Letter 15: The holy synod assembled in Rome, under the presidency of Bishop Felix, to the most clement Emperor Zeno, greetings.

[Rubric:] A petition sent by Pope Felix, by decree of the council, to the Emperor Zeno. [Editorial summary of contents:] That he should not allow the joy conceived at the beginnings of his reign to be turned into grief through the usurpation of the see of Alexandria (n. 1). That Acacius has been summoned to Rome to clear away the accusations brought against him (n. 2). 1. While the universal Church was rejoicing that peace had been restored to it, the heretics who were striving to raise themselves up having been suppressed by you, and while the empire of your Piety had carried off a victory even over its own enemies; and while throughout the whole world the prayer of all priests was offered to the Lord for the welfare of your Serenity, that your Piety, guardian of the faith and defender of the orthodox, might reign under the favor of the eternal King: at that time your venerable rescripts, and the authority running close to God which frequently issues from your sacred breast, amid the joys of the empire you had received, removed Peter [Mongus] -- who had associated with heretics and had clung to that parricide Timothy -- from the holy precincts, since such a thing could not be done by others, even as he had been ordained, so far as he had supposed concerning himself, bishop of the church of Alexandria, by a decree most acceptable to God; and for the credit of your reign your authority annulled the letters of the tyrant, which a deranged mind had dictated, contrary to right, for the overthrow of the definition of the most holy Council of Chalcedon. Then it rendered void his unlawful ordinations, or those of Timothy, as being those of heretics, and judged them to be, so far as it lay in them, outside the Church. But now we have learned that he presides over the church of Alexandria, with the joys of all turned into grief. If this is true -- as before God it must be confidently set forth to a most Christian prince -- we suggest by the divine judgment that it is not to be weighed lightly, unless what is said to have been done to the reproach of God shall the more swiftly be expiated by remedies. And because, as it is written, when one member is touched the whole body suffers its sufferings, in his person the churches of the whole East are shaken. 2. As for what concerns my brother and fellow bishop Acacius, priest of Constantinople, against whom in the assembly a petition was presented to me by him whose see the aforesaid is said to hold, a petition which I have attached to the laments of my Humility: let that same brother and fellow bishop of mine, Acacius -- as it is necessary by ecclesiastical rule and as it is fitting to be done by your laws -- take care, with the diligence of obedience, to clear away before the blessed Apostle Peter these things which he perceives are being made known about himself, and let him in no way think it ought to be deferred. He, well conscious to himself, as we trust, does not doubt that the apostolic judgment is owed for the governance of his priestly office: so that, approved by his priestly acts and by the preaching of the faith, he may more gloriously enjoy first the favor of Christ our Lord and of all priests, and then that of your Piety.

seu Mart. Libellus a Felice papa decreto concilii ad Zenonem imperatorem transmissus. l/t gaudium de initiis imperii sui conceptum non^sinat per invasionem sedit Ale- P? xandrinae in moerorem mutari (n. 1). Acacium ad diluendas incriminaiionet ohjectas Homam vocatum esse (n. 2). 1. Quum sibi redditam pacem, compressis per vos haereticis qui se'^) nitebantur attollere, universalis gauderet Ecclesia, et vestrae pietatis imperium etiam de inimicis suis victoriam reportasset; et per universum orbeni pro salute vestrae serenitatis oratio cunctorum erat-*) ad Dominum saeerdotum, ut vestra pietas fidei custos et defensor orthodoxae, sub aeterni regis propitiatione regnaret: quando venerandi apices vestri et Deo proxinia currens de sacro pectore frequenter auctoritas inter gaudia recepti imperii Petrum*) conver- satum cum haereticis et parricidae illi Timotheo cohaerentem, a pro- «) Ita E' E« F« H^ Editi omittunt Deo. ') Hic observare hbet discriraen, quod inter episcopos et defensoreiii poni- tur, quo hic a latere nostrOj illi de coUegio nostro missi dicuntur. Notant fial- lerinii in Leon. epist. 32 not. 3, formulam illam ex imperatorum stilo aasmnpttm, qua clerici pontifici vel Romanae ecclesiae peculiariter addicti adhaerenteaque signabantur. Primum ipsa occurrit in Hilarii Pictav. fragm. 4, syn. Sardic. c 7 et Bonifacii I epist. 13 n. 5. ') Ita E* E^, nisi quod E> sentehantur, unde F< sentiebantttr , H^ «enliefttfter attoUere; editi sentiebantur attoHi. Mox E' E* imperio. EPISTOLAE 3. 4. 241 fanisy quia nec ab aliis talis fieri poterat, Alexaudrinae ecclesiae a. 483. episcopuiHy quantum sibi ejcistimaverat, ordiiiatum, acceptissima Deo praeeepiione dqecerat, et tyranni litteras^), quas in eversionem coutra fas sacrosancti^) Calchedonensis concilii definitionis mens in- sana dictaverat^ pro regni tui commendatione evacuavit. Haec deinde illicitas ordinationes ejus vel") Timothei, utpote haeretico- rum, irritas fecit, atque eos; quantum extra Ecclesiam fuerint, judicavit. Sed nunc eum, mutatis omnium gaudiis in moerorem, ecclesiae Alexandrinae cognovimus praesidere. Quod si verum est, ut Christianissimo principi coram Deo fiducialiter est faciendum, di- vino judicio suggerimus non leviter esse pensandum, nisi celerius^) remediis, quod in contumeliam Dei factum dicitur, fuerit expiatum. Et quia^ sicut scriptum est, unius membri tactum^) totum corpus P«- jo 26 iiiur passiones, in persona ejus totius Orientis concutiuntur ecclesiae. 2. Quod fratrem et coepiscopum meum Acacium^^) Constanti- nopolitanum respicit sacerdotem, adversus quem in conventu mihi ab eo, cujus sedem praefatus fertur tenere, libelhis oblatus est^ quem deplorationibus meae humilitatis annexui: ut idem frater et coepi- scopus meus Acacius, sicut ecclesiasticis necesse est et vestris legi- bus fieri decet, ad'*) haec, quae de se pervidet intimari, apud bea- tum Petrum apostolum diluere ob^dientiae ^^) sodulitate procuret, nec uUo modo existimet differendum. Qui sibi^^), quemadmodum con- fidimus, bene conscius apostoUcum debere judicium j^ro sacerdotii sui moderatione non ambigit: ut sacerdotalibus actibus et j^raedicatione fidei comprobatus, primum Christi Domini nostri atque omnium sa- cerdotum ac deinde pietatis vestrae gratia gloriosius perfruatur. •) Ita E' E* F* H^. Editi et sacrosancti . . . definitlones . . , reyni sui . . . Ita iieinde (E« Hac, E« Hec). T) E* E* vel, F« H« vetut, b cc vet etiam, moxque E« fuerit, F» H» fuerat, editi cnm E* fuerint, •) Ita E* E*. H* ceteris, F* a certis, unde b cc certis. ») E* E* P* tactum (E* tactus, F^ tantum) totum, Editi omittunt tactum et totius. lo) Edili cum F* H'' omitt. Acacium, "■) Abundat prorsus ad, sed codicura consona auctoritate probatur. •*) Ita E* E*; H* ohedientiae omisso sedulitate, unde bcc obedienter. r.PlSTOLAE BOMAlf. POHTIP. I, 16