Hormisdas to Germanus and John, bishops, and Blando, priest.

The death of the Catholic John has deeply grieved us, as you report that he was killed by the madness of the heretic Dorotheus. We have learned that this same Dorotheus has been summoned to Constantinople by the order of the prince. Against him, you should insist before our lord and most merciful son, the prince, that he should not return to that city. Instead, he should be removed from the honor of the episcopate, which he has never conducted well, and be exiled far from that place and Church, or indeed sent here to the city under appropriate custody.

You must also be vigilant that Aristides, the instigator and accomplice of all the evil, is not appointed to his place by any devious means. For there is no benefit in changing the person if the same form of wickedness continues. You should choose such a man that the whole congregation of the faithful may rejoice in your judgment.

With these matters observed, your affection should be strongly committed to the cases of our brothers and fellow bishops, Thomas and Nicostratus. For what good is it to have restored the Church if we see that those bishops, who were carefully and reasonably received into our communion by you, are strangers to its body? This matter greatly distresses us if those who follow the preaching of the Apostolic See neglect those who were received into its faith and consent. Therefore, as we have urged, you should insist strongly before the most serene prince for their communion and rightful place. For we have also sent letters on this matter to our lord and most merciful son, the prince, and to our illustrious son, Justinian, urging him to deal with this in charity, as far as it pertains to the reception of their Churches.

We trust that you have not forgotten this point of our admonition. We have said that, with the usurpers excluded, those we are speaking about should return to their rightful Churches so that others may be ordained elsewhere (if they are of the right faith). Concerning the Scythian monks, the illustrious Justinian has written to us about them, and we have sent copies of these letters to your fraternity. Since they did not wish to await your arrival and claimed they could not bear the delay of being detained, they attempted to leave the city secretly. We shall make sure they are more carefully guarded, intending to recognize what they have said against you, so that when you return, with God’s favor, their errors may be corrected with reasonable exhortations.

Given on the Nones of December, under the consulship of the most illustrious Eutharicus (in the year of our Lord 519).