Leo, bishop, to Julian, Bishop of Cos.
Chapter I: Leo Commissions Julian to Translate the Tome Into Greek for Public Recitation at Alexandria Under the Imperial Seal
Upon receiving the letters from our brother and fellow bishop Proterius, the bishop of Alexandria, I have no doubt that he is committed to Catholic doctrine and opposes heretics with a righteous heart. We can confidently hope that he will benefit the Church he leads through his exemplary morals and the clear teaching of the faith. However, the factions of the Eutychians are causing him considerable trouble — claiming to insert a corrupted version of my letter to the blessed Flavian — twisted by false interpretation — among the simple or uneducated, making some parts seem to align with Nestorian error.
To prevent this malice from prevailing in disturbing the faithful, I entrust this task to you, my brother: translate my same letter diligently from Latin into Greek — its harmony with apostolic doctrine attested by the examples of our ancestors. As I have requested, the most glorious and faithful prince will send it under the impression of his seal to the Alexandrian judges, to be recited in the Church to the Christian people, along with the preachings of the saints who once presided over that Church. So that those who are said to waver in ignorance may discover the truth and no longer be drawn into error by wicked persuasions.
So that nothing escapes your notice, brother, the copies attached to this letter will show what writings I directed to the most clement emperor or to the bishop of Alexandria himself.
Chapter II: Leo Presses the Paschal Inquiry
As I have often written regarding the Pascha for the coming year, please be diligent about this. Remind the most clement prince at an opportune time in my name — and let him inform us of what has been decided. The days are approaching when we need to know what date to assign to the celebration, so that all doubt on this matter may be fully resolved.
Dated the fourth day before the Ides of March, in the consulship of the most illustrious Aetius and Studius.
Footnotes
- ↩ Julian is here formally commissioned as the translator of the Tome — the task Leo had already described to Marcian in Letter CXXX. The precise sequence is now complete: Leo commissions Julian (CXXXI); Marcian authenticates and dispatches under the imperial seal (CXXX, per Leo’s directive); the Alexandrian judges receive it; it is publicly recited to the Alexandrian church. Julian is the instrumental agent, Leo the commissioning authority, and the emperor the authentication mechanism — each operating in their proper sphere.
- ↩ Leo sends Julian copies of Letters CXXIX (to Proterius) and CXXX (to Marcian), keeping his Eastern agent fully briefed on all three channels simultaneously. This is the characteristic coordination of the post-Chalcedon correspondence: Julian always receives copies so that he can follow up, press, and inform without gaps.
- ↩ March 12, 454 per the site translation’s dateline formula — though the PL editor’s note on Letters CXXIX-CXXXI argues from the Regensburg manuscript that all three letters share the date of March 10 (sixth day before the Ides). The discrepancy of two days may reflect a scribal error in one tradition. The internal evidence — Leo stating in CXXX “I have already replied to the aforesaid brother” before writing to Marcian — establishes the compositional sequence regardless of the precise day.
Historical Commentary