Letter 14012: The letters which you sent us a little time ago from the Genoese parts have made us partakers of your joy on account of our learning that by the favour of Almighty God a son has been given you, and, as is greatly to your Excellency's credit, has been received into the fellowship of the Catholic faith . Nor indeed was anything else to be supposed...
Pope Gregory the Great→Theodelinda|c. 604 AD|Pope Gregory the Great|Human translated
Barbarian peoples/invasions; Theological controversy; Church council
Gregory to Queen Theodelinda of the Lombards.
The letters you sent us from Genoa have made us share in your joy. By the favor of Almighty God, a son has been given to you -- and, as is greatly to your Excellency's credit, he has been received into the fellowship of the Catholic faith [through baptism]. Nothing less was to be expected of your Christianity: that you would fortify the child God has given you with the armor of Catholic truth. Our Redeemer now acknowledges you as his devoted servant and will, I trust, raise up a new king for the nation of the Lombards in his holy fear.
I pray Almighty God to keep you in the way of his commandments and to cause our most excellent son Adulouvald [the newborn prince] to grow in his love, so that as he is great among men in this world, he may also be glorious before the eyes of God for his good deeds.
As for what your Excellency requested -- that I reply fully to what our most beloved son, the Abbot Secundus, has written -- who could think of refusing his petition or your wishes, knowing how profitable the answers would be to many? But illness stands in the way. I am so severely afflicted with gout that I can barely rise, not only for writing, but even for speaking -- as your ambassadors can confirm. They found me weak on arrival and left me in the utmost danger of my life.
If, by God's ordering, I recover, I will reply in full. In the meantime, I am sending through your envoys the records of the Synod held under the Emperor Justinian of pious memory, so that my most beloved son the Abbot may read for himself and understand that everything he has heard spoken against the Apostolic See or the Catholic Church was groundless.
Book XIV, Letter 12
To Theodelinda, Queen of the Lombards.
Gregory to Queen Theodelinda.
The letters which you sent us a little time ago from the Genoese parts have made us partakers of your joy on account of our learning that by the favour of Almighty God a son has been given you, and, as is greatly to your Excellency's credit, has been received into the fellowship of the Catholic faith . Nor indeed was anything else to be supposed of your Christianity but that you would fortify him whom you have received by the gift of God with the aid of Catholic rectitude, so that our Redeemer might both acknowledge you as His familiar servant, and also bring up prosperously in His fear a new king for the nation of the Lombards. Wherefore we pray Almighty God both to keep you in the way of His commandments, and to cause our most excellent son, Adulouvald , to advance in His love, to the end that, as he is in this world great among men, so also he may be glorious for his good deeds before the eyes of our God.
Now as to what your Excellency has requested in your letter, that we should reply in full to what our most beloved son, the abbot Secundus has written , who could think of putting off his petition or your wishes, knowing how profitable they would be to many, did not sickness stand in the way? But so great an infirmity from gout has held us fast as to render us hardly able to rise, not only for dictating, but even for speaking, as also your ambassadors, the bearers of these presents, are aware, who, when they arrived, found us weak, and when they departed, left us in the utmost peril and danger of our life. But, if by the ordering of Almighty God I should recover, I will reply in full to all that he has written. I have, however, sent by the bearers of these presents the Synod that was held in the time of Justinian of pious memory, that my aforesaid most-beloved son may acknowledge on reading it that all that he had heard against the Apostolic See or the Catholic Church was false. For far be it from us to accept the views of any heretic whatever, or to deviate in any respect from the tome of our predecessor Leo, of holy memory; but we receive whatever has been defined by the four holy synods, and condemn whatever has been rejected by them.
Further, to our son the King Adolouvald we have taken thought to send some phylacteries; that is, a cross with wood of the holy cross of the Lord, and a lection of the holy Gospel enclosed in a Persian case. Also to my daughter, his sister, I send three rings, two of them with hyacinths, and one with an albula , which I request may be given them through you, that our charity towards them may be seasoned by your Excellency.
Furthermore, while paying you our duty of greeting with fatherly charity, we beg you to return thanks in our behalf to our most excellent son the King your consort for the peace that has been made, and to move his mind to peace, as you have been accustomed to do, in all ways for the future; that so, among your many good deeds, you may be able in the sight of God to find reward in an innocent people, which might have perished in offense.
The letters you sent us from Genoa have made us share in your joy. By the favor of Almighty God, a son has been given to you -- and, as is greatly to your Excellency's credit, he has been received into the fellowship of the Catholic faith [through baptism]. Nothing less was to be expected of your Christianity: that you would fortify the child God has given you with the armor of Catholic truth. Our Redeemer now acknowledges you as his devoted servant and will, I trust, raise up a new king for the nation of the Lombards in his holy fear.
I pray Almighty God to keep you in the way of his commandments and to cause our most excellent son Adulouvald [the newborn prince] to grow in his love, so that as he is great among men in this world, he may also be glorious before the eyes of God for his good deeds.
As for what your Excellency requested -- that I reply fully to what our most beloved son, the Abbot Secundus, has written -- who could think of refusing his petition or your wishes, knowing how profitable the answers would be to many? But illness stands in the way. I am so severely afflicted with gout that I can barely rise, not only for writing, but even for speaking -- as your ambassadors can confirm. They found me weak on arrival and left me in the utmost danger of my life.
If, by God's ordering, I recover, I will reply in full. In the meantime, I am sending through your envoys the records of the Synod held under the Emperor Justinian of pious memory, so that my most beloved son the Abbot may read for himself and understand that everything he has heard spoken against the Apostolic See or the Catholic Church was groundless.
Human translation - New Advent (NPNF / ANF series)
Latin / Greek Original
EPISTOLA XII. AB ALCYSONEM CORCYREUM EPISCOPUM.
Beati Donati corpus in Cassiopi castro recondi sinat, salva Ecclesi® sue jurizdictione.
Gregorius Alcysoni episcopo Coreyre,
Resipiscentibus ſratribus et ad salubre se const- lium convertentibus non est neganda benignitas , ne plus in episcoporum mentibus culpa videatur posse quam charitas. Venientem igitur ad nos Petrum, Ec- cesiz Euriz lectorem, cum scriptis fratris et coe-
muniat nunquam 8ibi in antefata Ecclesia vel castro, sub quolibet argumento , aliquam jurisdictionem vel privilegium tanquam proprius episcopus vindicare, ssed omne illic jus ac potestatem Ecclesiz tuz, quippe cujus est parochia, inviolabiliter custodire. Pariter quoque te, sicut idem frater noster peliit, - convenit respondere, ut tempore quo miserante Deo pace reddita ili ad propria fuerit revertendi licentia, antedictum venerabile corpus auferend] secum sine aliqua objectione fas habeat. Qua de re 4 ne pers0- nale esse videatur quod geritur, et inveniri possit unde recidiva rursus excitetur conltentio, etiam 8uc- | cessores vestri in hac promissione pro conservandis omnibus sunt per omnia complectendi, quatenus
piscopi nostri Joannis, coram responsalibus dile- g hnjusmodi przeveniente cautela, nec ille jbidem de
dum filium Agilulfi regis, 8c. anno 6035, quo. ſesti Paschalis dies ſuit septimo Idus Aprilis ; quo etiam mense Seplemb. cepit indictio septima : factaque est
, inquit,, mense nonv usque ad Kalend. Aprilis ,
cxtero sibi quidquam in diceces| tua contra zquita- tem et sacrorum canonum decreta praxgumat- defen- dere., et jus Eeclesize tuz ex hujusmodi concessions prejudicium aliquod nulla unquam ratione susti- neat *. (Vide sup. epp. 7 et 8.) |