Letter 73: Part of the papal correspondence surrounding the Acacian Schism (484-519), the major breach between Rome and...

Justin Augustus to Hormisdas the Pope. Through our legates -- that is, Germanus, [John,] the bishops; Felix and Dioscorus, the deacons; and Blandus, the presbyter. Indeed the highest thanks must be rendered to you, because you do not hesitate to expend eager effort toward gathering and uniting the venerable churches; but in this matter your most complete skill shines forth especially, in that you choose men who, with the kind disposition of your sanctity, are able to serve with a sincere and unimpaired spirit. For Germanus, the most reverend bishop, as also Felix and Dioscorus and Blandus, men most devout, have shown themselves so attentive in their diligence and have been so versed in such great wisdom, that, as far as it pertains to their office, with all matters carried through in full and worked out, nothing of dispute remained further. But since mortal frailty is of such a condition that it desires to be dealt with more gently in its own regard, and that a plain response be furnished to its inquiries -- especially when some matter has rolled down into an immense multitude of men -- it has come about that in this most flourishing city whatever was ordained concerning the cause of religion and concerning the unity to be celebrated with the apostolic see, under the times of John of most devout memory, when he was in the priesthood of this royal city, that, by God's favor, should be preserved unshaken; and indeed in several other cities your ordination has been approved and accepted, but the rest stand in need of a certain more lenient moderation in the matter of the names of the prelates -- not of those who were specifically enumerated in the letter which your sanctity is known to have addressed to us, but of others whose memory those cities especially cherish, in whom the survivors are known to have flourished. For which reason there was indeed no license for the legates of your sanctity to go beyond the tenor of the mandate with which they were sent; but the whole conclusion of the business now hangs only upon your judgment, so that he alone ought to conclude the peace who set in motion the first beginnings of the matter. But these things, and likewise certain others, will be brought to mind more openly through our legate, who will be appointed a little later; for the present, however, with the most devout men returning, we have thought your reverence as much to be appealed to as to be admonished, that it may employ its prayers on behalf of our empire and on behalf of the safe condition of the republic. Given on the seventh day before the Ides of July at Constantinople, in the consulship of Vitalianus and Rusticius.

IVSTINUS AUGUSTUS HORMISDAE PAPAE. NOSTROS PER LEGATOS D) EST GERMANUJI lOHANNEM EPI8C0P0S FELICEM BIOSCORUM DIA- coNos ET BLANDUM PRESBYTERUM. Summa quidcm habenda 10 uobis est gratia, quod alacrem operam non dubitatis impendere ad colligendas adunandasque uenerabiles ecclesias, uerum in ea praelucet maxime perfecta soUertia, quod homines adoptatis, qui uoto beniuolo tuae sanctitudinis sincero ac integro possint animo deseruire. Germanus siquidem reuerentissimus epi- 2 15 scopus nec non Felix et Dioscorus et Blandus uiri religiosis- .simi tanta semet praebuerunt adtentos industria ac in tanta sapientia uersati sunt, ut, quantum ad officium eorura pertinet, transactis in plenum et elaboratis omnibus nihil altercationis superesset ulterius. sed cum ea conditione sit 3 20 mortalis fragilitas, ut remissius circa se agi desideret et interrogationibus suis planum praeberi responsum, maxime cum aliqua causa in immensam hominum multitudinem fuerit deuoluta, factum est, ut in hac quidem urbe florentissima, quicquid ordinatum est de causa religionis deque unitate 192, Dat. (simul cum epp. 194—198) a. 520 die 9 lulii, per Ger- manum etc: accepta die 17 Sept. Edd. Car. P 534; Collect. Concil; Thiel 918; commemorat Bar. ad a. 520, 28. 7 sqq. nostros . . presbyte- nim V minutiore charactere in margine 8 lohannenij lohannis nomen Jiic per errorem (noiarii apostolici ut uidetur) additum est, quippe qui deffritudine retentus (cf. ep. 200 § 2) demum die 9 Sept. cmto ep. ^32 Constantinopoli profectus sit. tacetur nimirum lohannis nomen et in huius epistulae § 2 et in ep. 195 §7 8 diac V 13 possit T', €orr. 0* 16 ac o^: hac V 18 im F 22 immensam scripsi: imniensa F, quo seruato multitudine o 650 lustinus Augnstus Hormisdae celebranda cum apostolica sede sub temporibus lohaunis religiosissimae memoriae, cum in sacerdotio regiae huius esset urbis, id fauente deo seruetur immobile, quin et in aliis compluribus ciuitatibus probata sit uestra ordinatio atque suscepta, ceterae uero clementiore quodam indigeantmoderamine b in nominibus antistitum, non eorum qui specialiter enumerati sunt in epistola, quam sanctitudo tua nobis destinasse noscitur, sed aliorum quorum memoriam maxim<e e>ae ciuitates diligunt, 4 in quibus floruisse noscuntur superstites. quam ob rem legatis quidem tuae sanctitudinis nulla fuit licentia mandati tenorem lo egrediendi, cum quo directi sunt; omnis autem finis negotii uestro iam tantum pendet arbitrio, ut solus pacem concludere 5 debeat, qui prima rei commouit exordia. sed ea quidem nec non quaedam commemorabuntur apertius per legatum nostruiQ, qui paulo post destinabitur; in praesenti uero redeuntibus 15 uiris religiosissimis tam appellandam uestram reuerentiam credidimus quam commonendam, ut suis orationibus pro nostro utatur imperio proque incolomi statu rei publicae. Data VII. Idus lul. Constantinopoli Uitaliano et Eusticio conss. 20