Letter 9038: I want to remind you that I have already addressed this matter with Bishop Victor directly: the synagogues of...

Some time ago we wrote to Victor, our brother and fellow bishop, that, since certain of the Jews, by a petition presented to us, had complained that synagogues situated in the city of Panormus [Palermo], together with their guest-houses, had been unreasonably seized by him, he should, until it could be ascertained whether the deed had been done justly, hold back from their consecration, lest perchance the prejudgment should appear to rest upon their will alone. And indeed regard for his priestly office does not readily permit us to believe that our aforesaid brother acted in any unfitting manner. But because, on the report of Salerius, our notary, who was afterward found present there, we have learned that there existed no cause for which they could reasonably have been seized, and that they were consecrated rashly and without consideration, we therefore enjoin upon your experience that, since what has once been consecrated cannot lawfully be restored again to the Jews, it shall be your care that, to the extent that the synagogues themselves, together with those guest-houses which are under them or adjoin their walls and the gardens joined to them there, shall be appraised by the sons, the glorious patrician Venantius and Urbicus the abbot, our aforesaid brother and fellow bishop ought to pay the price; so that both what he caused to be seized may be able to remain in the right of his own church, and they may in no way appear to be oppressed or to suffer any injustice. As for the codices [manuscript books] or the ornaments likewise carried off, let inquiry be made; if they were manifestly taken away, we wish these too to be restored without any ambiguity, because, just as they ought not to have license to do anything in their synagogues, or, as we ourselves wrote before, beyond what has been decreed by law, so neither prejudice nor any loss ought to be inflicted upon them contrary to justice and the order of equity. [A long passage of garbled editorial apparatus, variant readings, and partial OCR fragments of separate letters follows here in the source and is not legible enough to translate: ...]

Ante aliquantum tempus Yictori fratri et coepiscopo nostro scripsimus', ut, quo- niam quidam' ludaeorum data nobis petitione questi fuerunt synagogas in civitate Pa- normitana positas cum hospitiis suis fuisse ab eo inratioaabiliter occupatas'', quousque causa, utrum^ iuste factum esset*', potuisset agnoaci, ab eamm se consecratione* suspen- deret, ne forte in eomm soia voluntate versari praeiudicium' videretur. Et quidem nos praedictum fratrem nostrum incongnie' aliquid egisse sacerdotii eius respectus facile credere non penniBit. Sed quia Salerio" notario nostro^, qui postea illic praesens in- ventuB eat, renuntiaate comperimuB nullam extitiase causam, pro qua potuisaent ratio- nabiliter occupari, atque eas esse inconaulte ac temere conaecrataa, idcirco experiendae tuae praecipimus, ut, quia quod semeP consecratum est ludaeis non valet ultro reatitui, quantum a fiiiis glorioso Venantio patricio' et Urbico^ abbate*, synagogae ipsae cum bia' bospitiis quae sub ipais sunt" vel earum pariedbuB" cohaerent atque hortiB ibi coniunctis aestimatae fuerint, studJi tui sit, ut praefatus frater et coepiecopus □OBter dare pretium debeat, quatenus et quod° occupari fecit, in iure» eccleeiae ipsius valflat pennanere'' et illi opprimi' aut aliquam pati miuBtitiam nullo modo videantur. Codices vero vel omamenta pariter ablata quaemntur; si manifeste tulta' sunt, et ipsa* sine aliqua volumus ambiguitate reslitui, quia", sicut illis quicquam in aynagogie suia facere et, ut ipsi prius scripBimuB, ultra, quam lege decretum est, non debet esae > liceotia, ita eis contra iustitiam et aequitatis ordinem nec praeiudicium nec aliquod* debet inferri" dispendium. *•) lUi om., td ruppl. m. 3. C. 3. «) opere C 1. 2. IX, 38. ■) qni iun C 1.2.3; haec nerba om. tl hie adi.: sicut qneiti fuarnnt (om. dftta — rDeruntJ C4. <>) occopftMu Cl.3.3; Kgnovunus add. C4. ») mn Va^. A. <<) f. eese Cl.2.3: ritctu OMet C4. ') congregatione codd. n. ^) iadioiam Vat. A. 8) in congregKUone C4. '■) solerio C3. '} lemel <m. Vat.A. k) Urbicio Cl.a.S. >) ipue cuiua C1.2. n)BunttHn. C 1.2.8; nit C4. ■>) pdrentibiia C. ») hoc Vat.A. P) iui Val. A. •*) ita Cl.4; pervenlre C'2,- proTeoire Val A. ') optimi Cl.2.8, ttd eorr. C3 m. 2; illi o. «ut om. C4. •) ilulU C3. *) ipao C3. ") qui Cl. ») «liquo Cl. 3, ") iDferre C 1. 2. 3. IX, 38. Hatc et tequentai tpistulat una eerte nari, ned per direnm latore* Wansmiimat mnt. — De Frmtino, rectote patrimonii Panormitani, ef. ep. III, 55 n. IV, 43 n. 1) Ep. Vllt, 25. 2) lie Saierio tf. ep. IX, 21 n. L 3) De Yenantio cf. I, 33 n. VI, 40 n. 4) De Urbieo cf. ep. IX, 20 n. ,GoogIe Gregoritis I. sentium latricem, Codd. C: cap. Edd. M: lAb. GK lanuaria pr Bonifatio •■ contra rimos annos assei eos sc eccleeiasti se revocet eosqu contra Bupraacript ot, qunc inter co voro eoB differre ot oam contra ra (iri-g&riua I. fhm>re.m, ut Tatm Ktt, chiroyraphum (liiild. (!: cap. WW. M: JAh. Indicavit ! uliaN ('undiduni d tTcditii iiuum ilcil Holum iipuil No pr MtippliciiMtl luduni oKpnriHiiLiiiK tuiii rniipiirnrit'', dinlr tii)iiiiiii pniiuliirLl llllC d(l CUUMIt l|U<! ■•J lllll tll. •1 •Ii.Imi rmU. ti. ') IIIB ""> imli-lH ■M '• ■'/ niii.ili.li /y. 1,1 ll> lllH. VU: 1 •M» 'IHI ■) f-ld. "y ' 1 ri ', ., /,V. .■III. , l'l , /v, 4'l , r/ , '/■ ' ■I' is. ,GoogIe iX, 41. Gregorius I. papa Felicem in Sicilia de suis ad lohannem, episcopum Syracttsanum, litteris erudit monetgue, ne consiituendo iudicio de possessionibtts ei, ut gueritur, iniuste a &fracu3anis actoribm ablaiia difficuitates afferat. 598, Oct. Codd. R et ^: Indic^ I. II. eap. 46; C: cap. 99. Edd. M: 1*6. JX ep. 14; O: Ub. VII md. II ep. lOi. — laffe Reg. IB6B (sm). GREGORIUS PELICI SICILIAE. ^usceptis magnitudinie Testrae epistolis contriststi sumua, quod ab actoribus* ec- clesiae Syracusanae *" quasdam " pOBseeeiones ', quas tos tenuisse dicitlB, occupatas ^ in- rationabiliter indicastis*. Sed credimus, quia hoc ad fratris et coepiscopi nostri lo- hannnis" Dotitiam non pervenlt^; nam abeolute poterat cognita veritate, si quid inlicite factum flBt, emendare. Et ideo quia'' legali provisione decretum est tam momenti" quam proprietatis caasam^ in uno eodemque iudicio debere' cogDosci nec nos contra inauditam partem*" aliqnid posBumue definire, praedicto Iratri nostro Bcripsimus, ut acto- res" ecclesiae auae depatare debeat, qui vobiscum sine mora electomm possinf* subire iudicium, ne aut vos res vestraa sine cognitione, sicut querellam facitis, amittere» aut parB altera videatur praeiudicium ^ susdnere. Oloria ei^o vestra nullas' in eligendos* iudiceB* difficultates" interBerat aut differat* ad causam sccedere. Nam omnino de auprascripti* fratris et coepiscopi nostri' moribus certi sumuB, quia facere, quicquid rationia ordo exegerit, non recuset.