Letters 55
55 A Series of Letters PL 54, 857
Letters LV. to LVIII.
A series of Letters.
(1) From Valentinian the Emperor to Theodosius Augustus.
(2) From Galla Placidia Augusta to Theodosius Augustus.
(3) From Licinia Eudoxia Augusta to Theodosius Augustus.
(4) From Galla Placidia Augusta to Pulcheria Augusta, all graphically describing how Leo had appealed to them in public to press his suit with Theodosius. Of these, LVI. is subjoined as perhaps the most interesting specimen.
Letter LVI.
(From Galla Placidia Augusta to Theodosius).
To the Lord Theodosius, Conqueror and Emperor, her ever august son, Galla Placidia, most pious and prosperous, perpetual Augusta and mother.
When on our very arrival in the ancient city, we were engaged in paying our devotion to the most blessed Apostle Peter, at the martyr’s very altar, the most reverend Bishop Leo waiting behind awhile after the service uttered laments over the catholic Faith to us, and taking to witness the chief of the Apostles himself likewise, whom we had just approached, and surrounded by a number of bishops whom he had brought together from numerous cities in Italy by the authority and dignity of his position, adding also tears to his words, called upon us to join our moans to his own. For no slight harm has arisen from those occurrences, whereby the standard of the catholic Faith so long guarded since the days of our most Divine father Constantine, who was the first in the palace to stand out as a Christian, has been recently disturbed by the assumption of one man, who in the synod held at Ephesus is alleged to have rather stirred up hatred and contention, intimidating by the presence of soldiers, Flavianus, the bishop of Constantinople, because he had sent an appeal to the Apostolic See, and to all the bishops of these parts by the hands of those who had been deputed to attend the Synod by the most reverend Bishop of Rome, who have been always wont so to attend, most sacred Lord and Son and adored King, in accordance with the provisions of the Nicene Synod. For this cause we pray your clemency to oppose such disturbances with the Truth, and to order the Faith of the catholic religion to be preserved without spot, in order that according to the standard and decision of the Apostolic See, which we likewise revere as pre-eminent, Flavianus may remain altogether uninjured in his priestly office, and the matter be referred to the Synod of the Apostolic See, wherein assuredly he first adorned the primacy, who was deemed worthy to receive the keys of heaven: for it becomes us in all things to maintain the respect due to this great city, which is the mistress of all the earth; and this too we must most carefully provide that what in former times our house guarded seem not in our day to be infringed, and that by the present example schisms be not advanced either between the bishops or the most holy churches.
962 Domino meo THEODOSIO, gloriosissimo, victori et triumphatori, perpetuo imperatori et patri, VALENTINIANUS gloriosus, victor ac triumphator semper Augustus et filius.
Cum advenissem in urbem Romam ad Divinitatem placandam, sequenti die ad basilicam apostoli Petri processi, et illic post venerabilem noctem diei apostoli, et a Romano episcopo, et ab aliis cum eo ex diversis provinciis congregatis rogatus sum scribere vestrae mansuetudini de fide, quae cum sit conservatrix omnium fidelium animarum, dicitur perturbata: quam nos a nostris majoribus traditam, debemus cum omni competenti devotione defendere, et dignitatem propriae venerationis beato apostolo Petro intemeratam et in nostris temporibus conservare: quatenus beatissimus Romanae civitatis episcopus, cui principatum sacerdotii super omnes antiquitas contulit, locum habeat ac facultatem de fide et sacerdotibus judicare, domine sacratissime pater, et venerabilis imperator. Hac enim gratia secundum solemnitatem conciliorum et Constantinopolitanus episcopus eum per libellos appellavit, propter contentionem quae orta est de fide. Huic itaque postulanti et conjuranti salutem nostram communem annuere 964 non negavi, quatenus ad tuam mansuetudinem meam petitionem ingererem, ut praedictus sacerdos congregatis ex omni orbe etiam reliquis sacerdotibus intra Italiam, omni praejudicio submoto, a principio omnem causam quae vertitur, sollicita probatione cognoscens, sententiam ferat, quam fides et ratio verae Divinitatis expostulat. Non debet enim nostris temporibus contra religionem turbarum petulantia praevalere, dum incommota fides hactenus fuerit conservata. Ad perfectiorem vero agnitionem vestrae divinitatis, direximus etiam gesta per quae et desideria et exclamationes omnium pietas vestra cognoscat.
961 Θῷ δεσπότῃ Θεοδοσίῳ, ἐνδόξῳ, νικητῇ, καὶ τροπαιούχῳ, αἰωνίῳ Βασιλεῖ, καὶ πατρὶ, νικητὴς Οὐαλεντινιανὸς, ἔνδοξος, τροπαιοῦχος, ἀεὶ βασιλεὺς, καὶ υἱός.
Παραγενομένου μου ἐν τῇ πόλει Ῥώμῃ ἐξευμενίσασθαι τὸ θεῖον, τῇ ἐπιούσῃ ἡμέρᾳ ἐν τῷ εὐκτηρίῳ τοῦ ἀποστόλου Πέτρου προῆλθον· κᾀκεῖσε μετὰ τὴν σεβάσμιον νύκτα τῆς ἡμέρας τοῦ ἀποστόλου, ὑπό τε τοῦ Ῥώμης ἐπισκόπου, ὑπό τε ἑτέρων αὐτῷ ἅμα ὲκ διαφόρων ἐπαρχιῶν συνηγμένων, ἡξιώθην γράψαι πρὼς τὴν σὴν ἡμερότητα περὶ τῇς πίστεως· ἥ τις φύλαξ ὑπάρχουσα πασῶν τῶν πιστευουσῶν ψυχῶν, λέγεται τεταράχθαι· ἣν ἡμεῖς ἀπὸ τῶν προγόνων παραδοθεῖσαν, ὀφείλομεν μετὰ τῆς προσηκούσης καθοσιώσεως ἐκδικεῖν, καὶ τῆς ἰδίας εὐλαβείας τήν ἀξίαν τῷ μακαρίῳ ἀποστώλῳ Πέτρῳ ἄτρωτον καὶ ἐν τοῖς ἡμετέροις χρόνοις διαφυλάττειν· ἴνα ὁ μακαριώτατος ἐπισκοπος τῆς Ῥωμαίων πόλεως, ᾧ τὴν ἱερωσύνην κατὰ πάντων ἡ ἀρχαιότης παρέσχε, χώραν καὶ εὐπορίαν ἔχειν περί τε πίστεως καὶ ιἑρέων κρίνειν, δέσποτα ἁγιώτατε πάτερ, καὶ σεβάσμιε βασιλεῦ. Τούτων γὰρ χάριν κατὰ τὸ ἔθος τῶν συνόδων καὶ ὁ τῆς Κωνσταντινουπόλεως ἐπίσκοπος αὐτὸν ἐπεκαλέσατο διὰ λιβέλλου, ἕνεκα τῆς ἀνακυψάσης φιλονεικίας περὶ τῆς πίστεως. Τοῦτο οὖν αἰτοῦντι, καὶ ἐνευχομένῳ τὴν κοινὴν σωτηρίαν ἡμῶν, ἐπινεῦσαι 963 οὐκ ἠρνησάμην τὸ πρὸς τὴν σὴν ἡμερότητα τὴν ἐμὴν αἴτησιν οἰκειῶσαι· ἵνα ὁ προλεχθεὶς ἰερεὺς, συναχθέντων ἐκ πάσης τῆς οἰκουμένης καγ τῶν λοιπῶν ἱερέων, ἐντὸς τῆς Ἰταλίας, παντὸς προκρίματος ἀποκινηθέντος, ἐξ ὑπαρχῆς τὴν στρεφομένην αἰτίαν πεφροντισμένῃ δοκιμασίᾳ διαγνοὺς, ἐξοίσῃ τὴν ἀπόφασιν, ἣν ἡ πίστις, καὶ ὁ τῆς ἀληθοῦς θειότητος λόγος ἀπαιτεῖ. Οὐ γὰρ ὀφείλει ἐν τοῖς ἡμετέροις καιροῖς καινότης θρησκείας εἰσάγεσθαι θορύβῳ προπετείας, ἁσαλεύτου τῆς πίστεως μέχρις ὧδε διαφυλαχθείσης. Πρὸς δὲ τελείαν διδασκαλίαν τῆς σῆς θειότητος ἀπεστείλαμεν καὶ τὰ πεπραγμένα· δι' ὧν καὶ τὰς ἐπιθυμίας, καὶ τὰς ἐκβοήσεις πάντων, ἡ ὑμετέρα εὐσέβεια καταμάθοι.