A letter from Gregory I, pope (595, June 1)

Translated letter:

Almighty God, who holds in his majesty’s right hand the heart of your devotion, both protects us through you and prepares for you rewards of eternal repayment for temporal deeds. For I learned from my deputy, the deacon Sabinianus, who wrote with how much justice your serenity devotes herself to the cause of blessed Peter, prince of apostles, against certain people who are falsely agreeable and arrogantly humble. And I trust in our redeemer’s generosity that you will receive this goodness for our most serene lord and most pious children, also in the reward of the celestial homeland; there is no doubt that when the chains of sin have been unbound, you, who for the sake of his church have made him your debtor who has the power to bind and release, will receive eternal goodness. And so I still ask that you let no hypocrisy prevail against truth because there are certain people, who according to the word of the excellent preacher, “seduce the hearts of the innocent with pleasing speeches and good words” [Rom. 16:18]; in dress they are certainly humbled but in their heart they are puffed up and behave as if they despise everything in this world, but nonetheless they also try to obtain all worldly things; they profess to be unworthy of all men, but they cannot be content with private designations because they are hungry for whatever will make them appear worthier (of higher rank) than everyone. Therefore let your piety, which almighty God has established to preside with our most serene lord over the whole world, render for the favor of justice its service to him who grants the right of such great power, so that in the exercise of truth the more truly it serves the creator of all, the more securely it will rule the world entrusted to it. In addition, I acknowledge that I received the letter of our most pious lord (requesting) that I should be appeased with my brother and fellow priest John. And certainly it was fitting that in this way a devout lord should command these things to priests. But since this same brother of mine, with unheard-of presumption and arrogance, calls himself a universal bishop, such that in the time of my predecessor of holy memory, with proud appellation of this sort he caused himself to be received in a synod - although all the acts of that synod were nullified by the apostolic see rejecting them – our most serene lord has revealed something sad to me because he has not reproached one who is proud, but instead he has been eager to turn me aside from my purpose, I who defend in this matter the statutes of the Gospels and canons, the truth of humility and rectitude. In this matter the aforesaid brother and my fellow priest acts against evangelical thought, against also the blessed apostle Peter and against all churches and statutes of canons. But there is almighty God, in whose hand all things exist, and about whom is written: There is no wisdom, there is no prudence, there is no counsel against God [Prov. 21:30]. And to be sure the most holy brother, having spoken often, has presumed to persuade our most serene lord of many things; but I knew well that such speeches and tears of John permit nothing against reason or his soul to be snatched away from him [the emperor]. Nonetheless it is very sad that this is tolerated patiently to the extent that, having despised everything, the aforesaid brother and my fellow bishop attempts to be called sole bishop. But what does this pride of his represent except that the time of the Antichrist is now imminent? Because indeed he emulates him (the Antichrist), who, having scorned the legions of angels with their common joy, has tried to shoot up to the height of singularity, saying: I will exalt my throne above the stars of heaven, I will sit in the mountain of the covenant, in the sides of the north, I will ascend above the height of the clouds, I will be like the most High [Isai 14:13]. And so I ask by the almighty Lord, that you not allow the times of your piety to be stained by the exaltation of one man and that you offer no assent in any way to such a perverse title, and that in this matter your piety despise me in no way because, even if the sins of Gregory are so severe that he deserves to suffer such things, there are no sins of the apostle Peter that merit suffering these things in your times. And so again and again I beg by the almighty Lord that, as your parents, the prior rulers, sought the grace of St. Peter the apostle, you also take care to seek and protect this for yourself, and on account of our sins – we who unworthily serve him – may his honor in no way be diminished with you, he who is your supporter now in all things and in the future will be able to absolve your sins. Further, we calculate that it is now twenty-seven years that we have lived in this city among the swords of the Lombards. And we must not mention how much is paid out to them by this church every day so that we can live among them. But I mention briefly that as in the regions of Ravenna the piety of lords holds a treasurer for the eminent army of Italy, who handles daily expenses for matters that arise, so also in this city I am their treasurer for such matters. And nonetheless this church, that at one and the same time spends incessantly so much on clerics, monasteries, the poor, the people and on top of this the Lombards, is now overwhelmed by the affliction of all churches, which, even if they dare not say anything, bemoan greatly this pride of a single man. Indeed the bishop of the city of Salona was appointed without me or my deputy knowing about it, and this is a deed that has not occurred under any prior leaders. Hearing about this, I immediately commanded to the same transgressor who was appointed irregularly, that absolutely in no way should he presume to celebrate the rites of masses unless I first learned from the most serene lords if they had commanded him to do this; I ordered this to him under the consequence of excommunication. And having disdained and despised me with the presumption of certain secular men, to whom he is said to hand over much money by plundering his own church, until now he has dared to perform masses and has refused to come to me according to the lords’ command. But I, obeying the order of his piety for the same Maximus, who was appointed without my knowledge, have thus forgiven in my heart that in his appointment he presumed to bypass me and my deputy, as if he had been appointed with my authority. But his other corruptions, namely carnal sins that I know of, and that he was elected by money and that while excommunicated he has dared to perform masses, before God I cannot let go without investigation. But I beg and beseech the Lord that nothing of that which has been said can be found in him and that his case conclude without danger to my soul. Yet before these things are known, our most serene lord has commanded in a current order that when he comes I receive him with honor; yet it is extremely problematic for a man accused of so many and such serious things to be honored when he must first be interrogated and investigated; and if the cases of bishops entrusted to me are determined with the patronage of others by our most pious lords, what role do I, unfortunate, play in this church? But that my bishops despise me and have recourse to secular judges against me, I attribute to my sins -- I give thanks to almighty God. Nonetheless I indicate this briefly, I will wait for a little while, and if he has delayed coming to me for long, in no way will I delay to carry out canonical punishment against him. Further, I trust in the almighty Lord that he will bestow long life on our most pious lords and that he will place us under your power not according to our sins but according to the gifts of his grace. Accordingly I mention these things to my most tranquil lady because I am not unaware of how much her serenity’s entire conscience is moved by zeal for rectitude and justice.1

Original letter:

Gregorius Constantinae Augustae. Omnipotens Deus, qui pietatis vestrae cor suae dextera maiestatis tenet, et nos ex vobis protegit et vobis pro temporalibus actibus aeternae praemia remunerationis parat. Nam Sabiniano diacone responsali meo scribente cognovi in causis beati Petri apostolorum principis contra quosdam, superbe humiles, ficte blandos, quanta se iustitia vestra serenitas impendat. Et in redemptoris nostri largitate confido, quia bonum hoc in serenissimo domino et piissimis filiis, in caelestis quoque patriae retributione recipiatis; nec dubium est peccatorum vinculis solutis aeterna vos bona recipere, quae in causis eius ecclesiae ipsum vobis, cui potestas ligandi et solvendi data est, debitorem fecistis. Unde adhuc peto, ut nullius praevalere contra veritatem hypocrisin permittatis, quia sunt quidam, qui iuxta egregii praedicatoris vocem per dulces sermones et benedictiones seducunt corda innocentium; qui veste quidem despecti sunt, sed corde tument et quasi in hoc mundo cuncta despiciunt, sed tamen ea quae mundi sunt cuncta simul adipisci quaerunt: qui indignos se omnibus hominibus fatentur, sed privatis vocabulis contenti esse non possunt, quia illud appetunt, unde omnibus digniores esse videantur. Vestra itaque pietas, quam omnipotens Deus cum serenissimo domino universo mundo praeesse constituit, illi per favorem iustitiae suum famulatum reddat, a quo ius tantae potestatis accepit, ut quanto verius in executione veritatis auctori omnium servit, tanto securius commisso sibi mundo dominetur. Praeterea indico, quia piissimi domini scripta suscepi, ut cum fratre et consacerdote meo Iohanne debeam esse pacificus. Et quidem sic religiosum dominum decuit, ut sacerdotibus ista praeciperet. Sed cum se nova praesumptione atque superbia isdem frater meus universalem episcopum appellet, ita ut sanctae memoriae decessoris mei tempore ascribi se in synodo tali hoc superbo vocabulo faceret, quamvis cuncta acta illius synodi sede apostolica contradicente soluta sint: triste mihi aliquid serenissimus dominus innuit, quod non eum corripuit qui superbit, sed me magis ab intentione mea declinare studuit, qui in hac causa evangeliorum et canonum statuta, humilitatis atque rectitudinis veritatem defendo. Qua in re a praedicto fratre et consacerdote meo contra evangelicam sententiam, contra quoque beatum Petrum apostolum et contra omnes ecclesias canonumque agitur statuta. Sed est omnipotens Deus, in cuius manu sunt omnia, de quo scriptum est: 'Non est sapientia, non est prudentia, non est consilium contra Deum'. Et quidem saepe fatus sanctissimus frater serenissimo domino multa suadere conatur; sed bene novi, quia tantae illae orationes eius et lacrimae nihil ei a quoquam contra rationem aut animam suam subripi permittunt. Triste tamen valde est, ut patienter feratur, quatenus despectis omnibus praedictus frater et coepiscopus meus solus conetur appellari episcopus. Sed in hac eius superbia quid aliud nisi propinqua iam Antichristi esse tempora designantur? Quia illum videlicet imitatur, qui spretis in sociali gaudio angelorum legionibus ad culmen conatus est singularitatis erumpere dicens: 'Super astra caeli exaltabo solium meum, sedebo in monte testamenti, in lateribus aquilonis, ascendam super altitudinem nubium, similis ero altissimo'. Unde per omnipotentem Dominum rogo, ne pietatis vestrae tempora permittatis unius hominis elatione maculari neque tam perverse vocabulo ullum quoquo modo praebeatis assensum atque hac in causa nequaquam me pietas vestra despiciat, quia, etsi peccata Gregorii tanta sunt, ut pati talia debeat, Petri apostoli peccata nulla sunt, ut vestris temporibus pati ista mercatur. Unde iterum atque iterum per omnipotentem Dominum rogo, ut, sicut parentes vestri priores principes sancti Petri apostoli gratiam quaesiverunt, vos quoque hanc vobis et quaerere et servare curetis et propter peccata nostra, qui ei indigni servimus, eius apud vos honor nullatenus minuatur, qui et modo vobis adiutor esse in omnibus, et postmodum vestra valeat peccata dimittere. Viginti autem iam et septem annos ducimus, quod in hac urbe inter Langobardorum gladios vivimus. Quibus quam multa ab hac ecclesia cotidianis diebus erogantur, ut inter eos vivere possimus, suggerenda non sunt. Sed breviter indico, quia, sicut in Ravennae partibus dominorum pietas apud primi exercitus Italiae saccellarium habet, qui causis supervenientibus cotidianas expensas faciat, ita et in hac urbe in causis talibus eorum saccellarius ego sum. Et tamen haec ecclesia, quae uno eodemque tempore clericis, monasteriis, pauperibus, populo atque insuper Langobardis tam multa indesinenter expendit, ecce adhuc ex omnium ecclesiarum afflictione premitur, quae de hac unius hominis superbia multum gemunt, etsi dicerc nihil praesumunt. Salonitanae vero civitatis episcopus me ac responsali meo nesciente ordinatus est, et facta res est, quae sub nullis anterioribus principibus evenit. Quod ego audiens ad eundem praevaricatorem, qui inordinate ordinatus est, protinus misi, ut omnino missarum sollemnia celebrare nullo modo praesumeret, nisi prius a serenissimis dominis cognoscerem, si hoc fieri ipsi iussissent; quod ei sub excommunicationis interpositione mandavi. Et contempto me atquo despecto in audacia quorundam saecularium hominum, quibus denudata sua ecclesia praemia multa praebere dicitur, nuncusque missas facere praesumit atquo ad me venire secundum iussionem dominorum noluit. Ego autem praeceptioni pietatis eius oboediens eidem Maximo, qui me nesciente ordinatus est, hoc quod in ordinatione sua me vel responsalem meum praetermittere praesumpsit, ita ex corde laxavi, ac si me auctore fuerit ordinatus. Alia vero perversa illius, scilicet mala corporalia, quae cognovi, vel quia cum pecuniis est electus vel quod excommunicatus missas facere praesumpsit, propter Deum inrequisita praeterire non possum. Sed opto et Dominum deprecor, quatenus nihil in eo de his quae dicta sunt valeat inveniri et sine periculo animae meae causa ipsius terminetur. Prius tamen quam haec cognoscantur, serenissimus dominus discurrente iussione praecepit, ut eum venientem cum honore suscipiam; et valde grave est, ut vir de quo tanta et talia nuntiantur, cum ante requiri et discuti debeat, honoretur; et si episcoporum causae mihi commissorum apud piissimos dominos aliorum patrociniis disponuntur, infelix ego in ecclesia ista quid facio? Sed ut episcopi mei me despiciant et contra me refugium ad saeculares iudices habeant, omnipotenti Deo gratias ago, peccatis meis deputo. Hoc tamen breviter suggero, quia aliquantulum expecto et, si ad me venire diu distulerit, exercere in eo districtionem canonicam nullo modo cessabo. In omnipotente autem Domino confido, quia longam piissimis dominis vitam tribuet et nos sub manu vestra non secundum peccata nostra, sed secundum suae gratiae dona disponet. Haec ergo tranquillissimae dominae suggero, quia integerrima serenitatis eius conscientia quanto moveatur zelo rectitudinis atque iustitiae, non ignoro. Data die kalendarum Iuniarum.

Historical context:

The pope praises the empress for her devotion to the cause of the church, her unwillingness to be deceived by hypocrites. Then he raises the question of a bishop who has taken on the title of universal bishop, presumably a threat to Gregory’s doctrine of the primacy of the bishop of Rome in the church. He notes the difficulties the Lombards present to Rome’s survival, and reports on the problem of receiving the bishop of Salona with honor while he is under investigation for various crimes.

Scholarly notes:

1 Ashleigh Imus provided this translation.

Printed source:

Gregorii Papae Registrum Epistolarum, ed. P. Ewald and L. M. Hartman, MGH, (Berlin: Weidmann 1887-91, repr. Munich, 1978), ep.5.39.

Date:

595, June 1