A letter from Boniface (742-46)

Translated letter:

To my beloved sisters worthy of all honour and affection, Lioba and Tecla and Cynehilda, and all the dear sisters in Christ who live with you, greetings of undying love. I beseech, nay all but command you, my dear daughters, to implore God with incessant prayers, as I trust that you do now and have done and will do unceasingly, that we may be delivered, in the words of the apostle, "from unreasonable and wicked men: for all men have not faith"(1) — be assured that if we praise God the tribulations of our hearts are mitigated — and to pray the Lord God, who is the refuge of the poor and the hope of the humble, to snatch us from our hardships and the temptation of this evil world; "that the word of the Lord may have free course, and the glorious gospel of Christ be glorified,"(2) "that the grace of God which was bestowed on me may not be in vain,"(3) and that, since I am the least and the worst of all the legates, whom the Catholic and Apostolic Church of Rome has sent to preach the gospel, I may not die barren without some fruit of the gospel, and may not return empty-handed in the ranks of sons and daughters; that I may not be judged guilty, when the Lord comes, of hiding the talent nor because of my sins receive instead of a reward for my labour, punishment for unfruitful toil from Him who sent me. And what is worse, many who I thought would be set on the Judgment Day as sheep at the right hand of Christ, have proved to be, on the contrary, stinking and wanton goats who must be set on the left hand. Entreat the goodness of God that He who willed that I, though unworthy, should be chosen shepherd over the people, may strengthen my heart with the spirit of a ruler, so that when the wolf comes I may not flee like a hireling, but like the good shepherd may seek to defend faithfully and loyally the lambs with their mothers, that is the Church Catholic and its sons and daughters, against heretics and schismatics and hypocrites. Moreover, "because the days are evil, be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is."(4) Wherefore, "be strong, steadfast in the faith, quit you like men, be strong; let all your things be done with charity";(5) and according to the gospel: "In your patience possess ye your Souls."(6) Keep in mind the holy apostles and prophets: because they laboured much in the Lord, therefore have they gained eternal rewards. According to the psalmist: "Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord delivereth them out of them all";(7) and according to the gospel: "He that endureth to the end shall be saved."(8)

Original letter:

Venerandis et amandis carissimis sororibus Leobgythae et Teclae nec non et Cynehildae et omnibus in Christo diligendis sororibus vobis cohabitantibus aeterne caritatis salutem. Obsecro et precipio quasi filiabus carissimis, quemadmodum vos iam incessanter facere et fecisse et facturas esse confidimus, ut vestris orationibus crebris Dominum deprecemini: “ut liberemur” iuxta dictum apostoli “ab inportunis et malis hominibus; non enim est omnium fides” — et scitote, quia Deum laudamus, et tribulationes cordis nostri dilatatae sunt — ut dominus Deus, qui est refugium pauperum et spes humilium, de necessitatibus nostris et de temptationibus huius saeculi nequam eripiat nos; “ut sermo Domini currat et clarificetur” gloriosum evangelium Christi, ut “gratia Domini in me vacua non sit” et — quia ultimus et pessimus sum omnium legatorum, quos catholica et apostolica Romana ecclesia ad praedicandum evangelium destinavit — ut omnino sine fructu evangelii sterilis non moriar et vacuus filiorum et filiarum numero non revertar; ne de abscondito talento Domino veniente reus esse iudicer nec, peccatis exigentibus, vice laboris pro mercede ultionem infructuosi laboris accipiam ab eo, qui misit me. Multi enim, quod peius est, quos oves in futuro iudicio ad dexteram Christi ponendos fore censebam, versa vice, putidae et petulcae et ad sinistram statuendae capellae esse dinoscuntur. Et pietatem Domini precamini, ut spiritu principali confirmet cor meum Deus, qui me indignum pastorem in populo vocari voluit; ut, lupo veniente, more mercinari non fugiam, sed exemplo boni pastoris agnos pariter cum matribus, ecclesiam scilicet catholicam cum filiis et filiabus suis, contra hereticos et scismaticos vel hypochritas fideliter ac fiducialiter defensare studeam. Praeterea, “quia dies mali sunt, nolite esse inprudentes, sed intellegentes, quae sit voluntas Dei.” Quamobrem “confortamini et state in fide et viriliter agite et confortamini; omma vestra cum caritate fiant”; et iuxta evangelium: “In patientia vestra possidebitis animas vestras.” Et recordamini sanctorum apostolorum et prophetarum: quia multum laboraverunt in Domino, ideo adepti sunt premia sempiterna; et iuxta psalmistam: “Multae tribulationes iustorum, sed de his omnibus liberavit eos Dominus”; et iuxta evangelium: “Qui autem perseveraverit usque in finem, hic salvus erit.”

Historical context:

This letter is addressed to Lioba, and two of her fellow nuns, her relative Thecla who had been with her at Wimborne and went to Kizzingen, and Chunihildt/Cynchilda, Lul's aunt, who ran a school in Thuringia. Boniface, who sounds discouraged, asks for their prayers for his own soul and for a good outcome to his labors. He tells them to keep the faith through bad times and to be strong (act virilely).

Scholarly notes:

(1) 2 Thess. iii, 2. (2) 2 Thess. iii, 1. (3) 1 Cor. xv, 10. (4) Eph. v, 16-17. (5) 1 Cor. xvi, 13-14. (6) Luke xxi, 19. (7) Ps. xxxiii, 20. (8) Matt. x, 22.

Printed source:

MGH, Epistolae Merovingici et Karolini Aevi, 6, S.Bonifacii et Lulli Epistolae, ep.67; translation and annotation from Edward Kylie, The English Correspondence of Saint Boniface (New York: Cooper Square, 1966, first pub.1911), pp.149-151.

Date:

742-46