Letter 32: FRIEDBERG, Decr. Gratiani, X, 3, 4, c.

Pelagius to Cresconius, of illustrious rank. This in particular we wish you to safeguard in every way: that none of the bishops of Sicily presume to receive, under the name of the cathedraticum [the customary episcopal due], more than two solidi from the parishes belonging to them, nor compel the presbyters or the clergy of their parishes to prepare banquets for them beyond their means. [The following pertains to the associated letters 32-33, the papal correspondence with Cethegus concerning the Sicilian episcopal ordinations.] Pelagius [the Pope] to Cethegus, the patrician. We have learned what you desired to be done by way of a sound and judicious election regarding the ordaining of the bishop of the church of Catina; and at once, on the following day, examining him according to custom, on the third day after his arrival we took care to consecrate him bishop. In like manner, too, we had wished, from the very outset of Your Glory's wishes, to comply concerning the prelate of the city of Syracuse, had not the manifold circumstances of the man himself compelled us to defer for no short time the ordination of the priesthood, for this reason: that either the quality of the person -- as you yourself know better -- or his surviving wife and children, through whom ecclesiastical property is wont to be endangered, held our minds longer in suspense regarding his ordination. And so far as human prudence is concerned, we deferred for nearly a whole year, supposing that the election of the Syracusans might turn out for the better. But because they persisted irrevocably in the purpose of their will, and no other was found in that same church -- lest, if by still longer intervals of time the matters were deferred, they should rage a little more wildly, as we have learned also by the testimony of our sons, the men of magnificence, of the praetor <Leo> -- amid ambiguities of this kind, therefore, we judged it more prudent that the following be done: that by suitable foresight we might, with the arrangement of our counsel kept safe, fortify the very cause on account of which the imperial constitution forbids one having children and a wife to be promoted to the order of the episcopate. Wherefore with the utmost care we exacted from the said bishop of the city of Syracuse, before he was ordained by us, a guarantee of this kind: by which he should both acknowledge how small his property was, an inventory having been made of his present possessions, and that he would never, by himself or through his children and wife, or through any kinswoman or member of his household or perchance any outside person, usurp anything of the church's goods, and that he would join to the dominion of his own church all that had been acquired during his episcopate, leaving nothing to his children or heirs beyond what has just now been set down. But we strictly made him give yet another guarantee (and likewise also the bishop of Catina [Item. We shall bring it about]) that he should not presume to receive from his parishes more than two solidi yearly under any occasion whatever. [The remainder of the manuscript concerns letter 34: Pelagius praises bishop Rufinus, because he had deprived of his priestly office a presbyter who, inflamed with anger, gouged out the eye of a certain deacon. Nevertheless, it is fitting that he be sent to a monastery, that he may expiate his fault by penalty. The deacon, however, deprived of an eye, cannot in any way be marked with priestly dignity according to the canons of the Church, not even under the appearance of compensation.]

FRIEDBERG, Decr. Gratiani, X, 3, 4, c. 623; MANSI, VIII, c. 129; MIGNE, PL. 59, c. 145; mansi, IX, c. 908; MIGNE, PL. 72, c. 746. PELAGIUS CRESCONIO ILLUSTRI. Illud te modis omni¬ bus uolumus custodire, ne quis episcoporum Siciliae de parrochiis ad se pertinentibus nomine cathedratici amplius quam duos so¬ lidos praesumat accipere, neque compellere praesbyteros aut cle- rum parrochiarum suarum supra uires suas eis conuiuia prae¬ parare. fol. 47^, F» fol. 49\ liae] silitiae Fg, facile Fg parroechiis Fi 4 conpellere Fj F* praesbyteros] ex pro¬ bos. Fj praesbyt. aut] om. B 5 -rum] -ricos B parrochiarum] ex parrociar. Fi, parroechiarum B Fj, Quae notatu sunt digna, expiavi supra in ep. 25, p. 79-80, ubi iam innui, hanc epistulam, non nisi quoddam eius ep. 25 compendimn, for¬ sitan esse. EPISTUI.AE 31,2-3; 32; 33,1 Cethegii annuens desiderio. Pelagius episcopum Catinae statim con¬ secravit. Quoad episcopum vero Syracusae, in annum fere distulit consecrationem tum ob indoles eius, tum etiam quod uxori et filiis adligatus erat. Cum electores autem ab istius noluissent electione ab¬ horrere, papa illis tandem consentiit, et consilium prae primis in omni¬ bus capiens, ne in posterum propinqui bona ecclesiastica usurparent, eum consecravit. J-K, 992 ex. m. februario a. 559 c. 733-734; MIGNE, PL. 69, c. 414; ( 6 ) LOEWENFELD, Epp. Pont. Rom. Ined., 26, p. 14-15; (2-5) FRIEDBERG, Decr. Gratiam, d. XXVIII, 13, c. 104. PELAGIUS [PAPA] CETHEGO PATRICIO. Quid de ordi- 1 nando ecclesiae Catinensis episcopo salubris electione indicii fieri desiderastis agnouimus; confestim sequenti die eum iuxta morem discutientes, tertio quo uenit die episcopum consecrare curauimus. I Codd.: B fol. 27-27^: (2: de Syracusanae...- 6 ); Ci fol. 15: (2: de Syracusanae...-5), c, fol. 15^, Cj fol. 1^-12, C, fol. £, fol. 46®-*»; (2: de Syracusanae...-5). fol. 66 *»- 67®, E, fol. 69''-70, E, fol. 34''® ''*»; 0 [Thaner, p. 287-288]: (1-5... sociaret); Oj, fol. 57 va-vb Pi fol. 313^-314; (1-5... sociaret), P, fol. 30, P, fol. 27®-*»; S, fol. 36'': (1-5... sociaret), S, fol. 46. ^ gelasius B P*, idem (gelasius) C papa] om. B C E P^ cethego] Cj Cj F: cetego B C, C 4 Pj, cetero 0 Oj® P S, ceto O 3 quod Mansi 8 desiderastis] ex desideratis Og, desideratis Oj eum] cum O 5 4 quo] quoque O 14 die] om. 0^ Tit. Cethego patricio: Notissimus, et dignitate tunc temporis valde praestans vir. Cf. elogia Ennodii, 452 (Opusc. 6), 20 (F. VoGEr, MGH., A A., t. VII, p. 314, 1. 38); L. M. HarTmann, Cethegus, in Pauly- Wissowa, t. III, c. 2012-2013; E- Stein, Histoire ..., p. 580; 592, n. 1; 595; 646; 650; 665-666. In Sicilia iam tempore illo saltem per unum integrum annum degebat, nam electioni episcopi Syracusani, quae initio a. 558 conti¬ git, interfuit. Cf. adnotationes ad ep. 25,1, p. 79. Probabilius enim censeo, eum iam tunc temporis in Sicilia commorasse. 1. ecclesiae Catinensis: Helpidius fuit ille episcopus. Cf. notulas ad ep, 23, 3 et in titulum eiusdem, p. 71. PEI.AGII I PAPAE Ii EPISOTEA 33,2-6 Simili quidem modo et de Syracusanae urbis antistite optaueramus 2 in ipso initio gloriae uestrae desideriis oboedire, nisi nos multi¬ plex ratio ipsius non paucis temporibus ordinationem differre sacerdotii coegisset, ob hoc, quod uel personae qualitas, sicut et uos melius nostis, uel superstes uxor aut filii, per quos ecclesias¬ tica solet periclitari substantia, nostros animos diutius ab eius or¬ dinatione suspenderent. Kt quantum ad humanam cautelam 3 pertinet, integro paene anno distulimus, opinantes quod in melius Syracusanorum prouenire electio potuisset. Sed quia in uolun- 4 tatis suae proposito inreuocabiliter perstiterunt, et nullus est alius in eadem repertus ecclesia {ne, si longioribus adhuc temporum dif- ipso... oboedire] om, 0 O^e P S 7 ipsius] illius B ordinationem] duo litt. praecd. eras, et ordi rescrips. vid. B 2 differre] ferr corr. B 8 coegisset] ex coegit B 2 uel] superscr. B 2, huius 8-9 sicut et... nostis] om. 0 O^g P S 9 supertes B, supers¬ titis C 10 diutius] om. C 11 suspendisset £4 11-12 et quantum... distulimus] om. 0 Oig P S 12 pertinet] attinet C 18 syracus.] £3 0 P^ Sii siracus. B C E O^g P S 2 electio prouenire Cg Cg C 4 posset electio £ potuisset] -set add. vid. B 2 14 suae] om. Cs C 4 irreuocabiliter C £1 £3 £« Ojg perstitit] 0 Oig P S 15-18 ne si lon¬ gioribus... ambiguitates] om. 0 Oig P S 15 ne si] coni.: nisi B E, etsi C, si £ 3 , nisi... ne Gratianus adhuc longioribus (cum sign. corr.) E^ 2. de Syracusanae urbis: Cuius nomen aperte non constat; fuit autem forte Kleutherius, praesul ad quem epp. 44 et (96?) missae fuerunt. Kleutherius enim ille ad episcopatmn fuit evectus Pelagii tempore, prout ex ep. 44 eruitur, nam scripta promissa, quae pontifice iubente protulit, in consecratione episcopi plerumque dabantur. Quod Kleutherius Siculus fuisset antistes innuit eadem ep. 44, quoniam in terra sub ditione loannis in Sicilia defensoris degebat. Cf. ep. 41 adnotationes in titulmn, p. 114. Quod autem ad Syracusanam urbem et sedem refert, cf. F. Lanzoni, 0 . c., p. 632-639;. H. LECEERCQ, Syracuse, DACb., t. XV, 2, c. 1840-1855; A. Amore, Siracusa, in Enc. Cattol., t. XI, c. 718-726. Verum H. Leclercq, in eo quod spectat ad episcopos ecclesiae Syracusanae, non recte breviat quod scripsit F. Lan- zoni. Ki enim est praesul Syracusanus, non papa Pelagius, qui reprehendit conuiuia enormia episcopis facta. Cf. epp. 25,2 et 32, p. 80 et 88. Pressius enim contraxit quod recte scripserat F. Lanzoni, 0 . c., p. 639. gloriae uestrae: Qui titulus emn patricimn decebat. Cf. in ep. 22,2 notulas, p. 68. superstes uxor aut filii..: periclitari substantia: Cf. § 4: ubi adle- gatur principalis constitutio, id est, lex imperatoris. Cf. IuSTiniani, Cod., I, 3,41,2-4; Nov., 6,1,3-4; 123,1. 4. ne si longioribus... insanirent: Ita coniecilegendmn, utsensmn intellegibilem textus haberet. Cf. lectiones varias in apparatu. Coniectura ni¬ titur praeterea textu, quem Gratianus praebet: nisi longioribus ... diferrentur ferrentur spatiis, paulo amplius insanirent, sicut et filii nostri, uiri magnifici <Iyeonis> praetoris, testificatione didicimus), inter huiusmodi ergo ambiguitates, illud consultius iudicauimus facien¬ dum, ut congrua prouidentia, causam propter quam principalis constitutio habentem filios et uxorem ad episcopatus prohibet ordinem promoneri, salua dispositione consilii muniremus. Qua 5 de re summo studio ab eodem Syracusanae urbis episcopo, prius quam a nobis eum contingeret ordinari, huiusmodi exegimus cautionem, per quam et suam fateretur quantula esset praesen- tis temporis habita rerum descriptione substantiam, et nihil um- quam, per se aut per filios et uxorem, siue per quamlibet propin¬ quam aut domesticam uel extraneam forte personam, de rebus usurparet ecclesiae, et uniuersa episcopatus quaesita tempore eccle¬ siae suae dominio sociaret, nihil, ultra id quod modo descriptum est, suis filiis uel heredibus relicturus. Sed aliud eum cauere 6 districte fecimus (nectim etiam et Ca^/iewensem episcopum), [Item. 16 -ferrentur] C, ex -ferentur £ 4 : -ferentur B E nostri] uestri £ 17 magnici £4 praectoris C 18 consultus Pg 19 causa P^ 20 habentes O 7 uxores Pg episco¬ patum B 21 ordinem] om. B £4 salua] salubri C concilii] Gratian., Mansi mu¬ niremur C 22 de] iterat, in B studio] om. O 2 syracus. urb. episcopo] om. 0 Oig P S, [siracus.] B C E 28 eum] om. B E exegimus] C E P S: exigimus B 0 Oig criptione Ci, discretione Pg un- B E^ 26-29 et uxorem... suae do] om. (lacuna) Og Cj C 4 , uel £3 uel] aut £« extraneam] ex extraneneam B, extraneos Pg personam forte P S 28 usurpare £ et] ei Oj 29 suae] C £, sue ex siue B: suo £ 3 , om. 0 Oig P S dominio] ex domino B 2 sotiaret ex sotiarent B 80 filiis suis £3 eredibus C 4 81 cathenensem] coni, ('cathena, cathina pro catina occurr. in codd.) : camethensem B (cet. codd. §6 om.). spatiis, ne paulo amplius insanirent. Nesi primigenium videtur a scribis non fuisse intellectmn, et inde, aut mutatum fuit in nisi, etsi, aut geminatmn in nisi ... ne. filii nostri uiri magnifici <Leonis) praetoris: Nomen, quod veri similiter decidit, inserui. Cf. ep. 23,4, p. 71. beo non fuit Cethegi liberus, uti diserte adseruit P. Kwai,d, 0 . c., l. c., p. 540, n. 3; 544, n. 1. Krror Kwald originem duxit a mendosa Gratiani lectione, qui e Tripartita, ut alias, hausit fragmentmn. Rectam vero lectionem esse filii nostri, suadent tmn Coli. Britannica et Caesaraugustana, tmn complures similes aliae lectiones. 5. exegimus cautionem: Cf.epp. 25,1; 44,1, quaeque ad loca scripsi, p. 80 et 122. 6. (nectim... episcopum) [Item. Faciemus]: Quae omnia, aut interiec- tmn quoddam incismn (parenthesis), aut glossa notulave marginalis, quae in PEIrAGII I PAPAE EPiSTutAE 33,6; 34,1 Faciemus] ut non amplius de parrochiis suis quam binos solidos annuos sub qualibet occasione praesumat accipere. textum inrepserit, aestimari debent. Sensus istius notulae foret extensio obiurgationis pontificis in praesulem Catinensem, missis ad eum quoque his litteris. Nectim, enim, mihi esse videtur adverbium in -im ex necto, significatione simile adverbiis nec non, insuper, aut corruptio forte (minus probanda) vocis nedum. Conduplicationes etiam et, nec non et, ceterae, rarae non sunt apud Pelagium. Cf. exempli causa ep. 11, 1. 53: nec non etiam .— Quoad hunc § 6 cf. epp. 25,1-2 et 32, p. 80 et 88. Rufinum episcopum laudat, quod sacerdotali officio privaverat presbyterum, qui, ira incensus, oculum effodit cuidam diacono. Attamen, m monasterium mittatur oportet, ut culpam poena expiet. Diaconus, vero, oculo orbatus sacerdotali dignitate iuxta Ecclesiae canones minime insignire potest, nec quidem sub compensationis specie.