A letter from John VIII, pope (876, November 16)

Translated letter:

Bishop John To Empress Richild With how much love our most pious spiritual son the emperor burns towards this holy mother his church, is most manifestly clear from this, that he placed its cause to be specially carried out and arranged in your hands. For to whom would he commit it/her which he loves spiritually before the rest, more fittingly and more efficaciously, I ask, than to you, who are commanded to be loved by him just as the church was commanded to be loved by Christ? Whence we greatly rejoice hearing so many praises of you and we trust in the Lord that the burdens which we bear as much from pagans as from the worst Christians you will alleviate on the shoulders of your zeal and you will act for the church of Christ with your pious husband as holy Esther did for the people of Israel with her husband. Since truly we often send to your most Christian husband always august messengers or letters for [our] needs, from which we beg and ask that you be a door for us, with tongue and hand, rather that you be everything for us, performing the offices of advocate, and do all things for us in all things, so that friends indeed and the faithful of this church find your place through you at the height with your husband, and a hearing with you and salutary remedy altogether in its needs, and on the contrary its enemies and unfaithful be confounded and excluded by you. Since we will be for you with all people and in all things and especially with the most blessed princes of the apostles Peter and Paul, your lovers and protectors, so that always striving to cherish you with paternal affection and to treat you as the spiritual daughter of our love in Christ placed in our bosom and making every effort to protect you perpetually, let us strive to commend you to them with constant prayers and keep your memory always before their sacrosanct bodies. We rejoice nonetheless and are made happy in the Lord that all generations call you blessed and happy, since, with the commitment of your pious husband, you have assumed such a salutary ministery, through which you acquire clearly a good name in the present world, which is more than great wealth, and heavenly empire among the angels without end.

Original letter:

Joannes Episcopus Richildi Augustae. Quanto amore spiritualis filius noster piissimus Imperator erga hanc sanctam matrem suam Ecclesiam flagret, ex hoc manifestissime claret quod causam illius apud se specialiter exequendam et ordinandam in vestris proprie manibus collocavit. Cui enim congruentius et praestantius eam, quam prae ceteris spiritualiter diligit, oro, committeret quam vobis, quae ab eo sic diligi jubemini, sicut diligi a Christo jubetur Ecclesia? Unde magnopere gratulamur de vobis tot audientes praeconia, et confidimus in Domino quia onera, quae portamus tam a paganis quam a pessimis Christianis, vestri studii humeris alleviabitis, et eritis pro Ecclesia Christi apud pium conjugem more sanctae illius Esther pro Israelitica plebe apud maritum. Quia vero saepe ad Christianissimum conjugem vestrum semper Augustum diversis pro necessitatibus sive Missos, sive Apices mittimus, ex hoc jam obsecramus et petimus, vos estote, pro nobis ostium, lingua et manus; imo totum pro nobis sitis, advocatoris fungentes officiis, et omnia pro nobis in omnibus facite: ita ut amici quidem et fideles Ecclesiae hujus per vos apud apicem vestrum locum, apud vos inveniant aditum et salubre in necessitatibus suis omnino remedium; econtra vero inimici et infideles per vos confundantur et excludantur: quia et pro vobis apud omnes et in omnibus erimus, et praecipue apud beatissimos Apostolorum principes Petrum et Paulum amatores et protectores vestros; ita ut paterno vos affectu semper fovere studentes, et tamquam spiritalem filiam dilectionis nostrae sinibus collocatam in Christo tractare ac tegere perpetuo satagentes, apud eos commendare assiduis precibus studeamus, et vestri memoriam ad sacrosancta corpora ipsorum semper deponere satagamus. Laetamur autem et jocundamur in Domino, quia beatam vos et felicem dicent omnes generationes; quia, pio committente conjuge, tam salutiferum ministerium assumpsistis, per quod scilicet et in praesenti saeculo nomen bonum, quod est super divitias multas, et coeleste acquiretis inter Angelos et non finiendum imperium. Data XVI Kalend. Decemb. Indictione X.

Historical context:

John VIII asks the empress to be an advocate for the church with the emperor. Charles was crowned emperor by John VIII at Pavia in 875, but had to defend his lands from his brother, Louis the German, whose lands he tried to seize, unsuccessfully. He was not able to muster much of an army to come to John’s aid in Italy.

Printed source:

HGF 7.471-72; MGH, Ep. Kar. Aevi, 5.25-26, Johannis VIII, Papae, Epistolae, ep.27.

Date:

876, November 16