The letter is unusually revealing about finance, interest, and episcopal conscience in Antioch. Source id I.17; Brooks page 63; source-facing English extracted by body markers from the Archive OCR text; source terminology repaired where required; original Syriac source-text backfill remains pending.
Severus tells Misael that when he became bishop, unworthily but by God's judgment or permission, he intended to govern spiritually. He had before him the apostolic command not to lay hands suddenly on anyone, and he wanted nothing to do with interest, lending schemes, or the very name of avarice. Scripture taught him that usury and guile corrupt a city, and he wanted the church's affairs to be free of them.
Experience made the problem harder. The church of Antioch was under a heavy load of debts and accumulated interest, and the distress was not imaginary. Severus describes a bishop trapped between sacred ideals and the financial wreckage he inherits. He does not use the pressure as an excuse to ordain carelessly or to accept unjust gains. Instead, he explains why some administrative actions had to be taken under severe necessity while still keeping the gospel and the canons before him.
The letter is a defense of intention and governance. Misael apparently needed reassurance about Severus' conduct, perhaps because debt and ordination decisions were being criticized. Severus answers by showing the conscience behind his choices: fear of God, fear of sharing in others' sins, and grief at the church's material condition. He wants Misael to see that spiritual rule does not mean ignoring money; it means handling money without letting money become the church's master.
For my part, when I was raised to this bishopric, unworthily indeed, but still by the judgment or per- ^ He. X. 28, 29. " Trpoot'/xtoi'. mission of God, I intended to manage my affairs in, a spiritual manner, and I had regard to the command- ments of the gospel and the apostolic statutes and commands. And in the matter of ordinations I thought of nothing but the awful text, the cause of great fear, that says, " Lay a hand suddenly on no man; neither be partaker of other men's sins; keep thyself in purity: " ^ and as to interest or the avaricious system of loans it was my desire not to know even the very name of them. For I listened to the singing prophet, who at one time says, "He giveth not his money upon interest," - and at another time again cries, " Interest and guile have not departed from her streets,"^ things which, if one may so say, are known even to those who are not versed in the sacred writings. But, when I had had experience of the distressful state of affairs, and had seen in what a pitiable and wretched condition the fortunes of our holy church were, and that a great load of debts and of interest was hanging over it and threatening to overwhelm it, I forgot the spiritual laws: and it now seems to me a great thing to find men to lend; and meanwhile I make use of the term ' interest ' as if it were some lawful name. But, as to ordinations, I no longer stand in awe of the strictness of the divine laws, nor will I in future allege this in excuse to those who beg or seek to ask for these: but, when I see the poverty on all sides, and that every year we are obliged to have some kind of 1 I Ti. V. 22, 23. ^ Ps. xiv. 5. 3 /^. liv. 12. collection in order to distribute among the devout clergymen whom we have the money for their support, I am afraid of the cecononii or stewards on account of the scantiness of our resources, and I publish the need up and down: though I should have alleged the strict- ness of the spiritual commandments. For those who worry me about this are very many: and each of them looks at his own request only, and does not know how many there are who desire to obtain the same things. And, as soon as one of them has been disappointed of his request or desire, he immediately becomes an enemy: there is no middle position. And hence springs implacable war: so that I should now, if it were possible, revolt even against this vain life itself. For all these men do not allow us to choose the good, and to carry out with circumspection the things that we wish, and content those who like you often give such commands in a pious spirit. Hence I have been compelled to cause annoyance to the glorious sacellar Eleutherius also, who has often thought fit to write to me about a certain person, sometimes personally, sometimes through those who manage my apokriseis. For I see that these presumptuous dogs seek a thing of this kind as if it were some quarry: so that, if they found a means of beginning, they would bark at me: while they do not consider the need that encompasses us, nor do they wait for the help of God, who Himself p- iz- alone is able to heal our church that is groaning under many wounds, and to change need into abundance. For it is He who says by the prophet, " Behold! it is 5 8. I who bring it healing and cure and I will cure it."^ Seeing that you know these things, you who are able to share our distress and are in character a lover of God, I beg you to offer a defence on our behalf based upon the facts themselves to those who are concerning themselves about anything of this kind. Especially satisfy the aforesaid glorious sacellar the lord Eleu- therius, and inform his excellency that what is being done is not due to haughtiness, but to necessity, and to distress. Out of shame I have never dared to communicate with him by letter on this subject: but through your mediation I have now made my defence to him. Nevertheless I will to the best of my power use any convenient opportunity, and will perform as far as possible what he has commanded. The ejtd. 513-8. 1
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Severus tells Misael that when he became bishop, unworthily but by God's judgment or permission, he intended to govern spiritually. He had before him the apostolic command not to lay hands suddenly on anyone, and he wanted nothing to do with interest, lending schemes, or the very name of avarice. Scripture taught him that usury and guile corrupt a city, and he wanted the church's affairs to be free of them.
Experience made the problem harder. The church of Antioch was under a heavy load of debts and accumulated interest, and the distress was not imaginary. Severus describes a bishop trapped between sacred ideals and the financial wreckage he inherits. He does not use the pressure as an excuse to ordain carelessly or to accept unjust gains. Instead, he explains why some administrative actions had to be taken under severe necessity while still keeping the gospel and the canons before him.
The letter is a defense of intention and governance. Misael apparently needed reassurance about Severus' conduct, perhaps because debt and ordination decisions were being criticized. Severus answers by showing the conscience behind his choices: fear of God, fear of sharing in others' sins, and grief at the church's material condition. He wants Misael to see that spiritual rule does not mean ignoring money; it means handling money without letting money become the church's master.
AI-assisted translation - This translation was produced with AI assistance and has not been peer-reviewed. See the 19th-century translation or original Latin/Greek below for scholarly use.
Latin / Greek Original
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