Letter 9006: The Jews who have come hither from your city have complained to us that Peter, who has been brought by the will of God from their superstition to the worship of Christian faith, having taken with him certain disorderly persons, on the day after his baptism, that is on the Lord's day of the very Paschal festival, with grave scandal and without yo...
Pope Gregory the Great→Januarius|c. 599 AD|Pope Gregory the Great|Human translated
diplomaticgrief deathimperial politics
Travel & mobility; Military conflict; Conversion/baptism
Gregory to Januarius, Bishop of Cagliari.
Jews who have come here from your city have complained to me that Peter -- who by God's will has been brought from their religion to the Christian faith -- gathered some disorderly people and, on the day after his baptism (the Lord's Day of the Paschal festival itself), seized their synagogue in Cagliari without your consent, causing grave scandal. He placed inside it an image of the Mother of our God and Lord, the venerable cross, and the white garment he had worn when he rose from the baptismal font. The letters of our sons, the glorious Master of Soldiers Eupaterius and the honorable governor, confirm the same account. They add that you had foreseen this and had warned Peter not to attempt it.
On hearing this, I entirely commended you -- for, as a truly good priest, you wanted nothing done that could give rise to justified criticism. Since your refusal to participate in these wrongdoings shows that you disapprove, I take both your will and your judgment into account and urge you to act as follows: remove the image and the cross with fitting reverence, and restore what was violently taken. For just as the law does not permit Jews to build new synagogues, so also it allows them to keep their existing ones without interference.
Should Peter or his accomplices claim they did this out of zeal for the faith -- to force the Jews into a position where they would have to convert -- they should be told that moderation is the better approach. We wish to bring the Jews to conversion by persuasion, reason, and gentleness -- not by force. Those who are drawn by sweet words and the preaching of the faith are far more likely to come to sincere conversion than those who are driven by fear. Anyone compelled against his will to accept baptism returns to his former unbelief all the more readily because he never truly assented. Therefore, your Brotherhood should use frequent preaching to kindle their desire for conversion, so that they may want to change the relationship they hold with God, not out of compulsion, but out of their own free choice.
Book IX, Letter 6
To Januarius, Bishop of Caralis (Cagliari).
Gregory to Januarius, etc.
The Jews who have come hither from your city have complained to us that Peter, who has been brought by the will of God from their superstition to the worship of Christian faith, having taken with him certain disorderly persons, on the day after his baptism, that is on the Lord's day of the very Paschal festival, with grave scandal and without your consent, had taken possession of their synagogue in Caralis, and placed there the image of the mother of our God and Lord, the venerable cross, and the white vestment (birrum) with which he had been clothed when he rose from the font. Concerning which thing also the letters of our sons, the glorious Magister militum Eupaterius, and the magnificent governor, pious in the Lord, concur in attesting the same. And they add also that this had been foreseen by you, and that the aforesaid Peter had been prohibited from venturing on it. On learning this we altogether commended you, since, as became a truly good priest, you wished nothing to be done whence just blame might arise. But, since by not having at all mixed yourself up in these wrong doings you show that what was done displeases you, we, considering the bent of your will in this matter, and still more your judgment, hereby exhort you that, having removed thence with fitting reverence the image and the cross, you should restore what has been violently taken away; seeing that, as legal enactment does not suffer Jews to erect new synagogues, so also it allows them to keep their old ones without disturbance. Lest, then, the above-named Peter, or others who have afforded him assistance or connivance in the wrongfulness of this disorderly proceeding, should reply that they had done it in zeal for the faith, in order that a necessity of being converted might thereby be imposed on the Jews, they should be admonished, and ought to know, that moderation should rather be used towards them; that so the will not to resist may be elicited from them, and not that they should be brought in against their will: for it is written, I will sacrifice to you willingly Psalm 58:8; and, Of my own will I will confess to him Psalm 27:7. Let, then, your Holiness, taking with you your sons who with you disapprove of these things, try to induce good feeling among the inhabitants of your city, since at this time especially, when there is alarm from the enemy, you ought not to have a divided people. But, being anxious with regard to ourselves no less than with regard to you, we think it right to give you to understand that when the present truce is over, the king Agilulph will not make peace with us . Whence it is necessary for your Fraternity to see to fortifying your city or other places more securely, and to give earnest attention to providing stores of provisions therein, that, when the enemy, with God incensed against him, shall come there, he may find no harm that he can do, but may retire discomfited. But we also take thought for you as far as we can, and press upon those whose concern it is that they should prepare themselves for resistance, since, as you regard our tribulations as yours, so we in like manner count your afflictions as our own.
Jews who have come here from your city have complained to me that Peter -- who by God's will has been brought from their religion to the Christian faith -- gathered some disorderly people and, on the day after his baptism (the Lord's Day of the Paschal festival itself), seized their synagogue in Cagliari without your consent, causing grave scandal. He placed inside it an image of the Mother of our God and Lord, the venerable cross, and the white garment he had worn when he rose from the baptismal font. The letters of our sons, the glorious Master of Soldiers Eupaterius and the honorable governor, confirm the same account. They add that you had foreseen this and had warned Peter not to attempt it.
On hearing this, I entirely commended you -- for, as a truly good priest, you wanted nothing done that could give rise to justified criticism. Since your refusal to participate in these wrongdoings shows that you disapprove, I take both your will and your judgment into account and urge you to act as follows: remove the image and the cross with fitting reverence, and restore what was violently taken. For just as the law does not permit Jews to build new synagogues, so also it allows them to keep their existing ones without interference.
Should Peter or his accomplices claim they did this out of zeal for the faith -- to force the Jews into a position where they would have to convert -- they should be told that moderation is the better approach. We wish to bring the Jews to conversion by persuasion, reason, and gentleness -- not by force. Those who are drawn by sweet words and the preaching of the faith are far more likely to come to sincere conversion than those who are driven by fear. Anyone compelled against his will to accept baptism returns to his former unbelief all the more readily because he never truly assented. Therefore, your Brotherhood should use frequent preaching to kindle their desire for conversion, so that they may want to change the relationship they hold with God, not out of compulsion, but out of their own free choice.
Human translation - New Advent (NPNF / ANF series)
Latin / Greek Original
Gregorius Januario episcopo Caralitano.
Quia ingredieatibus monasteri:m (Grat. 19, q. 5, c. 7). converiendi gratia * ulterius nulla sit tesL-ndi licentia, sed res eorum ejusdemn monaslerii juris
EPISTOLA VIIL. AD EPISCOPOS SARDINLE.
Paschalem denuntiationem , suscipiant ; nec absque illius licentia ex insula egre- diantur.