Letter 7: MIGNE, PL. 69, c. 408-410; (6-16) PITRA, Spic, Solesm,, IV, p.

To the lord and most glorious and most pre-eminent son, King Childebert, Pelagius, bishop. The Savior and Lord of the human race, teaching his disciples, says: It is not the will of your Father who is in heaven that even one of these little ones should perish; concerning whom he asserts that no one may be scandalized without comparison to a great punishment. Since, therefore, this form of precept applies even to the little ones, with how much zeal and labor must we exert ourselves to render to kings, for the removal of the scandal of suspicion, the obedience of our confession-kings to whom the holy scriptures command that we too should be subject! 2. For when Rufinus, a magnificent man, the legate of your excellency, came, he confidently asked of us, as was fitting, that we should either signify to you that the Tome of Pope Leo of blessed memory is preserved by us in all respects, or else set forth the confession of our faith in our own words. 3. And the first part of his petition, since it was easier, we fulfilled as soon as he spoke it; and we signed with the profession of our own hand to you that, by God's favor, we guard the Tome of the aforesaid prelate, composed for the assertion of the catholic faith, in all things. 4. But that no occasion of any suspicion-which God forbid-should henceforth remain, we made haste to do also that other part of which the aforesaid illustrious man Rufinus admonished us, namely, to set forth in our own words the confession of the faith which we hold. 5. And we have judged it necessary to make known to your excellency in the present discourse that we, with God's help, hold and defend the definitions also concerning the same catholic faith which were established in the four holy councils, and likewise those of the aforesaid pontiff, which the universal Church has always held and holds. 6. I believe, therefore, in one God, Father and Son and Holy Spirit: the Father, namely, omnipotent, everlasting, unbegotten; the Son, indeed, begotten from the substance or nature of the same Father, before any beginning whatever of time or of age, that is, omnipotent, equal, coeternal, and consubstantial with the Begetter; the Holy Spirit also, omnipotent, equal, coeternal, and consubstantial with both, namely with the Father and the Son, who, proceeding from the Father outside of time, is the Spirit of the Father and of the Son: 7. that is, three persons or three subsistences of one essence or nature, of one power, of one operation, of one blessedness, and of one authority; so that the Unity is threefold and the Trinity is one, according to the truth of the Lord's voice which says: Go, teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. 8. In the name, he says, not in the names, so that he might both show one God through the undivided name of the divine essence, and teach the distinction of the persons demonstrated by their own properties; because, while there is one name of deity for the three, the equality of the persons is shown; and again the equality of the persons permits nothing foreign, nothing accessory to be understood in them: so that each one of them is true and perfect God, and all three together are one true and perfect God, namely, from the fullness of the divinity nothing less being understood in the individuals, nothing more in the three. 9. From this holy and most blessed and consubstantial Trinity I believe and confess that one person, that is, the Son of God, for the salvation of the human race, in the last times descended from heaven, leaving neither his fatherly seat nor the governance of the world; and, the Holy Spirit coming upon the blessed Virgin Mary, and the power of the Most High overshadowing her, the same Word and Son of God mercifully entered into the womb of the same holy Virgin Mary and united to himself from her flesh a flesh animated with a rational and intellectual soul; and that the flesh was not first created and the Son of God afterward came upon it, but, as it is written: Wisdom building herself a house, at once the flesh in the womb of the Virgin, at once the flesh of the Word of God made, and thenceforth, without any change or conversion of the nature of the Word and of the flesh, the Word and Son of God made man, one in each nature, the divine namely and the human, Christ Jesus, true God and the same true man, came forth, that is, was born, the integrity of the maternal virginity being preserved; for the Virgin, remaining a virgin, bore him in the same way as a virgin she conceived. On account of which we most truly confess the same blessed Virgin Mary the Mother of God: for she bore the incarnate Word of God. 10. There is therefore one and the same Jesus Christ, true Son of God and himself the same true son of man, perfect in deity and himself the same perfect in humanity, inasmuch as he is wholly in what is his own and himself the same wholly in what is ours; thus through the second nativity taking from a human mother what he was not, so as not to cease to be what through the first, by which he was born from the Father, he was. 11. On account of which we believe that he is from two and in two natures remaining undivided and unconfused: undivided indeed, because even after the assumption of our nature one Christ the Son of God remained and remains; unconfused, however, because we believe the natures to have been so united into one person and subsistence that, the property of each being preserved, neither was converted into the other. And therefore, as we have often said, we confess one and the same Christ to be the true Son of God and himself the same true son of man, consubstantial with the Father according to deity, and the same consubstantial with us according to humanity, in all things like to us apart from sin: passible in the flesh, himself the same impassible in deity. 12. Whom we confess to have suffered in the flesh of his own accord under Pontius Pilate for our salvation, crucified in the flesh, dead in the flesh, to have risen on the third day, the same flesh being glorified and incorruptible, and to have conversed after the resurrection with his disciples and in many ways to have shown them evidently the truth of his body, and on the fortieth day, while the same disciples watched, to have ascended into the heavens, and also to sit at the right hand of the Father. 13. Whom I believe and confess, according to the testimony of the angels, that just as he ascended into the heavens, so he will come to judge the living and the dead. 14. For I confess that all men born and dead from Adam unto the consummation of the age, together with Adam himself and his wife, who were not born of other parents but the one created from the earth, the other from the rib of the man, will then rise again and stand before the tribunal of Christ, that each one may receive the proper things of the body, according as he has done, whether good or evil. 15. And the just indeed, through the most abundant grace of God, as vessels of mercy prepared unto glory, he will endow with the rewards of eternal life, namely to live without end in the society of the angels without now any fear of their own fall; but the wicked, by the choice of their own will remaining vessels of wrath fitted unto destruction, who either did not acknowledge the way of the Lord, or, having known it, abandoned it, taken captive by various transgressions, he will deliver by most just judgment to the punishments of eternal and inextinguishable fire, that they may burn without end. 16. This, therefore, is my faith and hope, which is in me by the gift of God's mercy, for which the blessed apostle Peter especially commands that we ought to be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks of us a reason. 17. Now it befits your excellency, for the strengthening of the same faith, which we rejoice that you have in your heart, to expend a special care throughout all the regions of your Gaul, lest those who sow scandals there, as they were attempting to do in these parts, run about with the impudence of their effrontery driving them on, and stir up some of our brothers and fellow-bishops or the peoples entrusted to them to dissensions; because, while they are not of the right faith, in the pain of their own oppression, in order to make themselves familiar to catholics for the nourishing of scandals, they even pretend to vindicate the right faith, especially among those who are ignorant of their frauds and deceits. 18. But God, who has mercifully prepared your glory at this time against the enemies of ecclesiastical peace, grant that you may show yourself so solicitous and circumspect that they may not prevail to cast their malignant seeds of tares against the most holy Church in those parts. 19. May our God keep your excellency unharmed, lord son most glorious and most excellent.

MIGNE, PL. 69, c. 408-410; (6-16) PITRA, Spic, Solesm,, IV, p. XII-XIV; HAHN, Bihliothek der Symhole u. Glaubensregeln, p, 334-336. DOMINO FIDIO GDORIOSISSIMO ATQUE PRAECED- EENTISSIMO CHIEDEBERTO REGI PEEAGIUS EPISCO¬ PUS. Humani generis saluator ac Dominus discipulos suos docens ait: Non est uoluntas Patris uestri qui in cae- Codd^- a, fol. 40-4r, fol. a, fol. 82^-87''; m fol. (6-16); n fol. 36-37^: (6-16); B fol. 72: (1: satagendum...-4); fol. 47^^; (1: satagendum... -4), fol. 68% E, fol. 73, Et fol. 36%- F, fol. m^-%- (1: satagendum...-4), fol. 9S^% F, fol. 1-2 domino... pelag. episc.] a: pelagius childeberto regi BE F [hildeberto] £4, ti- tui. om. mn (cf. infra 277) 3 humani] ex humano Hac epistula opus est mihi mutationem in ordinem quem codd. exhi¬ bent inducere. En rationes quae ut ita facerem suaserunt. In ep. 9,2 petit Pelagius Sapaudo, ut velit se certiorem facere, an regi et Galliarum episcopis placuerat illa fidei professio, quam ad regem, ope Flaviani diaconi et Ne- storii subdiaconi, miserat. lam vero, haec fidei professio alia esse non potest quam praesens epistula, cum esse nequeat nec ep. 3, a Rufino lata, neque ep. 11, quae ad Childebertum non dirigitur, sed ad totius orbis fideles, quaeque item post litteras has data fuerit oportet, alioqui haec ep. 7 inu¬ tilis et inanis fere evasisset. Itaque praesens epistula collocari debet ante ep. 9, etiamsi illam in codd. sequatur, et insuper, accuratius rem pervesti¬ gans, hanc una cum epp. 5 et 6 datam fuisse comperio, quippe quae ab eis¬ dem nuntiis missae fuerint. Propterea epistulae huic adsignavi cum illis diem 3 februarii a. 557, non faciens cum F. Kae^ENBRUNNER, J-K. 946 (t. I, p. 126) neque cum W. Gundeach, Epp. Arelatenses, l. 0 ., p. 76, qui eam datam fuisse putarunt intra Februarii et Aprilis menses. 1. Dominus... ait: Mt., 18,14. lis est, ut unus saltim pereat de pusillis; de quibus nec scandalizari quemquam sine magni asserit conparatione supplicii. Cum igitur etiam de pusillis ista forma praecepti sit, quanto nobis studio ac labore satagendum est, ut pro auferendo suspicionis scandalo obsequium confessionis nostrae regibus mi- nistremus, quibus nos etiam subditos esse sanctae scripturae prae¬ cipiunt? Ueniens etenim Rufinus uir magnificus, legatus excellen- 2 tiae uestrae, confidenter a nobis, ut decuit, postulauit, quatenus uobis, aut beatae recordationis papae Eeonis tomum a nobis per omnia conseruari significare debuissemus, aut propriis uerbis no- strae confessionem fidei destinare. Et primam quidem petitionis 3 eius partem, quia facilior fuit, mox ut dixit impleuimus; meque in omnibus praedicti praesulis tomum pro catholicae fidei assertione conscriptum, Deo propitio custodire, manus nostrae ad uos pro¬ fessione signauimus. Ut autem nullius deinceps, quod absit, 4 suspicionis resideret occasio, etiam illam aliam partem, quam me¬ moratus uir inlustris Rufinus ammonuit, facere maturaui, scilicet propriis uerbis confessionem fidei quam tenemus exponens. Defi- 5 nitiones quoque de eadem catholica fide, quae in quattuor sanctis conciliis statutae sunt, sed et memorati pontificis, quae uniuersalis u semper tenuit ac tenet ecclesia, nos cum Dei auxilio tenere atque defendere praesenti ad excellentiam uestram conloquio intimandum comparatione 8 pro] superscr, a* 9 regibus] legibus E 10 subitos Fg sa¬ crae script. Fj Fg F* [scae] Fg, script. sanctae Fi Fg 11 excellent.] om. Fg 12 uester Fg quatinus BEF 13 leonis papae Fg tomum ] 1 post t eras, a^, thomum BEx Fg nobis] uobis Fg 14 debuiss.] debueramus B aut] add. a F 15 disti- nare ai 16 dixi Eg inpleuimus FF4 17 praedicti] in mar%. a^, om. BEF prae- solis «2 tomum] litt. post t (h.?) eras, a^, thomum BE^Fz F, 19 nullius] om. Fg resederet «g ocasio B 21 inlustris] illustris BEF ruphinus Fg ammonuit] admonuit BE3F maturaui] om. F 24 statutae] ex statuta quae] ai (id est: quae omnia): quas 25 tenet ex tenent cum] sancto 26 excellent.] c superscr. de pusillis ista forma praecepti sit: Cf. Mt., 18,6. subditos esse sanctae scripturae praecipiunt: Cf. Rom., 13,1. 2. Rufinus uir magnificus: Gf. notulas in ep. 3,1. p. 6. 3. ut dixit impleuimus: Est ep. 3. signauimus: Cf. ep. 3,13. 4. propriis uerbis: In ep. 9,2 dicitur: nostro... sermone; quod con¬ firmat illam, quae ibi adlegatur epistula, esse hanc ep. 7. !22 PEI<AGII I PAPAE necessario iudicaui. Credo igitur in unum Deum Patrem et Filium 3 et Spiritum Sanctum: Patrem scilicet omnipotentem, sempiter¬ num, ingenitum; Filium uero, ex eiusdem Patris substantia uel na¬ so tura genitum, ante omne omnino uel temporis uel aeui cuiusquam initium, id est, omnipotentem, aequalem, consempiternum, et consubstantialem Genitori; Spiritum quoque sanctum, omnipoten¬ tem, utrique. Patri scilicet ac Filio, aequalem, consempiternum atque consubstantialem, qui ex Patre intemporaliter procedens, 35 Patris est Filiique Spiritus: hoc est, tres personas siue tres subsis- 7 tentias unius essentiae siue naturae, unius uirtutis, unius opera¬ tionis, unius beatitudinis atque unius potestatis; ut trina sit unitas, et una sit Trinitas, iuxta uocis dominicae ueritatem dicentis: Ite, docete omnes gentes, baptizantes eos in nomine Patris et Filii et Spiritus Sancti. In nomine, inquit, non in nominibus, ut et unum Deum per indisr 8 tinctum diuinae essentiae nomen ostenderet et personarum discre¬ tionem suis demonstratam proprietatibus edoceret; quia, dum tri¬ bus umun deitatis nomen est, aequalitas ostenditur personarum; et rursus aequalitas personarum nihil extraneum, nihil accedens in eis permittit intellegi: ita ut et unusquisque eorum uerus perfectusque sit Deus, et omnes tres simul unus uerus perfectusque sit Deus, uiddicet ex plenitudine diuinitatis nihil minus in singulis, nihil fides sancti pelagii papae m, quem om. n igitur] om. mn 30 aeui] om. m n initio m id est] idem «g, de omnipotente 32 cumsubstantialem 35 fili¬ ique] filii quoque 36-37 subsistentias] ex substantias a^y substantias n 41 inquid vD?'[om.a deum] dominum 42 essentiae] substantiae44-45 et rursus... per¬ sonarum] superscr, a^y om. m accidens ex acced, n2 46 permittat intelligi n2 (?) et omnes... sit deus] om. axa^mn 48 plenitudine] ex plenitudinem n parallelis et notulis quam adornavit W. M. PEiTz, Bas vorephesinische Symbol der Papstkanzleiy in Miscell. Histor. Pontif., vol. I, Roma, 1939, p. 83-88; 126-127. 7. siue tres subsistentias: Idem fere valent apud Pelagiinn persona et sub sistentia y aut, ut verius dicam, notio personae apud nostrinn pontifi¬ cem, idea subsistentiae prorsus limitatur et definitur. Cf. In Def. Trium Cap.yV (R.,DevrEESSE, 0 . c.,.p. 43 ): ... de deitate Vnigeniti, non de Deo Vnigenito dixit, ad cuius personam siue subsistentiam, quae cum adsumpta humanitate una est...; ...singularitatem personae uel subsistentia unius Filii, qui uerus Deus et idem ipse inconuertibiliter uerus homo est... cetera. dominicae ueritatem dicentis: Mt., 28,19. EPIS^UEA 7,6-11 amplius intellegatur in tribus. Ex hac autem sancta et beatissima 9 gQ atque consubstantiali Trinitate credo atque confiteor unam perso¬ nam, id est. Filium Dei, pro salute humani generis nonissimis tem¬ poribus descendisse de caelo, nec patriam sedem, nec mundi gu¬ bernacula relinquentem; et, superueniente in beata uirgine Maria Sancto Spiritu, atque obumbrante ei uirtute altissimi, eundem Pg Uerbum ac Filium Dei in utero eiusdem sanctae uirginis Mariae clementer ingressum et de carne eius sibi unisse carnem anima ra¬ tionali et intellectuali animatam; nec ante creatam esse carnem, et postea superuenisse Filium Dei, sed, sicut scriptum est: Sa¬ pientia aedificante sibi domum, mox carnem in utero uirginis, mox Uerbi Dei carnem factam, exindeque sine ulla permutatione aut conuersione Uerbi carnisque naturae, Uerbum ac Filium Dei factum hominem, unum in utraque natura, diuina scilicet et humana, Christum lesum Deum uerum eundemque uerum hominem processisse, id est, natum esse, seruata integritate maternae liirginitatis; quia sic eum uirgo permanens genuit, quem¬ admodum uirgo concepit. Propter quod eandem beatam uirgi- nem Mariam Dei genetricem uerissime confitemur: peperit enim incarnatum Dei Uerbum. Est ergo unus atque idem lesus Christus 10 uerus Filius Dei et idem ipse uerus filius hominis, perfectus in deitate et idem ipse perfectus in humanitate, utpote totus in suis et idem ipse totus in nostris; sic per secundam natiuitatem sumens ex homine matre, quod non erat, ut non desisteret esse, quod per primam, qua ex Patre natus est, erat. Propter quod eum ex dua- 11 bus et in duabus manentibus indiuisis inconfusisque credimus esse in n, paternam (recte fortasse) a^ 56 elementer «g 59 aedificante] ex aedificauit a^ conuersaone n 62 in] om. n 63 deum] ex dominum corr. vid Og 64 processisse] ras. post procesis in ai 65 quem-] ex qom vel qam (?) a^ 66 -admodum] ex armo- dum «2 68 adque n 71 secundam] misericordiam a^ sumens] i (?) eras, post su a^, summens a^ 72 omine a^ mater a^ (falso notat Gundlach; cod. enim clare habet matrej 9. sicut scriptum est: Prov., 1,9. p. 115-118; append., p. 750; 753-756; A. Hahn-U Hahn, o. c ., p. 166-168; B. SCHWARTz, ACO., t. II, vol. I, 2, p. 129-130; ibid., t. II, vol. III, 2, actio V, 34, p. 137-138; actio VI, 8, p. 156; ibid., t. II, vol. II, 2, p. 85-86). Quoad relationes Pelagii cinn Cone. Chalcedonensi, cf. B. SchwarTz, ACO., t. II, vol. IV, p. XXVI-XXVII; A. GrieemeiER, Vorbereitung des MittelaU ters ... in Das Konzil von Chalkedon, t. II, Wiirzburg, 1953, p. 824-830. PEIyAGlI I PAPAE EPISTUI<A 7,11-19 aut non agnouerunt, aut cognitam diuersis capti praeuaricationibus reliquerunt, in poenis aeterni atque inextinguibilis ignis, ut sine fine ardeant, iustissimo indicio traditurum. Haec est igitur fides mea et spes, quae in me dono misericordiae Dei est, pro qua maxime paratos esse debere beatus Petrus apostolus praecipit ad respon¬ dendum omni poscenti nos rationem. Nunc con- uenit excellentiam uestram pro femore eiusdem fidei, quam uos in corde habere gaudemus, peculiarem curam per uniuersas Galliae uestrae regiones inpendere, ne illic scandala seminantes, sicut in partibus istis facere conabantur, frontis suae procacia inpellente discurrant, et aliquos fratres et coepiscopos nostros uel creditas eis plebes ad dissensiones exagitent; quia, dum rectae fidei non sint, dolore oppressionis suae, ut se ad nutrienda scandala catholi¬ cis familiares efficiant, etiam rectam fidem se simulant uindicare, maxime apud eos qui fraudes ipsorum et dolos ignorant. Sed Deus, qui gloriam uestram contra inimicos pacis ecclesiasticae mise¬ ricorditer hoc tempore praeparauit, praestet uos ita sollicitos et circumspectos existere, ut non praeualeant sacrosanctae eccle¬ siae in illis partibus loliorum suorum semina maligna iactare. Incolumem excellentiam uestram Deus noster custodiat, domine fili gloriosissime atque excellentissime. naturis: indiuisis quidem, quia et post adsumptionem naturae nos¬ trae unus Christus Filius Dei permansit et permanet; inconfusis autem, quia sic in unam personam atque subsistentiam adunatas credimus esse naturas, ut utriusque proprietate seruata, neutra conuerteretur in alteram. Ac propterea, sicut saepe diximus, unum eundemque Christum esse uerum Filium Dei et eundem ipsum uerum filium hominis confitemur, consubstantialem Patri secun¬ dum deitatem, et consubstantialem nobis eundem secundum huma¬ nitatem, per omnia nobis similem absque peccato: passibilem carne, eundem ipsum inpassibilem deitate. Quem sub Pontio Pilato sponte pro salute nostra passum esse carne confitemur, crucifixum carne, mortuum carne, resurrexisse tertia die, glorificata et in¬ corruptibili eadem carne, et conuersatum post resurrectionem cum discipulis suis ac multis modis euidenter eis ostendisse sui corporis ueritatem, et quadragesimo die, uidentibus eisdem discipulis, ascen- disse in caelos, sedere etiam ad dexteram Patris. Quem credo et confiteor, secundum testificationem angelorum, sicut ascendit in caelos, ita uenturum indicare uiuos et mortuos. Omnes enim homines ab Adam usque ad consummationem saeculi natos et mortuos cum ipso Adam eiusque uxore, qui non ex aliis parentibus nati sunt, sed alter de terra, alter autem de costa uiri creati sunt, tunc resurrecturos esse confiteor et adstare ante tribunal Christi, ut recipiat unusquisque propria corporis, prout gessit,siue bona, siue mala. Et iustos quidem per largissimam gratiam Dei, utpote uasa mise- 15 ricordiae in gloriam praeparata, aeternae uitae praemiis donatu¬ rum, in societate uidelicet angelorum absque ullo iam lapsus sui metu sine fine uicturos; iniquos autem arbitrio uoluntatis pro¬ priae uasa irae apta in interitum permanentes, qui uiam Domini silimilem a^, carnem 84 pylato 85 sponte] liiter. eras, in fine n car¬ nem ai 86 came^] carnem Ui in- superscr, 87 conuersatum] ex inconuersatum multi as 89 quadragensimo a, 90 quem] quae ai 93 consumat, n 94 qui] quae n alter®] altera a, 96 resurrecturus surrecturos 100 -ricordiae] ex -ricordiamw uitae] uirtutae 101 iam] om, mn 102 metuo aj, merito n 103 in] i superscr. n 12. et eundem Ipsum: Cf, supra alterum textum ex In Def. Trium Cap. desumptum, ad § 7, ubi similiter dicitur et idem ipse, 14. ante tribunal... siue mala: 2 Cor,, 5,10, iuxta quandam Veterem Latinam versionem. Cf. Dom. P. SabaTiEr, Bihliorum Sacrorum Latinae versiones antiquae seu Vetus Italica ..., t. III, Parisiis, 1751, p. 739, notas ad V. 10. praecepit n, praecepit a, (cf. ep. 11, l. 64, ubi recte scripsit praecipit^ 109 ratione n gelliae ag 113 procacitate a^ 115 dissensionis ai 116 chatholi- a^ 118 aput a^ eclesiastice ai 120 prestet ai a^ 121 circuminspectos corr. (in postea superscr.) a^ sacrosanctae eccle-] sacrosancte ecle- a„ intra sacrasanctae eccle- ag, intra sata sanctae eccle- Baronius, Sirmondus 122 loliorum] ex lolliorum a^ 123 pincolumen aj, perincolumem as (cf, epp. 6,20 et 8, l, 25) noster] nos a^ domino as 124 glorio¬ sissime] ex gloriosissimae a^. 16. Haec est Igitur fides mea: Idem iteratur in ep. 11,10, p. 39. beatus Petrus apostolus praecipit: Cf. l Ptr,, 3,15. 19. excellentissime: Eodem titulo insignitur in ep. 9,2. Reges enim barbarorum, qui amicitiam imperatoris colebant, uti etiam summi magistra¬ tus imperii, hoc honoris epitheto donabantur. Cf. P. Koch, o. c., p. 89-93, Alios, quibus hic quoque titulus olim fuerit tributus, vide sis apud M. Brid- GET, 0 . c., p. 131; 166. l PEI.AGII I PAPAE Sedulitati Childeberti erga Bcclesiam, regni Galliae prosperitatem tribuit. Quam ob rem papae admirationem magnopere movit, ut re^ permitteret in iudicium intulisse Sapaudum, quem nuper, ipsius regis petitioni obsecundans, primati Galliae dignitate insigniverat. Diligenter commendat, ne in posterum ecclesiasticae leges rescindantur.