Letter 185: Part of the papal correspondence surrounding the Acacian Schism (484-519), the major breach between Rome and...

[Editorial heading:] Report of the legates named above, to Hormisdas. Constantinople, the year 519. They ask that he grant, on behalf of Justinian the count for the basilica of the holy apostles, relics of Saints Peter and Paul, from the chains of the holy apostles and from the gridiron of Saint Lawrence. Your son, the magnificent man Justinian, performing deeds befitting the faith [...] [editorial note: the words "Magnopere" removed here; by this expression the eagerness of the monks is indicated.] [Letter body, year 519:] ...making for himself a basilica of the holy apostles, in which he desires that there also be relics of the blessed martyr Lawrence, he has established; he hopes, through our equity, that you will swiftly grant the relics of the aforesaid saints. The petition of the aforesaid man was indeed made according to the custom of the Greeks; and we, on the contrary, set forth the custom of the apostolic see. He accepted the explanation. And because such is the fervor of his faith, who deserves whatever he shall have requested of the apostolic see, and such is he who hopes, whence both the salvation of his soul and his disposition of faith may increase, it is fitting not to deny the things requested to such desires. Therefore, if it also seems good to your beatitude, command that the sanctuaries [relics] of the blessed apostles Peter and Paul be granted to him according to custom; and if it can be done, to lower those sanctuaries [relics] down to the second grating, it is for you to decide. He also asks about the chains of the holy apostles, if it is possible, and about the gridiron of the blessed martyr Lawrence. These are the desires of the aforesaid man: in this his faith has been kindled. On account of this, into your city he has sent the respectable man Eulogius the magistrian, judging that this would satisfy him, if from that same source, from which throughout all the earth the sanctuaries [relics] of the apostles have been given, he too might deserve to receive relics from there. And you do well to commend the ecclesiastical cause greatly, under the witness of God, to such a man, whose sincerity and integrity concerning the catholic religion is known to all men. Hence they wished to make and to send little silver caskets; but afterward they considered that this too should be received from your see by way of blessing. We suggest, nevertheless, that individual caskets ought to be made for the relics of each of the individual apostles. Given on the fourteenth day before the Kalends of July, at Constantinople.

seu Suggestio legatoriim, qui supra, ad Hormisdam. ci. 5i9 d. tiO Juu. l/i Justiniano comiti pro basHica sanctorum npostolorum reliquias ss. Petri ei " ' Pauliy de catenis ss, aposlolorum ac de craticida s. Laureniii concedal, petunt. Filius vester maguificus vir Justinianus, res convenientes fidei ') b cc remov. Magnopere. Hac voce monachorum festinatio indicatur. *•) Nota, quo pacto etiam apud Romanos paulatim obtineat usus quatuor nodos praedicandi. ") Supple novandi. Quocirca non placet, qnod Baronius ad marg. annotavit fittiw, quasi voci initium haec praeferenda esset. Paulo anto et infra dominus tsier intelligenduB eet Hormisda. *") Hos sexaginta annos non ab eo numerat, quo Eutychcs haeresim suam [eri coepit, sed ab obitu Marciaui, qui in annum 458 incidit. Tmic enim Eu- chetis Dioscorique discipuli ac nominatim Timotheus Aelurus ct Petrus Mon- 18, cuncta sibi licere arbitrati, episcopum suum Proterium crudeli morte peri- ere i])30 anno ausi sunt. ^') Ita G*j ed. vindicare pro tal. reb. et contra ... susp. sunt. a. 510. suae faeiens^ basilicam sanctorum apostolorum; in qua desiderat et beati Laurentii martyris reliquias esse, constituit; s{)erat per parri- tatem nostram, ut praedictorum sanctorum reliquias celeriter cou- cedatis. llabuit quidem petitio praedicti viri secundum morem Grae- corum ; et nos contra ^) consuetudinem sedis apostolicae exposuimus. Accepit rationem. Et quia talis est fervor fidei ejus, qui meretur quidquid de apostolica sede depoposcerit, et talis est qui sperat, imde et salus animae et fidei aifectus accrescat, talibus desideriis postulata competit non negare. Unde si et beatitudini vestrae vide- tur, sanctuaria beatorum apostolorum Petri et Pauli secundom mo- rem ei largiri praecipite; et si fieri potest ad secundam cataractam ipsa sanctuaria^) deponere, vestrum est deliberare. Petit et de catenis^) siinctorum apostolormu, si possibile est, et de craticula beati Laurentii martyris. Ista sunt desideria praedicti viri: in hoc 77 *) II. e. : ct nos Graoconim morcm, quo sanctoram ossa contrectare ac dis- trahere solent, apostolicae sedis consuetudini contrarium esse cxposaimus, ille vero rationibus noBtris cessit. Utriunque autem consuetudinem Gregorius lib. 4 Indict. 12 epist. 30 ad Constantinam Augustam explicat his verbis: Cognotcat irunqHiUissima domina, quia Romanis consuetudo non est, quando sanctorum reHqtdas dattt, ut quidquam praesumant tangere dc corpore: sed tantummodo in pyxide bran- deum mittitur, atque ad saa'atissima corpora poniiur, Quod levatum in ecclesia, quae esi dedicanda, debita cum veneratione recondiiur, et tantae per hoc ibidem virtutfs fiuni, ac si illuc eorum corpora deferantur ... In Homatns namque vel totius Ocri- dentis pariibus omnino intolerabile est atque sacrilegum, si sanctorum corpora tan- gere quisquam fortasse voluerit, Quod si praesumpserit^ certum est, quia kaee teme- ritas impunita nullo modo remanebit. Pro qua re de Graecorum consuetudine , qtd ossa levare sanciorum se asserunt, vehementer miramur et vix credimus, EPISTOLAE 77. 78. 875 fides ipsius est incitata. Propter hoc in urbem vestram virum spe- a. 519. ctabilem Eulogium magistrianimi direxit, hoc sibi satisfacere judi- cans^ si de ipso fonte, de quo per omnem terram sanctuaria aposto- lorum sunt data, inde et ipse reliquias suscipere mereatur. Et bene facitis causam ecclesiasticam magnopere in contestatione Dei tali homini commendare, cujus sinceritas et integritas circa religionem catholicam nota est omnibus hominibus. Hinc*) voluerunt capsellas argenteas facere et dirigere; sed postea cogitavenmt, ut hoc quoque a vestra sede pro benedictione suscipiat. Singulas tamen capsellas per singulorum^) apostolorum reliquias fieri debere suggerimus. Data lU Calendas JuKas Constantinopoli.