Letter 3: Paulinus and Therasia, sinners, to their lord, deservedly honorable and most blessed father Alypius.

To the lord deservedly worthy of honor and most blessed father Alypius, from Paulinus and Therasia, sinners. This is true charity, this is perfect love, which you have shown to be present in you toward our lowliness, lord truly holy and deservedly most blessed and to be longed for. For we received, through our man Julian returning from Carthage, a letter bringing to us so great a light of your holiness that we seemed not to be coming to know your charity, but to be recognizing it anew. This is plainly because that charity flowed forth from him who predestined us to himself from the origin of the world, in whom we were made before we were born, since he himself made us and not we ourselves, he who made the things that are to be. Formed therefore by his foreknowledge and his work into the likeness of wills and the unity of faith, or rather the faith of unity going before, we have been joined together in the knowledge born of charity, so that we knew one another by the revealing Spirit even before any bodily sight. And so we rejoice and we glory in the Lord, who, one and the same everywhere throughout the lands, works in his own people his love through the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out upon all flesh, gladdening his city with the rush of a river, among whose citizens he has deservedly placed you as chief, with the princes of his people, in the apostolic see, and willed that we too, whom he raised up when we were cast down and lifted up out of the earth when we were destitute, should be numbered in your lot. But rather we rejoice in this gift of the Lord, by which he set us within the dwelling of your heart and deigned to insinuate us so into your inmost affections that we may claim for ourselves a special confidence in your charity, called forth by these services and gifts, so that it is not permitted us to love you doubtfully or lightly. For we received the chief and distinguished mark of your love and care, the work composed in five books by the holy and perfect man in the Lord Christ, our brother Augustine, which we so admire and look up to that we believe the words to have been dictated by God. And so, with the confidence of your unanimity, which is to be looked up to by us, we have dared to write even to him himself, while we presume that we are excused to him through you on account of our inexperience and commended to charity, just as we are also commended to all the saints, by whose services, even in their absence, you have deigned to keep us safe, and whom, without doubt, you will tend with equal affection, so that through your holiness they may be greeted in turn by our acts of obedience, both those who are companions of your holiness among the clergy and those who are emulators of your faith and virtue in the monasteries. For even though among the peoples and over the people you guide the sheep of the Lord's pasture, a watchful shepherd at your anxious watches, nevertheless by your renunciation of the world and your rejection of flesh and blood you have made for yourself a desert, withdrawn from the many, called among the few. Indeed, by way of a substitute service of sorts, though in everything unequal to you, I provided, as you had commanded, that history of all the ages by the venerable bishop Eusebius of Constantinople [the Chronicle of Eusebius of Caesarea]. But in this there was a delay in complying, because, at your instruction, since I myself did not have this volume, I found it at Rome with our truly most holy kinsman Domnio, who without doubt obeyed me the more readily in this kindness, which I indicated was to be conveyed to you. Nevertheless, since you also deigned to make your whereabouts known to me, as you yourself advised, we have written to the venerable sharer of your crown, our father Aurelius, asking that, if you are now residing in the region of Hippo, he would deign to send to you there our letter and the parchment transcribed at Carthage. And this also we asked of the holy men whom we came to know by your own report, the index of their charity, namely Comes and Evodius, that they themselves should take care to write, lest the volume be too long lacking to its owner Domnio, and lest, once transmitted to you, it should remain with you without any need of returning it. But I ask this of you especially, since you have filled me, undeserving and unsuspecting, with a great love of you: that in return for this history of the ages you would render back to me the whole history of your holiness, so that you may set forth your lineage, from what home you were called by the Lord, called as so great a man; by what beginnings, set apart from your mother's womb, you passed over, having abjured the stock of flesh and blood, to the mother who rejoices in the offspring of the children of God; and how you were translated into a royal and priestly race. For as to what you indicated that you had already learned about our lowly name at Milan, when you were being initiated there, I confess that I wish all the more eagerly to learn it, so that I may know you in every part, that I may rejoice the more, if I was invited to the faith, or consecrated to the priesthood, by our father Ambrose, who is to be looked up to by me, so that we both may seem to have the same author. For I, even though I was baptized by Delphinus at Bordeaux, and consecrated by Lampius at Barcelona in Spain through the force of a people suddenly inflamed, was nevertheless always nourished by Ambrose, both in his love and toward the faith, and now I am cherished by him in the ordination of the priesthood. For at last he willed to claim me for his own clergy, so that, even though I dwell in various places, I should be reckoned his presbyter. But, lest you be ignorant of anything about me, you should know that I, a most ancient sinner, not so long ago drew forth from the darkness and shadow of death, drank in the breath of the vital air, and not so long ago set my hand to the plow and took up the cross of the Lord; and that we may be strong to carry it through to the end, we are helped by your prayers. This reward will be heaped up to your merits, if by your intervention you lighten our burdens. For the holy man, helping one who labors-since we do not dare to call him a brother-will be exalted like a great city. And you indeed are a city built upon a mountain, or a lamp kindled upon a candlestick, you who shine forth in sevenfold brightness; we lie hidden under the bushel of sinners. Visit us with your letters, bring us forth into the light in which you yourself move about, conspicuous upon the golden candlesticks. Your words will be a light to our paths, and with the oil of your lamp our head will be made fat, and our faith will be kindled, when from the breath of your mouth we have taken food for the mind and light for the soul. The peace and grace of God be with you, and may the crown of justice remain for you on that day, lord father deservedly most beloved, venerable and most longed for. The blessed companions and emulators of your holiness, our brothers in the Lord, if they think it worthy-both in the churches and in the monasteries at Carthage, Thagaste, the region of Hippo, and in all your parishes and in all the places known to you throughout Africa, who serve the Lord in the catholic way-we ask that they be greeted with much affection and obedience. If you have received that parchment of holy Domnio, you will deign to transcribe it and send it back to us. And this too I ask that you write to me: which hymn of mine you have recognized. We have sent to your holiness a single loaf, for the sake of the grace of unity, in which also the solidity of the Trinity is contained. You will make this loaf to be a eulogia [a blessed bread] by deigning to partake of it.

III. DOMINO MERITO HONORABILI ET BEATISSIMO PATRI ALVPIO PAVLINVS ET THERASIA PECCATORES. Haec est uera caritas, haec perfecta dilectio, quam tibi circa humilitatem nostram inesse docuisti, domine uere sancte et merito beatissime ac desiderabilis. accepimus enim per hominem nostrum Iulianum de Carthagine reuertentem litteras tantam nobis sanctitatis tuae lucem adferentes, ut nobis caritatem tuam non agnoscere, sed recognoscere uideremur. quia uidelicet ex illo, qui nos ab origine mundi praedestinauit sibi, caritas ista manauit, in quo facti sumus antequam nati, quia ipse fecit nos et non ipsi nos, qui fecit quae futura sunt. huius igitur praescientia et opere formati in similitudinem uoluntatum et unitatem fidei uel unitatis fidem praeueniente 15] (Eph. 1,4; I Pet. 1, 2). 16] Ps. 99, 3. 1 ut] et F 5 cognoscar] ualete add. FPU . — finit ad amandum IIII 0 CrFMPUycpRcyctfhcp . — XXIX paulinus et therasia ad alipium C, epfa s paulini ad s alipium epm VI. M, alypio paulinus P, epistola sCi paulini ad alippium epm. ubi ei gratias refert pro quinque libris augustini contra manicheos ex insperato sibi missis. ubi etiam mentionem facit quod librum de temporibus ab eusebio cesariensi dudum editum ei destinare curauerit U, epja paulini et therasiae ad alipium ayh, epta paulini ad alipium epm XVIIII <f, paulini et therasie ad alipium XVIIII f, incipit epf paulini et therasiae ad alypium XXXI. cp — 7 alipio rFfMRcth, alippio U 8 paulinus etherasia C 9 haec est Uh dilectio perfecta U 10 uere] et uere h 11 desiderantissime F, desideratissime PU 12 dede C cartagine rFYRcycth, carthachine C 13 offerentes FPU 14 cogno- scere FPUY 15 uidedicet tp1 praedistinauit Y sibi] si y 17 non om. U uentura f 18 praescientia om. ct f, praesentia y et] atque h farmam f 19 et] ac h uel unitatis fidem om. h, uoluntatis fidem Y praeuenientem c notitiam caritate conexi sumus, ut nos inuicem ante corporales conspectus reuelante spiritu nosceremus. gratulamur itaque et gloriamur in domino, qui unus atque idem ubique terrarum operatur in suis dilectionem suam spiritu sancto, quem super omnem carnem effudit, fluminis inpetu laetificans ciuitatem suam, in cuius te ciuibus principalem cum principibus populi sui sede apostolica merito conlocauit nosque etiam, quos erexit elisos et de terra inopes suscitauit, in uestra uoluit sorte numerari. sed magis gratulamur in eo domini munere, quo nos in pectoris tui habitatione constituit quoque ita uisceribus tuis insinuare dignatus est, ut peculiarem nobis caritatis tuae fiduciam uindicemus, his officiis atque muneribus prouocati, ut nos diffidenter aut leuiter te amare non liceat. Accepimus enim insigne praecipuum dilectionis et sollicitudinis tuae, opus sancti et perfecti in domino Christo uiri fratris nostri Augustini libris quinque confectum, quod ita miramur atque suspicimus, ut dictata diuinitus uerba credamus. itaque fiducia suspiciendae nobis unanimitatis tuae et ad ipsum scribere ausi sumus, dum nos illi per te et de inperitia 4] (Ioel. 2, 28). 5J (Ps. 45, 5). 6] (Ps. 112, 8). 7] (Ps. 145, 8. 112, 7). 1 notitia Cayifhtp quonexi Y simus cp corporales tp, teuaporales U 2 aspectus h, conspectui cp ireuelante r noceremus F, noscerimus Y, agnosceremus h 3 gloriamur] reuelamur U 4 in spiritu Y 5 effundit PUrlf, effudit et M effudit super omnem carnem h impetus CY letificat CMtp ciuitatem] dei add. U 6 principem a principalem cum principibus C 8. 1. m. 2 7 sede] sed c, sed de y apostolico c meritum FPU etia U, et P que FP 8 elisos Cy, allisos Yc inopes de terra M nunerari (nu ex mu corr.) Y 9 quos nos ins cpt 10 pecoris f, peccatores (ca eras., es in is corr.) rI quodque Yiftp* 11 inserere yh es f pepuliarem Y1, pecularem U tuae caritatis h 12 uendicemus M, uendicare ex uindicare h m. 2 prouocatur FP, prouocamur U, prouocati sumus f, ita sumus prouocati a 13 nos] non M non] nos M licetur y 14 et (ac h) praecipuum CMlhcp; pignus deesse susp. Sacch . 15 sancti] scilicet sup . sci exh. M Christo om. FPU 16 frs Y nostri om. FPUa agustini Y, et coepiscopi nostri a quinque libris M quod] et U 17 suscipimus FfPaytp1 diuinitus dictata M 18 itaque sic raff suspiciende CMYctp, suscipiendae cet . 19 per te] per F, parce f impertia c excusandos et ad caritatem commendandos praesumimus sicut et omnibus sanctis, quorum nos et absentium officiis sospitare dignatus es, pari procul dubio curaturus affectu, ut per sanctitatem tuam nostris inuicem salutentur obsequiis et in clero sanctitatis tuae comites et in monasteriis fidei ac uirtutis tuae aemulatores. nam etsi in populis ac super populum agas oues pascuae domini regens sollicitis uigil pastor excubiis, tamen abdicatione saeculi et repulsa carnis ac sanguinis desertum tibi ipse fecisti secretus a multis, uocatus in paucis. Sane uicario aliquatenus munere, licet omnia tibi inpar, ut iusseras, prouidi illam Eusebii uenerabilis episcopi Constantinopolitani de cunctis temporibus historiam. sed in hoc fuit obtemperandi mora, quod instructu tuo, quia ipse non haberem hunc codicem, Romae repperi apud parentem nostrum uere sanctissimum Domnionem, qui procul dubio promptius mihi paruit in hoc beneficio, quod tibi deferendum indicaui. uerumtamen quia et loca tua mihi significare dignatus es, ut ipse monuisti, ad uenerabilem socium coronae tuae, patrem nostrum Aurelium ita scripsimus, ut si nunc Hippone regio degeres, 6] (Ps. 99, 3). 1 et caritate Y presuminus f 3 ut per] incipit clJ fol. 7r 4 nostris] sanctis f salutantur qJ t obsequiis] officiis a clerum FPU 5 commites 4* in] im c tuae ac uirtutis h 6 etsi] si et YclJ ac] et FPU 7 eicubuis Y 8 obdicatione f ac] et h sanguinis] illecebra add. f deseram tibique y 9 ipsi fecisti f, fecisti ipse U a om. C in] a U 10 aliquatinus c omnia] per omnia Matp Col., omni f 11 ut ex et c m. 2 ut iusseras post temporibus l.12 exh. М, ut iusserat ip1 illum FPU eusebi Y constantipolitani 4*1, cesariensis U; adnot. in mg. clJ man. s. VIIII: miror si ñ eusebii chronica diem (at oblitteratum) 13 quod om. yh instructo YclJ, infructu raqJ, al infructu sup . instructu S m. 1, instinctu M, iussionis y, iussioni h tuae yh 14 habebam FPU non repperi f aput clJ, om. y parentem Y 15 uere om. M dom*nionem c (i eras.), comnionem f promtius Yy, promtuis C, promptus ratfffJ, prumtius clJ 16 tibi om. y iudicaui MUflqJ uerumptamen r, ueruntamen Sf 17 tua om. Y saficare r 9 ita om. c scribsimus clJ ippone r, ypone U, hyppone Y, jppone b, hippo y, hippona y regione FPUqJ dereges Y illo tibi litteras nostras et transcriptam Carthagine membranam mittere dignaretur. quod et sanctos uiros, quos indice caritatis ipsorum tuo sermone cognouimus, Comitem et Euodium rogauimus, ut scribere ipsi curarent, ne uel parenti Domnioni codex suus diutius deforet et tibi transmissus sine necessitate redhibendi maneret. Specialiter autem hoc a te peto, quoniam me inmerentem et inopinantem magno tui amore conplesti, ut pro hac historia temporum referas mihi omnem tuae sanctitatis historiam, ut qui genus, unde sis domo tanto uocatus a domino, quibus exordiis segregatus ab utero matris tuae ad matrem filiorum dei prole laetantem abiurata carnis et sanguinis stirpe transieris et in genus regale ac sacerdotale sis translatus edisseras. quod enim indicasti iam de humilitatis nostrae nomine apud Mediolanium te didicisse, cum illic initiareris, fateor curiosius me uelle condiscere, ut omni parte te nouerim, quo magis gratuler, si a suspiciendo mihi patre nostro Ambrosio uel ad fidem 10] Verg. Aen. VIII, 114. 13] (I Pet. 2, 9). 1 transscribtam ep, transcripta FPU, transcriptas M, transscripta c, transscribam <p\\ transscribendam Col . cartagine yep a C tf, Kartagine y h, cartaginem FPU, chartagine Jty, a carthagine M lnenbranam y, membrana FPUc, menbranas M 2 dignaretur mittere (mictere U) FPU quod et om. M, quod yh scs ф , sanctos autem M indice MYep, indicem FPU, indices lC α cy δ hc φ , iudices f 3 ipsorum] eorum M sermonem FPU rogamus Y 4 scribere ipsi yep, haec scribere ipsi rC MacSfhip Col., hanc ipsi scribere F, hanc scribere ipsi PU, exscribere ipsi Rosrr . curarint Y, curauerint ep dominioni y f 5 codex suus diutius yep, diutius suus codex M, diutius codex suus (tuus c) cd . diforet Y transmissum yep, transmisimus FPU 6 redibendi yepfhq>, rescribendi FPU 7 peto ut Mira. merentem f 8 complecti Y<f><pl ut om. M hac om. FPU 9 mihi om. Y sanctitatis tuae U, sanctitatis y ut] et a 10 que f sis om. Mh domu ep, douo f tanaI. tum Cy, quomodo M 12 aete M<p laetante yepcrh, lactantem f abiurate C carnis] caritatis r 13 geniis PU regalem FPU ac yeph, et Macip, om. cet . sacerdotalem FPU sis] qualiter sis M ediseras Y 14 humilitatis (li m. 2) tf mediolanium CFYepcy<p, mediolanum cet . 16 ex parte pyep te om. yep quanto FPU gratulor FPU 17 a] ab y, ausus cum C suscipiendo CUepacff( inuitatus es uel ad sacerdotium consecratus, ut eundem ambo habere uideamur auctorem. nam ego, etsi a Delphino Burdigalae baptizatus, a Lampio apud Barcilonem in Hispania per uim inflammatae subito plebis sacratus sim, tamen Ambrosii semper et dilectione ad fidem innutritus sum et nunc in sacerdotii ordinatione confoueor. denique suo me clero uoluit uindicare, ut, etsi diuersis locis degam, ipsius presbyter censear. Sed de me ne quid ignores, scias antiquissimum peccatorem non ita olim de tenebris et umbra mortis eductum spiritum aurae uitalis hausisse nec ita olim posuisse in aratro manum et crucem domini sustulisse, quam ut in finem perferre ualeamus orationibus tuis adiuuemur. accumulabitur haec meritis tuis merces, si interuentu tuo onera nostra releuaueris. sanctus enim laborantem adiuuans, quia fratrem non audemus dicere, exaltabitur sicut ciuitas magna. et tu quidem super montem aedificata ciuitas es uel accensa super candelabrum lucerna in septiformi claritate conluces; nos sub modio peccatorum delitescimus. uisita litteris tuis, profer in lucem, in qua ipse uersaris, super aurea candelabra conspicuus. eloquia tua lumen semitis nostris erunt et oleo lucernae tuae 9] (Ps. 106,14). 10] (Lue. 9, 62). 14] Prou. 18,19. 16] (Apoc. 1,13). 20J (Ps. 118, 105). 1 imitatus U, initiatus Y sacerdotum CY 2 uideamur habere jFPU ah doctorem a si Y delfino CUacytifhtp burdigalae «Pr, bure digale FPUYc, burdigalfa» <p, burdegalae cet . 3 batizatus U lambio (b ex p m. 2) caput cJ> barcillonem Tadf, barcinonam Mtp, barsalonem PU, barsolonem F *hispaniam (si uel s eras.) Y, hispaniam * atque in marg.: SCS paulinus baptizatus burdigalae a delphino consecratus barcinone a lampadio in presbyterio 4 inflamate U atque snbitae h tam F 5 pr . et om. h delectione f nutritus a c, ennutritus Y, enutritus (p* ordinatione FPUYac, ordine cet . 6 clero me Y uendicare uoluit Col . uendicare h 7 diueris 41, diuersi*s c locis locis U legam U censer c 8 scias] me add. h 9 olym YcJ> 10 ausisse UY«P, habuisse C olym YcJ> aratrum Ta 11 in om. Ucx fidem d proferre U 13 onera nostra om. c relauaueris y 16 ciuitas aedificata Col . 17 in] es in M septiforme FP, settiformi U, septinformi c claritati FPU collucens FPU nos om. fatif 18 delitiscimus Fy uiseta (e ex i) cJ>, uisita ergo M litteras y1 tuis Y\'ł\'h, tuis et cet . 19 ipse om. h 20 impinguetur r, inpiguabitur F UVllII. Paolini Nol. epistulae. 2 inpinguabitur caput nostrum et accendetur fides, cum de spiritu oris tui cibum mentis et lumen animae sumpserimus. . 6. Pax et gratia dei tecum et corona iustitiae tibi maneat in die illo, domine pater merito dilectissime uenerabilis et exoptatissime. benedictos sanctitatis tuae comites et aemulatores in domino fratres, si dignantur, nostros tam in ecclesiis quam in monasteriis Carthagini Thagastae Hippone regio et totis parochiis tuis atque omnibus cognitis tibi per Africam locis domino catholice seruientes multo affectu et obsequio salutari rogamus. si ipsam membranam sancti Domnionis acceperis, transcriptam nobis remittere dignaberis. et hoc rogo scribas mihi, quem hymnum meum agnoueris. panem unum sanctitati tuae unitatis gratia misimus, in quo etiam trinitatis soliditas continetur. hunc panem eulogiam esse tu facies dignatione sumendi.