Even though silence is often considered a great virtue, it is necessary to frequently speak of God’s mercy. Since the foundation of faith that our Lord and God, our Savior Jesus Christ, taught us excels in the remission of sins, this is known to everyone. For He, by His own passion, cleansed all the sins of Adam, and this was the work of His humility — to liberate the aforementioned and all the brothers from the slavery of sin, by willingly taking on the form of a servant.

For the blessed Apostle Paul taught us, writing to the Romans: “Death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over those who did not sin” (Rom. v). From this, it is in some way declared to all people, according to a general arrangement, that all specific examples must be determined once by the commands of such a great law, and by such pious goodness established, so that all the doctrine that He taught His disciples is based on this foundation.

He drove away sicknesses and various kinds of suffering; He loosened the bonds of sin by His own passion, as has been said; and, by His deeds and words, He instructed His disciples to fulfill the same. However, if, as some attempt to show, certain of His apostles are reluctant to fulfill such a pious doctrine through disobedience, we do not know how the teaching of the merciful Lord and great God could appear to us.

But we do not believe that those who have learned mercy are therefore merciless. Instead, we suppress our petition in silence from this present time, judging it unreasonable to offer prayers to those who refuse to be asked, rejecting them stubbornly. For we can endure injury and annulment, but we cannot be commanded.

Given on the 5th of the Ides of July, at Constantinople, in the fourth consulship of Anastasius Augustus and the sixth of the illustrious Agapitus (Year of Our Lord 517).