Letter 34: PEEAGIUS [PAPA] RUFINO to the bishop UIUONENSI.

Pelagius, Pope, to Rufinus, Bishop of Vibo. If the evangelical admonition does not permit anger to break out so far as a raging word, so that whoever has said "Raca" [a term of contempt] to his brother shall be liable to the fire of Gehenna [Cf. Matthew 5:22], with what punishment do we think he must be struck who not only struck with his fist, in his impiety, a man serving in the ministry of the Levitical office, but, as though the hand did not suffice for the slaughter, was carried away into anger at the devil's instigation in such a way that with a club he not only struck but even tore out his brother's eye? And although an excess of this kind ought to be punished with a more severe penalty, your Fraternity has nevertheless done well to remove him from the office of the presbyterate. Let this too be a matter of your solicitude, that you also appoint a place of penance, and that you shut him away in some monastery, granting him only lay communion. But in that man's place it is necessary for you to ordain another presbyter, for to him whose eye was torn out the rights of the priesthood cannot, according to the canons, be granted. For it profits him nothing that he lost his eye unwillingly, since no one is to be believed to have lost an eye willingly, nor do we find that the most sacred canons have exempted by their rules any chance loss of an eye [from disqualifying] one who would otherwise not be impeded from attaining the priesthood; but we see that this alone has sufficed for the prohibition in the eyes of the Fathers, namely that whoever lacks an eye cannot attain the office of the priesthood. But neither in any way, as though in compensation for the injury, can the consecrated order be granted to that man [the assailant] who was able to provoke his own priest to such great anger that both the one lost the office in which he was [serving], and the other forfeited the opportunity of his own advancement. [The remainder of the source text is an editor's summary of a separate letter, not part of this letter: Pelagius expressed great astonishment that Viator and Pancratius, unwilling to be separated from the unity of the Church, should ask him whether they ought to abstain from schismatic sacrifices. He explains to them how absurd this is. The reasons brought forward by Viator and Pancratius for excusing the schismatics are of no weight, and he admonishes them concerning the manner of conducting themselves toward Bishop Paulinus.]

PEEAGIUS [PAPA] RUFINO EPISCOPO UIUONENSI. Si euangelica, amnionitio iracundiam ne usque ad uerbum furentem cui...-5), Ei fol. figva-vb £3 fol. 70-70^, E^fol. 34^'^; F^ fol. 136^: (3: illi cui...-5), F, fol. 110^^, F 3 fol. 120^; 0, fol. 205-205^, 0^ fol. 196^^-196^; 0^^ fol. 115^^^; A fol. 323^, P, fol. 41, Pi fol. 27^^-28^; Q fol. 67^; S, fol. 66-66^, fol. 117^. C» C 4 , yiuon(en)si vel yuion(en)si C^: om. cet. euuangelica P Ps 2 admonitio O Q, amonitio P 3 ne] nec Gratianus Tit. Rufino episcopo Uiuonensi: P. EwArD, o. c., l. c., p. 544, n. 4, acriter invexit in A. Thiei., o. c., p. 613, n. 5, qui, Pelagio II litteras tribuens, Rufinum nostrum antistitem Vivonensem fecit. Re autem vera non adeo ratione destitutus A. Thiel erat, eo quod sedem praefatam Rufino adsignant Coli, in II libros et Caesaeaugustana: quae quidem P. Ewald igno¬ rasse videtur. Utrum recte, necne, eae coli, illud descripserint nomen me latet; parum autem probabile censeo, idem esse eruditioni auctorum coli, aut scribarum imputandum. Ceterum, si unus non fuit, coaetaneus simul Pelagio et Gregorio, ille Rufinus Vibonensis antistes, qui obiit a. 599 — quod nec certo potest improbari —, omnino possibile duco, quod duo diversi praesules eodem nomine Rufini insigniti, eidem sedi praefuissent. Pelagio I et Gregorio Magno pontificibus. (Cf. Gregorii Magni, Reg., VI, 38 [P. Ewai<d, MGH., Epp., t. I, p. 415]). In sede Ravennati, exempli ergo, diversi loannes (aa. c. 578-595; 606-612-613) successive sederunt; Nolae, duo Paulini unum post alium inveniuntur (aa. c. 409-431-442); Messanae, duo fortassis episcopi nomine Eucarpi vocati (aa. c. 500-560) sedem rexe¬ runt. Cf. adnotationes in titulum ep. 18, p. 53-54, et F. Lanzoni, o. c., p. 616. Leviter itaque emendandus videretur catalogus praesulum Vibonensium, prout suadet veri similis titulus epistulae huius, vel certe in annis ponti¬ ficatus Rufini. Quod adtinet ad priscam sedem Vivonensem, sive rectius Vibonensem, ad hodiernam Vibo Valentiam (Monteleone, Vibona), in Bru- PKI^AGII I PAPAE prosilire permittit, ut si racha fratri suo quis dixerit reus sit gehennae ignis, quali putamus poena plectendus est, qui non solum pugno impie percussit in leuitici hominem offidi ministerio seruientem, sed quasi non sufficeret ad cedem manus, ita instigante se diabolo raptus ad iram est, ut fuste non solum percuteret, sed et erueret oculum fratris? Et quamuis huiuscemodi excessus grauiori esset 2 poena plectendus, bene tamen fraternitas tua fecit ab officio eum praesbyterii remouere. Hoc tamen sollicitudinis tuae sit, ut locum etiam paenitentiae constituas, et in aliquo eum monasterio retru¬ das, laica tantummodo communione concessa. In loco autem 3 illius alium te necesse est ordinare praesbyterum, nam illi cui eru¬ tus oculus est non possunt iuxta canones sacerdotii iura concedi. 16 Neque enim aliquid ei prodest quod oculum inuitus amisit, cum nec 4 uolens quisquam oculum amisisse credendus est, nec sacratissi¬ mos canones aliquem casum in amissionem oculi [ei], qui ad sacer- gehenne Oje 4 igni Pj P^ quali] qua plectendum esse Gratian. 5 homin. in leuit. Gratian. in] om. Pg 6 sufficerent C 4 ita] ira ex ita Oj se instigante C instigantem Pj Sj 7 iram] B C Q: iracundiam 0 O^g P S et] B C^Q : om. C 3 C 4 0 Ojg P S eruet Og 8 huiusmodi P S 9-10 p(raes)bit(er)ii eum amouere B est oculus C, C 4 £4 posse O^g iuxta] B E F: contra C 0 P Q S sacerdo¬ tum C iura concedi sacerd. 0 Ojg P Q S 15 enim] om. Pg, add. ei P 3 ei] om. quod] qui C 4 oculum] post oculum ex oculus in Pj, oculus 0 * nec] iterat, in 0 , quisque P S amississe oculum Cg est] P £ P: sit C 0 Oig P Q S nec] et C sacratissimos] E F 0 Oigi sacratissimi (interpung. post est,^ B C E^ P Q S, ex sacratissimis P 3 17 amissionem] B E^ F 0 Q: amissione C £ Oig P S ei] om. C 0 Oi^PQS tiis, cf. F. Xanzoni, 0 . c., p. 343; 341-342; F. Russo, Vibona, inEnc. Cattol., t. XII, c. 1357. Consuli etiam possunt G. Isnardi-G. Gianeeei-N. Nico- EINI, Vibo Valentia, in Enc. Ital., t. XXXV, p. 288-289. 1. euangelica ammonitio: Cf. Mt., 5,22. 4. nec sacratissimos canones: Probabilis etiam, pro testimonio codd., videtur mendosa lectio nec sacratissimi canones. Ubi vero hoc expresse fuerit praescriptum me latet. Originem autem trahere videtur ex illis, quae in Lev., 21,17-23 mandantur. Traditionis ecclesiae, quae prohibet quo¬ minus corpore vitiati, aut qui se ipsos castraverunt ad sacros ordines acce¬ dant, testis est S. GeeasiuS I, Ep. episcopis per Lucaniam et Brutios et Siciliam constitutis, 2-3; 16-17; 19 (A. Thiee, 0 . c., p, 362; 371-372; Migne, PX. 59, c. 49 B; 50 A; 53 C-D; 54 B). Cf. etiam Gratianum, Decv., d.XV, 3-7 (Ae. Friedberg, 0 . c., c. 216-217) et X. GodeFroy, IrrigulariUs, DTC., t. VII, 2, c. 2538-2542; 2549-2551, ubi alia prostant et anteriora et posteriora huius traditionis testimonia. Cf. etiam potest G. OESTERE^, IrrigulariUs. Effets, DDC., t. VI, c. 53. dotium adipiscendum non impediret, suis excepisse regulis inue- nimus; sed hoc tantummodo ad prohibitionem suffecisse uidemus patribus, ut qui careret oculo sacerdotii officium adipisci non pos¬ sit. Sed nec illi ullatenus quasi in conpensationem iniuriae sa- 5 cratus ordo concedi poterit qui ad tantam sacerdotem proprium potuit iracundiam prouocare, ut et ille officium in quo erat amitte¬ ret, et iste prouectus sui perderet facultatem. concupiscendum Q non] om. Oig inpediret £4 19 ad] om. O Ojg prohibi¬ tum Oig, adhibitionem P, suffecisse] ex sufficere Q, sufedsse Ca 0*, fecisse £ F uidemur C 20 patribus] patres £„ om. E caret £ 0 sacerdotum Q adhipisci Pi non] om. C possit] post debet delet. it% Q' 21 compensat. Cg £1 £2 £3 £ 0 0,g P* S, compensatione Gratian. 22 ordo concedi] ordo conscedi C% C 4 , ordi condi £3 sacerdotum Pj P* proprium] om. £1 23 potuit] petiit £3 iracondiam £1 £* (cum sign. corr.) B et ille] ille [et om.] C 3 C 4 £4, illud [et om.] Oig, ille et Gratian. offi¬ cium] sacerdotium C amite- B C 4 , C^(?) 24 iste] ille B. PElvAGII I PAPAE Pelagius magnopere admiratus est, quod Viator et Pancratius, nolentes ab unitate Ecclesiae seiungi, interrogent eum, utrum a sacrificiis schismaticis abstinere debeant. Quam hoc absurdum sit eis exponit. Nullius momenti sunt rationes a Viatore et Panoratio adductae ad schismaticos excusandos, eosque monet de modo se gerendi erga epi¬ scopum Paulinum.