A letter from Anselm, archbishop of Canterbury (1106)

Translated letter:

Anselm, the archbishop: to the reverend abbess Eulalia and her daughters,(1) greeting. I give thanks to your devout love because you prayed for me, longing for my return, while I was in exile out of England. Now I ask you even more earnestly to pray that my return(2) may be prosperous. I wish you to know that my love for you has existed as long as I have known you, still lives and continues, and that as long as I live, God granting, will continue. Wherefore, while this love still endures I wish to write you something, although you do not need it, in order that you may know that I love you and have care for you. You, beloved sisters and daughters of mine, I exhort and admonish to be subject and obedient to your mother, not merely before human eyes but also before the eyes of God, to whom nothing is hidden. True obedience is when the will of the subordinate so obeys the will of the superior that, wherever the subordinate may be, she wishes what she knows the superior wishes, as long as it is not against the will of God. Your community ought to be a temple of God and the "temple of God is holy."(3) If therefore, you live in a holy manner, as I hope you do, then you are the temple of God. You live in a holy manner if you diligently keep your rule and your intention. You do this diligently if you do not scorn the smallest things. Your intention should always be to strive for progress and to dread regress with all your heart. For it is written "that one who despises little things fails little by little."(4) One who fails makes no progress. Therefore, if you wish to progress and dread regress do not despise the little things. As it is true that "one who despises little things fails little by little" so it is true that one who does not despise little things progresses little by little. Do not think that any sin is small, although one may be greater than another. Nothing done by disobedience — and that alone drove man out of paradise — should be called small. What sin will be small if Truth bears witness that "one who is angry with his brother will answer for it before the court of justice; one who says 'Raca' must answer for it before the council; and one who says 'You fool' must answer for it in hell fire?"(5) I ask you therefore, my dearest daughters, not to neglect anything but to strive to keep your works and your hearts always as if they were in God's sight. Keep peace among yourselves because "in peace God makes his abode";(6) and "great peace have they who love God's law and nothing shall offend them."(7) I pray with heart and lips that God's blessing and absolution may come upon you and, as far as I am able, I give and send you my own, if it is worth anything. Farewell.(8)

Original letter:

Anselmus archiepiscopus: reverendae abbatissae Eulaliae et filiabus eius salutem. Gratias ago religiosae dilectioni vestrae quia pro me orastis, quamdiu extra Angliam fui in exsilio, desiderantes reditum meum; nunc autem desiderantius rogo ut oretis, quatenus fructuosus sit reditus meus. Hoc volo, ut sciatis quia dilectio mea erga vos, ex quo vos cognovi, et vivit et perseverat, et quamdiu vivam, deo dante perseverabit. Quapropter ipsa, eadem dilectione manente, quamvis non egeatis, aliquid tamen vobis scribam unde me vos diligere et curam vestri habere cognoscatis. Vos, sorores dilectae et filiae meae, hortor et moneo, quatenus matri vestrae subiectae et oboedientes sitis, non tantum ad oculum humanum, sed etiam ad oculum dei, cui nihil est secretum. Tunc autem est vera oboedientia, quando, voluntas subiecti oboedit voluntati praelati, ut, ubicumque sit subiectus, hoc velit quod intelligit velle praelatum, quod non sit contra voluntatem dei. Congregatio vestra templum dei debet esse, et "templum dei sanctum est." Si ergo sancte vivitis, sicut spero, templum dei estis. Sancte autem vivitis, si ordinem et propositum vestrum diligenter custoditis. Diligenter vero hoc facitis, si minima non contemnitis. Vestrum enim propositum, semper debet niti ad profectum, et toto corde horrere defectum. Scriptum autem est: "Qui modica despicit, paulatim decidit." Qui autem decidit, non proficit. Proinde si vultis proficere et horretis deficere: nolite, modica despicere. Utique sicut verum est: "qui modica despicit, paulatim decidit," ita verum est quia qui modica non despicit, paulatim proficit. Nolite putare aliquod peccatum esse parvum, quamivis aliud alio sit maius. Nihil enim quod fit per inoboedientiam — quae sola eiecit hominem de paradiso --, parvum dici debet. Quod enim peccatum parvum erit, si testante veritate: "qui irascitur fratri suo, reus erit iudicio; et qui dixerit 'racha,' reus erit concilio; et qui dixerit 'fatue' reus erit gehennae ignis"? Rogo igitur, filiae carissimae, ut nihil negligatis, sed opera vestra et corda vestra sicut in conspectu dei custodire semper studeatis. Pacem inter vos habete, quia "in pace factus est locus" dei; et: "pax multa diligentibus legem" dei, "et non est illis scandalum." Corde et ore vobis benedictionem et absolutionem dei oro, et meam, si quid valet, quantum possum do et mando. Valete.

Historical context:

Shortly after his return, archbishop Anselm thanks the abbess and her nuns for their prayers while he was in exile and asks them to pray that the return be prosperous. He also exhorts the nuns to obedience to the abbess and the rule.

Scholarly notes:

(1) See epp.183, 208, 337. (2) Anselm returned to England in early September 1106; he had been absent since 27 April 1103. (3) 1 Co 3:17. (4) Si 19:1 (Ecclesiasticus 19:1) (5) Mt 5:22. (6) Ps 75:3. (7) Ps 118:165. (8) The translation is reprinted with the permission of the translator and the publisher, Cistercian Publications Inc. Editorial Offices, Institute of Cistercian Studies, Western Michigan University, Kalamazoo, MI 49008. All rights are reserved; downloading and copying for any purpose other than private research is prohibited.

Printed source:

Sancti Anselmi Cantuariensis Archiepiscopi, Opera Omnia, ed. F.S. Schmitt (Edinburgh: T. Nelson, 1946-63), ep.403, 5.347-48; translation and annotation from The Letters of Saint Anselm of Canterbury, trans. Walter Fröhlich, Cistercian Studies 142, 3v (Kalamazoo: Cistercian Publications, 1990-1994), 3.167-168.(!)

Date:

1106