Letter 79: Part of the papal correspondence surrounding the Acacian Schism (484-519), the major breach between Rome and...

Copy of the sacred letter of Justin Augustus. Justin Augustus to Pope Hormisdas. When we were sending away from this royal city the most blessed bishop Germanus, and those who had been dispatched together with him by you, we delivered to them instructions of this kind: that the chapters which pertained to the perfect unity of the churches we would subsequently make known to your apostolate through the most reverend bishop John. These matters had nevertheless been set forth to those very men here while they were present. But it has come about that the aforesaid bishop John is detained by a long illness. Therefore, lest any adverse judgment should enter your reverence's mind, as though we, by some willful negligence, were bringing our promises less than fully to effect, we have seen it to be necessary to explain to you the reason for the delay through Eulogius, vir spectabilis [man of distinguished rank], tribune and notary, whom we have sent over to the most exalted king Theodoric concerning certain affairs, adding this also: that, when the favorable majesty of our Lord and God shall have willed to restore that same most religious man John to his former health, we shall, just as we once promised, immediately send him to your holiness. It remains that your holiness deign to obtain for us divine protection by your prayers. Given on the day before the Kalends of September [August 31] at Constantinople. Received at Rome on the Kalends of October [October 1], in the consulship of Rusticius, vir clarissimus [most illustrious man].

EXEMPLUII SACRAE lUSTINI AUGUSTI. lUSTINUS AUGUSTUS HORMISDAB PAPAE. Dum beatissimum 15 Germanum episcopum uel eos, qui cum eo a uobis fuerant destinati, de hac dimitteremus regia ciuitate, huiusmodi illis mandata tradidimus, quod capitula, quae ad perfectam unitatem ecclesiarum pertinebant, apostolatui uesti-o per reuerentissimum lohannem episcopum sequenter manifesta faceremus. quae 20 2 tamen ipsis hic praesentibus fuerant declarata. sed euenit praefatum lohannem antistitem longa aegritudine detineri. ne qua igitur uestram reuerentiam ingrediatur aduersa sententia quasi nobis promissa nostra desidia quadam ultronea minus ad eflectum perducentibus, necessarium esse perspeximus »5 dilationis causam uobis exponere per Eulogium u. s. tribunum et notarium, quem ad praecelsum regem Theodoricum super negotiis quibusdam transmisimus, hoc quoque adicientes quod, 5 cf loh. 21, 17 1 sufiFragari Car. 2 possit 5 iniuncxit V 8 uiolaretur o* sanctimonia Fo, correxi 11 <et> dei inepte Car. subitmgens dtinde *dee8t reliquum' Epist. CLXXXXVIII 2 — CC 3. 659 dum propitia domini et dei nostri maiestas eundem uiiaun religiosissimum lohannem pristinae uoluerit reddere sanitati, sicut semel promisei-amus, statim illum ad tuam sanctitatem transmittimus. superest, ut sanctitudo tua diuinum nobis 3 5 praesidium orationibus suis dignetur acquirere. Data pridie Kal. Septemb. Constantinopoli. Accepta Romae Kal. Octob. Kusticio u. c. cons.