Letter 24: Severus tells Theotecnus how bishops in the royal city handled Chalcedon, Second Syria, and the scandal at Tarsus.

Many varied reports have reached us from the royal city. Their sum is this: the bishops assembled there separated without agreement. Most of them, almost all except the Romans, were orthodox, but they were compelled to associate themselves with the situation prevailing in the royal city after the saintly bishops Eleusinius and Proclus fled for the time. Some claimed that they did not accept the impious synod at Chalcedon in its definition of faith, but only in its rejection of Eutyches and his doctrines. Your Christ-loving eloquence knows that this kind of maneuver belongs to heretics. Our pious king and the glorious Master of the Offices also wrote asking that the deprivation of the wicked no-bishops in Second Syria be annulled. I answered that, if they lawfully repent, the canons can receive them, provided the bishops who deposed them assemble and receive them canonically. As for the name of Nestorius being included among the martyrs' commemorations in Tarsus, which rightly scandalized you, I have written fittingly to Bishop Dionysius. I received your gift of a woolen shoe, and I prayed that you receive a reward from above, since you mixed material help with spiritual healing.

The things that have been indicated or announced to us from the royal city are many and various. But the sum of them is this. The bishops who assembled there have separated without coming to an agreement, since the majority of them or, if one may so say, all p- 93- except the Romans, were found to be orthodox, but were obliged to associate themselves with the state of affairs ^ prevailing in the royal city, the saintly bishops Eleusinius and Proclus having for the time run away. Some said that the object of their endeavours was not to accept the impious synod that assembled at ^ Cf. pp. 25, 80. " KaTacrracri?. Chalcedon in respect of the definition of faith but " in respect of the rejection of Eutyches and of his doc- trines."^ But that this endeavour or trick is the action of heretics your Christ-loving eloquence also is not unaware. But there is yet another thing which it is right that you should know: that is that our pious king and the o-lorious Master of the Offices wrote to my meanness by Leontius the illustrious magistrian ^ who is called Tapitoleon to ask that the deprivation of those no-bishops and wicked men in Second Syria might be annulled. And I wrote in answer to this, " Since this is your pleasure, if they lawfully repent, the intention of the canons receives them, provided all the bishops who deposed them assemble together and canonically receive them." It is enough to say p- 94 this much as in a letter and in a few words. For I forbear to say that a certain defence of the definition of the men who assembled at Chalcedon was also con- tained in the pious letter: against which again we further argued without any harsh speech, advancing the words of truth in opposition to the plausible pretexts there put together. Regarding the name of Nestorius, which has been included among the com- memorations of the martyrs in the metropolis of the Tarsians, and has rightly scandalized you, we have written to the God-loving bishop Dionysius such things as are fitting and proper, and our words have no doubt come to the knowledge of your God-loving ' Cf. p. 5- ^ Cf. p. 73- intelligence. The present of a shoe woven of wool I have received, and as a sinner I have prayed that a reward for it may be given you from above, you who do well in mingling spiritual healing with material. For the gift is material: but the fact of the affectionate thought is spiritual, and therefore a thing that contains in it comfort for soul and body