- littls F 14 ecclesiam F, corr^ 18 diuine F, corr. o 21 cle- menter te scripsi: clemen te F, clementer o 22 esse ^te> 23 se- cura p': et cura F turbantis F, corr. Bull. Taur. (non p) 25 erecta o^: te erecta F compesscas V: compensas Car., componas Coust. 40* 626 Hormisda legatis; idem lohanni Cpolitano et Dioscoro recti itineris signum fixis semper optutibus intuere, quo certius et reflantis diaboli turbata contemnas et ad promissi portus tranquilla peruenias. haec est enim Christiani palaestra certaminis; tali Christi militiae sempitemae uitae palma pro- 7ponitur. haec tibi rectissime cogitanti non deerit suo militi praesidium ducis, et quanto hostium multiplicantur insidiae, tantum summi gratia rectoris aduersantis uenena misericordiae suae facit esse materiam, sicut sermo apostolicae ueritatis asseruit dicens: ubi abundauit iniquitas, superabun- dauit gratia; tu tantum diuinis rectissimisque inhaereas institutis ecclesiasticam fouendo concordiam, ut ueluti quodam pacificae uoluntatis signatus indicio illius esse discipulus adproberis, qui ait: pacem meam do uobis, pacem 8meam relinquo uobis. hortare etiam quamquam sponte ad recta tendentem filium nostrum clementissimum principem lustinum Christiano saeculo diuinitus comparatum ea perficere, quae regalibus litteris dignatus est polliceri, ut missis ad eos edictis, quos ab ecclesiae matris uberibus etiam nunc deuius error abducit, diabolicam fraudem et auctoritate religionis et moderata potestate compescat imperii eamque sibi contra communem totius humanitatis hostem maximam ducat esse uictoriam, si supernae auxilio diuinitatis uetusti serpentis 9 uenena compresserit. de Antiochenae quoque atque Alexandrinae ecclesiarum statu non supersedeas esse soUicitus et clementis- simo subinde principi supplicato, ut in his quoque pacem religiosa ordinatione restituat, quatenus bonis coeptis plenae cumulum perfectionis adiungat. frustra enim bonum opus lOincipitur, si non in totum perfectio subsequatur. commendamus praeterea legatos a sede apostolica destinatos, quos ita faciat 9 Rom. 5, 20 13 loh. 14, 27 2 et reflantis acripsi: ereflantis F, perflantis 4 praeponitur F, corr. 7 tanto edit reg. 9 snperhabundauit V 10 <et> gratia Car. cum Vulgata anni 1590 12 signar F, corr. dissciplus V 19 auctori- tatem V, cofr. 20 eaque F, corr. o* 21 communionem F, corr. ostem F 25 principis F, corr. p': principe o^ pace F, corr. p Epist. CLXIX 6 - CLXXI 1. 627 ad nos tua dilectio remeare, ut nobis plenam referre queant de restituta uniuersis ecclesiis pace laetitiam. Data VII Id. lul. cons. ss. (HO.) HORMISDA 6EBHAN0 ET lOHANNI EPISGOPIS FELICI ET DIOSCORO DiAcoNis ET BLANDO PRESBYTERO. Do his, quao acta caritatis uestrae relatio comprehendit, gratias deo nostro referimus, qai laborem uestrum iuuare dignatus est, et hortamur, ut clementissimo principi et piissimae Augustae coniugi eius ofiiciis imminere competentibus debeatis et agere auxiliante Christo nostro, <ut> uniuersis sub ecclesiastica obseruatione dispositis omnes ecclesiae, quae in qualibet mundi parte 8unt positae, ad communionem sedis apostolicae reuocentur. de Alexandrina uero atque Antiochena ecclesiis elaborate, ut 2 nostrae fidei sub obseruatione rationabili conectantur, quia tantae rei perfectio tam clementissimo principi quam uobis gratiam diuinae propitiationis adquirit. DataCdie> quo supra cons. <ss.>