A letter from Bishops (550's)

Translated letter:

To the most blessed Lady and daughter of the Church in Christ, Radegund, Bishops Eufronius, Praetextatus, Germanus, Felix, Domitianus, Victorius and Domnolus.1 Remedies of the immense divinity for the human race are constantly offered, nor are they ever seen to be cut off from the care of his benefits at any place or time, since the pious Arbiter of things sends out everywhere people for the heritage of ecclesiastical culture, by whose intense cultivation with the rake of faith, the field can yield a hundred times the production of corn with the divine tempering of Christ. Everywhere the dispensing of his kindness pours out for good, so that it never denies what might be beneficial to many. By the most holy example of such people he will have many to crown when the judgment [day] comes. Thus when the first [stirrings] of the venerable faith began to move at the beginning of the Catholic religion in Gaul, and the ineffable sacraments of the ruling Trinity had reached the notice of a few, so that he would not acquire less here than he obtained in the circuit of the world where the Apostles preached, he deigned to direct blessed Martin from a pilgrim/foreign race to illumine the fatherland, with mercy as his counsellor. Who, though he was not of the time of the Apostles, yet he did not escape Apostolic grace. For what was lacking in the succession, was supplied by grace, since following the step [of others] took nothing away from him, who excelled them in merits. For this, also, most reverent daughter, we rejoice that you have given rise to revived examples of supernal love, with divine mercy: for in the declining age of the world the faith of your sense in the struggle grows into flower and what in winter chilled with the cold of old age, yet it warmed again with the ardor of your fervent soul. But since you come from that area from which we learn that blessed Martin came, it is no wonder if you seem to imitate him in deed, who we believe was your guide in the journey. As you followed his footsteps, may you now carry out his examples with your happy vow; and make that most blessed man your companion in as much as you flee having any part in the world. With the ray of his thought shining, you give it back to the breasts of those hearing you with heavenly splendor, so that everywhere the spirits of the girls are incited, they are enflamed with the spark of divine fire and they hasten avidly to be watered with the charity of Christ from the fountain of your breast, and leaving their relatives, they choose you over their mothers. Grace does this, not nature. Therefore seeing the vows of this zeal, we give thanks to supernal mercy, which brings the wills of men together with his own, since we are confident that those he orders to be gathered with you he wishes to preserve in his embrace. And since we know that, with the Divinity propitious, some [women] from our territories have flown to the institution of your rule, seeing also the Letter of your petition, willingly received by us, we confirm this with Christ as author and remediator: that all who come together there equally to remain in the charity of the Lord must keep inviolate what they seem to have undertaken with the most free spirit, since the faith promissed to Christ with heaven as witness should not be contaminated, where it is not a light crime to pollute -- may it not be -- the temple of God, so that it might be destroyed by his consequent wrath. Also we declare especially that if anyone from the places sacerdotally committed to our governance, as was said, should deserve to be associated with your monastery in the city of Poitiers, according to the Constitution of lord bishop Caesarius of Arles of blessed memory, there can be no permission for her to leave later who, as the Rule states, was seen to enter of her own will, lest what is held in honor by all should be brought into dishonor by the foul act of one. And therefore if, God forbid, someone of unhealthy mind, enflamed by the forbidden, should wish to throw her discipline, glory, and crown under the stain of such shame that by the counsel of the enemy, just as Eve was thrown out of paradise, she be led by someone out of the cloisters of that monastery, indeed from the heavenly kingdom, to be immersed and trodden in the vile mud of public places, she will be separated from our communion, struck by the wound of anathema. Just so, if perhaps having left Christ one might have wished to marry a man captured by the devil, not only the one who flees but also the one to whom she is joined, is a foul adulterer and a sacrilege rather than a husband; or whoever might do this has ministered poison rather than counsel, will be struck with similar vengeance, as was said above, by heavenly justice, with us confirming; until, when there has been a separation, with fitting penance to expiate the crime, she will have deserved to be received and [re]connected to the place which she left. We add, also, those priests who will be our successors shall be held by the condition of similar strict condemnation. And if, which we do not believe, they might wish to relax anything other than what our deliberation contains, they should know they will have to make their case with us before the eternal Judge, since it is common instruction of salvation that what has been promised to Christ must be inviolably observed. What has been decreed by our determination, for the effect of stability, we believe is fortified by the signature of our hand, to be preserved perpetually with Christ auspicious.

Original letter:

Dominae beatissimae et in Christo Ecclesiae filiae Radegundi, Eufronius, Praetextatus, Germanus, Felix, Domitianus, Victorius, et Domnolus Episcopi.1 Sollicita sunt jugiter circa genus humanum immensae Divinitatis provisura remedia, nec ab assiduitate beneficiorum suorum quocumque loco vel tempore videntur aliquando sejuncta, cum pius rerum Arbiter tales in hereditate culturae Ecclesiasticae personas ubique disseminat, quibus agrum ejus intenta operatione fidei rastro colentibus, ad felicem centeni numeri reditum divina temperie Christi seges valeat pervenire. Tantum igitur benignitatis ejus se passim dispensatio profutura diffundit, ut illud nusquam deneget quod prodesse multis agnoscit. Quarum personarum exemplo sanctissimo cum judicaturus advenerit, habeat in plurimis quod coronet. Itaque cum ipso Catholicae religionis exortu coepissent Gallicanis in finibus venerandae fidei primordia respirare, et adhuc ad paucorum notitiam tunc ineffabilia pervenissent Trinitatis Dominicae sacramenta; ne quid hic minus adquireret, quam in orbis circulo praedicantibus Apostolis obtineret, beatum Martinum peregrina de stirpe ad inluminationem patriae dignatus est dirigere, misericordia consulente. Qui licet Apostolorum tempore non fuerit, tamen Apostolicam gratiam non effugit. Nam quod defuit in ordine, suppletum est in mercede: quoniam sequens gradus illi nihil subtrahit, qui meritis antecellit. Hujus quoque, reverentissima filia, in vobis congratulamur rediviva surgere supernae dilectionis exempla, propitiatione divina: nam declinante tempore saeculi vetustate, vestri sensus certamine fides revirescit in flore: et quod veterno tepuerat algore senectae, tandem ferventis animae rursus incalescat ardore. Sed cum paene eadem veneris ex parte, qua beatum Martinum huc didicimus accessisse; non est mirum si illum imitari videaris in opere, quem tibi ducem credimus itineris exstitisse; ut cujus es secuta vestigia, felici voto compleas et exempla; et beatissimum virum in tanto tibi facias esse socium, in quantum partem refugis habere de mundo. Cujus opinionis radio praemicante, ita reddis audientium pectora coelesti fulgore suffusa, ut passim provocati puellarum animi, divini ignis scintilla succensi, raptim festinent avide in caritate Christi fonte vestri pectoris inrigari: et relictis parentibus te sibi magis eligant, quam matrem. Facit hoc gratia, non natura. Igitur hujus studii vota videntes, gratias clementiae supernae referimus, qui voluntates hominum suae facit voluntati connecti: quoniam confidimus quas apud vos jubet colligi, suo vult amplexu servari. Et quia quasdam comperimus, Divinitate propitia, de nostris territoriis ad institutionem vestrae regulae desiderabiliter convolasse: inspicientes etiam vestrae petitionis Epistolam, libenter a nobis exceptam, hoc Christo auctore et remediatore firmamus: ut licet omnes aequaliter quae ibi conveniunt, in Domini caritate mansurae debeant inviolabiliter custodire, quod videntur libentissimo animo suscepisse, quoniam contaminari non debet Christo fides coelo teste promissa, ubi non leve scelus est templum Dei, quod absit, pollui, ut ab eo possit ira succendente disperdi: tamen specialiter definimus, si qua, sicut dictum est, de locis sacerdotaliter nostrae gubernationi, Domino providente, commissis, in Pictava civitate vestro monasterio meruerit sociari, secundum beatae memoriae domni Caesarii Arelatensis Episcopi Constituta, nulli sit ulterius discedendi licentia, quae, sicut continet Regula, voluntate propria videtur ingressa: ne unius turpi dedecore ducatur in crimen, quod apud omnes emicat in honore. Et ideo si,quod avertat Deus, aliqua insanae mentis inlicitatione succensa, ad tanti obprobrii maculam praecipitare suam voluerit disciplinam, gloriam et coronam, ut inimici consilio, sicut Eva ejecta de paradiso, per qualemcumque de claustris ipsius monasterii, immo de coeli regno exire pertulerit, mergenda et conculcanda vili platearum in luto; separata a communione nostra, diri anathematis vulnere feriatur. Ita ut si fortassis Christo relicto homini voluerit nubere, diabolo captivante, non solum ipsa quae refugit, sed etiam ille qui ei conjunctus est, turpis adulter, et potius sacrilegus quam maritus: vel quisquis ut hoc fieret, venenum magis quam consilium ministravit, simili ultione, sicut de illa dictum est, coelesti judicio, nobis optantibus, percellatur: donec separatione facta, per competentem exsecrandi criminis poenitentiam, a loco quo egressa fuerat, recipi meruerit et adnecti. Adjicientes etiam, ut eorum qui nobis quandoque successuri sunt Sacerdotes, similis condemnationis teneantur adstrictae reatu: et si, quod non credimus, aliquid ipsi voluerint aliter quam nostra deliberatio continet, relaxare, noverint se nobiscum aeterno Judice definiente causaturos: quia communis est salutis instructio, si quod Christo promittitur, inviolabiliter observetur. Quod nostrae determinationis decretum, pro firmitatis intuitu, propriae manus subscriptione credimus roborandum, perpetualiter a nobis Christo auspice servaturum.

Historical context:

This letter is cited by Gregory of Tours in his History of the Franks, 9.39, in the course of his report of a rebellion by the nuns of Radegund's cloister after her death. Attempting to make the leader of the rebellion return to the monastery instead of going to carry her complaint to the royal court, he cites the letter sent by the bishops to Radegund "when she first founded her convent."

Scholarly notes:

1. A footnote in the HGF identifies Eufronius as the bishop of Tours, Praetextatus of Rouen, Germanus of Paris, Felix of Nantes, Domitianus of Angers, Victorius of Rennes, Domnolus of Maine.

Printed source:

Text from Historia Francorum, HGF, 2.355-56.

Date:

550's