Letter 20: Copy of the Sacred Letter of the Emperor Anastasius Augustus to Pope Hormisdas.

Copy of the sacred letter of Anastasius Augustus to Pope Hormisdas, conveyed by the bishops Ennodius and Fortunatus, the presbyter Venantius, the deacon Vitalis, and the notary Hilarus. We render thanks to almighty God that your Holiness, instructed in heavenly disciplines, has, as we requested, dispatched as legates of the faith the venerable bishops Ennodius and Fortunatus, and likewise those religious men, the presbyter Venantius, the deacon Vitalis, and the notary Hilarus, such men as the loftiness of the cause demanded, men who can fulfill the magnitude of the business by the light of ecclesiastical discourse, and who, by the working of God, examining subtly all those things that pertain to the right and true faith of Christians, both themselves declared them as was fitting and acknowledged from us as was proper, since the Church of God is one, everywhere made firm by the apostolic teachings. Wherefore, who would dare to think otherwise concerning the incarnation of our Lord Jesus Christ than the truth itself holds, save to confess that the Son, equal and consubstantial with the Father, for the sake of our salvation, according to the annunciation of the archangel, taking flesh in the womb of the Virgin from that same Virgin, was made man and, as the Apostle says, in the form of a servant, that He might take up the cross for us in the flesh? Concerning whom the blessed Apostle Peter says to the Jews: "You demanded that the murderer be released to you, but the author of life you slew"; concerning whom it is also read in the Apostle Paul: "made obedient even unto death, and the death of the cross." For we confess that the Mother of God, the blessed Virgin Mary, in true flesh and in a rational and intelligible soul, bore for us God the Savior, who is homoousios [of one substance] with God the Father and the Holy Spirit before the ages; and we believe and affirm that the same one, also homoousios with us apart from our sins, was begotten at the end of times, as the prophet David says: "From my mother's womb you are my God." Yet our substance was thus assumed without any defect or confusion of our body, so that in that same flesh the Son of God may come to examine the world, presenting to the eyes of all the marks of His wounds and of the nails, as it is written: "And they shall look upon Him whom they pierced." Together with all the orthodox we likewise shun and abhor the most impious Nestorius and Eutyches, condemning and anathematizing both their persons and their dogmas, comparable to detestable sacrileges, men who either willed not to know the divine dispensation and the remedies of human infirmity, or, having known them, to blaspheme them. Such, therefore, regarding the faith, is the purpose of our Clemency, which the most high God instilled into our senses from the very beginning of our life, whence also we believe that our empire is preserved. But we wonder for what reason you wished to write to us anything about those most blessed Fathers who assembled at Chalcedon, since those things that were established by them are shown to have been confirmed by the manifold decrees of our predecessors; and since no other synod has been held by which those things that were ordained by it might be rendered void, nor has any law proceeded from us by whose novelty the statutes of the aforesaid episcopal council might be dissolved, especially since that same synod has declared that he ought to be anathema who should wish to teach or alter any other faith than that which the three hundred [and] eighteen venerable Fathers established at Nicaea. Moreover, those whom we comprehended above, that is Nestorius and Eutyches, they condemned, whom we also condemn. For on behalf of this cause the divine letters also bear witness to us, sent to Alexandria not once but many times, through which we rebuked them, asking why they did not consider that the direct teaching of the faith could suffice for them, withdrawing from the anathema of the Synod of Chalcedon or of Leo the bishop of venerable memory. Whence no small zeal and intention endures with us in the present also, in order that we may draw the same men away from the superfluous anathema and join them to the holy universal Church. But concerning the chapter that alone seems to remain outstanding, our will would perhaps have agreed to your petition for the sake of the unity of the churches, did we not believe that other scandals would be stirred up among the venerable churches by this matter. Now weigh all the things that must be done, for our Clemency judges it grievous that the living be expelled from a venerable church on account of the dead, nor do we know that those things which you write about this can be carried out without much shedding of human blood. Yet, hoping for all things from God, you will be able to take better counsel than from those men who, running through the provinces because of their errors, wish there to be discord, hostile to the holy Gospels and to the churches. Therefore, that the unity of the churches may be pleasing to the supreme Majesty, provide for it; for as to him who opposes us in these things which we have spoken above, we do not know whether he rightly reproves us. In all things, nevertheless, you will be able to recognize the purity of our will from the narration of your legates. And we ask that your Apostleship deign to pray for us: which we shall be able to recognize that you do with willing mind, especially by this consideration, if God has deigned to grant us the perfect unity of the churches, with you disposing it. For that voice of God commended and gave a great blessing to those who love Him, when it declared: "My peace I give to you, my peace I leave to you."

EXEMPLUM 8ACRAE ANASTA8II AUGUSTI HORMISDAE PAPAE. PER ENNODIUM ET FORTUNATUM EPISCOPOS UENANTIUM PRESBYTERUM 15 UITALEM DIACONUM ET HILARUM NOTARIUM. Gratias omnipotenti deo referimus, quod sanctitas uestra disciplinis caelestibus instituta, sicut poposcimus, legatos fidei Ennodium et Fortunatum uenerabiles episcopos sed etiam uiros religiosos Uenantium presbyterum Uitalem diaconum et Hila- 20 rum notarium, quales poscebat causae sublimitas, destinauit, qui negotii magnitudinem implere possint ecclesiastici luce sermonis quique operante deo omnia subtiliter requirentes, quae ad rectam et ueram Christianoiiim pertinent fidem, et ipsi sicut decuit declararunt et a nobis sicut oportuit agno- 1 Matth. 10, 22 1 qni inseruit o persisterit F, corr. o 4 adoracione F, corr. o 6 quam Car. tuo F, corr. o 8 tuum scripsi: tantum V 9 iurare F, corr. V man. rec. et o 10 potuerimus Car. 588 Anastasius Augastus Hormisdae uerunt, quia una est ecclesia dei apostolicis ubique firmata 2 doctrinis. unde quis audeat de domini nostri lesu Christi incarnatione aliter quam habet ueritas ipsa sentire, nisi ut confiteatur aequalem et consubstantialem patri filium salutis uostrae causa iuxta annuntiationem archangeli in utero uirginis & carnem ex eadem assumentem hominem factum et, sicut ait apostolus, in seruili forma, ut crucem pro nobis carne susciperet? de quo beatus Petrus apostolus ludaeis dicit: uos petistis uobis dimitti liirum homicidam, auo- torem uero uitae interfecistis; de quo etiam legitur lo in Paulo apostolo: factus oboediens usque ad mortem, 3 mortem autem crucis. confitemur enim, quod genetrix dei beata uirgo Maria in uera came et anima rationabili et intellegibili nobis deum peperit saluatorem, quem homousion deo patri et spiritui sancto ante saecula, eundem nobis quo- i^» que homousion praeter peccata nostra in fine temporum cre- dimus et probamus fuisse progenitum, sicut propheta Dauid 4 dicit: de uentre matris meae deus meus es tu. quae tamen ita sine defectu uel confusione nostri corporis est ad- sumpta nostra substantia. ut in eadem carne dei filius mundura «> examinaturus adueniat oculis omnium uulnerum et clauorum ndicia repraesentans, sicut scriptum est: et uidebunt, in 5 quem pupugerunt. cum omnibus etiam orthodoxis impiis- simos Nestorium atque Eutychetem uitamus pariter et horremus eorum condemnantes et anathematizantes et personas et dog- mata detestabilibus sacrilegiis comparanda, qui dispensationem diuinam et humanae remedia infirmitatis similiter aut nescire 6 uoluerunt aut cognita blasphemare. tale igitur circa fidem clementiae nostrae propositum summus deus ab exordio uitae sensibus nostris immisit, unde et imperium nostmm credimus «> 7 cf. Philipp. 2, 7 9 Act. 3, 14 sq. 11 Philipp. 2, 8 18 Psalm. 21, 11 22 loh. 19, 37 Epist. CXXV 2—11. 539 custodiri. miramur autem, quam ob rem de beatissimis 7 patribus, qui in Chalcedona conuenerunt, aliqua nobis scribere uoluistis, dum ea, quae ab his fuerant constituta, decessorum nostrorum nuiltiplicibus decretis confirmata monstranlur et 5 cum nec alia synodus facta fuerit, per quam, quae ab illa disposita sunt, redderentur infirma, nec lex a nobis processerit, cuius nouitate statuta praefati episcopalis concilii soluerentur, roaxime cum ipsa synodus dixerit anathema esse debere, qui* curaque aliam fidem, quam apud Nicaeam trecenti <decem> 10 et octo uenerabiles patres constituerunt, docere uel "immutare uoluerit. ad hoc etiam eos, quos superius comprehendimus, 8 id est Xestorium et Eutychetem, damnauerunt, quos nos quo- que damnamus. nam pro hac causa attestantur nobis etiam diuinae litterae ad Alexandriam non semel sed multotiens 15 destinatae, per quas obiurgauimus, cur sibi non arbitrarentur posse sufficere directam fidei doctrinara recedentes ab anathe- mate Chalcedonensis synodi uel uenerandae memoriae Leonis episcopi. unde non paruura studium apud nos et intentio 9 in praesenti quoque perdurat, quatenus a superfluo anathemate 20 eosdem possimus abstrahere et sanctae ecclesiae uniuersali coniungere. de capitulo uero, quod solum uidetur esse resi-io duum, nostra uoluntas petitioni uestrae fortasse propter uni- tatem ecclesiarum conuenerat, nisi alia uenerabilibus ecclesiis ex hac re moueri scandala crederemus. nunc uniuersa, quaen 25 sint facienda, perpendite, quia graue esse clementia nostra iudicat de ecclesia uenerabili propter mortuos uiuos expelli nec sine multa effusione humani sanguinis scimus posse ea, quae super hoc scribitis, ordinari. omnia tamen a deo spe- rantes consilium melius agere poteritis quam ab his horainibus, 30 qui propter errores suos prouincias percurrentes inimicam 540 Honnisda Anastasio Augusto 12euangeliis sanctis et ecclesiis uolunt esse discordian). ergo ut sit placens supernae maiestati ecclesiarum unitas prouidete, quia qui nobis in his, quae praefati sumus, obaistit, igno- ramus si bene nos arguit. per omnia tamen uoluntatis nostrae puritatem legatorum uestrorum poteritis narratione cognoscere. 13petimus autem, ut pro nobis apostolatus uester orare dignetur: quod uos libenti animo facere hac poterimus maxime ratione cognoscere, si perfectam nobis unitatem ecclesiarum dignatus fuerit deus uobis disponentibus condonare. illa enim uox dei magnam benedictionem diligentibus se mandauit atque donauit, qua declarauit: pacem meam do uobis, pacem meam dimitto uobis.