Letter CLXV, from Pope Leo to Emperor Leo
Leo, bishop, to Leo, Augustus. Chapter I: Leo Fulfills His Promise of a Fuller Exposition of the Faith, That the Ember of Meditation May Flame Into Light I recall promising you, venerable emperor, in the matter of the faith about which I know your piety to be devoutly concerned, that a fuller account of my […]
Letter CLVI, from Pope Leo to Emperor Leo
Leo, bishop, to Leo, Augustus. Chapter I: No Reopening of the Faith After Chalcedon — To Do So Would Be to Overthrow What the Universal Church Has Received I have received with reverence the letters of your clemency, full of the strength of faith and the light of truth — and I would wish, in […]
Letter CIII, from Pope Leo to the Bishops of Gaul
Leo, to his most beloved brothers Rusticus, Ravennium, Venerius, Constantianus, Maximus, Armentarius, and the other bishops throughout Gaul. Leo Announces the Return of His Legates and Transmits the Exemplar of the Sentence Against Dioscorus With our common vows fulfilled through God’s mercy, it is fitting that your brotherhood share in the joys of these holy […]
Letter LIX, from Pope Leo to the Clergy and People of Constantinople
Leo, bishop, to the clergy, honorati, and people dwelling at Constantinople. Chapter I: Joy at Their Fidelity to Flavian; Those Who Deny Christ’s True Humanity Are Confederates of the Manicheans; Leo’s Fatherly Care Although the memory of what was recently done at the council of priests at Ephesus afflicts Us with much grief — seeing […]
Letter IX, from Pope Leo to Dioscorus, Bishop of Alexandria
Leo, bishop, to Dioscorus, Bishop of Alexandria, greetings. The Roman Church Abides in Peter’s Institutions; Alexandria, Founded by Peter’s Disciple, Must Not Diverge How great an affection of charity in the Lord We bestow upon your beloved person you will be able to judge from this: that We desire to establish your beginnings more firmly, […]
Decrees of Pope Hilarius
Decrees of Pope Hilarius. Decree of Pope Hilarius According to Gratian, Which Is Not Placed Among the Earlier [Decretals]: Each Receives the Whole Body of Christ in Similar Portions Each person receives the whole body of Christ in similar portions. Where a part of the body is, there also is the whole. The same principle […]
Letter XIV, from Pope Simplicius to Emperor Zeno
Simplicius, bishop, to Zeno Augustus. Simplicius Praises Zeno’s Punishment of the Antioch Sacrilege and States That the Massacre Would Not Have Occurred If His Earlier Letters Had Been Obeyed I have received with joy the venerable letters of Your Piety concerning the Church of Antioch, in which We find that, with the zeal for the […]
Letter IX, from Pope Simplicius to Acacius of Constantinople
Simplicius, bishop, to Acacius, bishop of Constantinople. Simplicius Rejoices With Acacius Over the Restoration of Timothy to Alexandria, and Charges Acacius to Admonish Him to Remain Blameless How effective is the perseverance of the priests supplicating the Lord, and with what joyful affection [He] welcomes the zeal offered with sincere minds in defense of the […]
Epistle or Treatise of Pope Felix III — Refuting the Arguments Made for Acacius
Epistle or Treatise of Pope Felix III, which refutes what was brought forward for Acacius, and shows him to have been justly and rightly condemned, and only to be restorable by canonical means. Chapter I: The Historical Precedents — Athanasius, Flavian, and John Chrysostom Show That the Apostolic See’s Sole Judgment Suffices to Bind and […]
Letter XIV: from Pope Felix III to Thalassius, Archimandrite of Constantinople
Felix to Thalasius. Chapter I: Even If the Names Are Removed, Communion Is Not to Be Restored Without Rome’s Authorization After the letters made, which We sent to your love to be delivered through Our sons, men of religious purpose, lest a more diligent care should provide less than enough for the keeping of the […]
Letter XIII, from Pope Felix III to Flavitas, Bishop of Constantinople
Felix to Flavitas, bishop of Constantinople. Chapter I: The Signs of Hope Attending Flavitas’s Ordination There are many things which afford Us joy at your love’s ordination, and urge Us to hope, by the divine benefit, for the effect of ecclesiastical peace. First indeed, that heavenly grace has chosen you such as one whose life […]
Letter X, from Pope Felix III to the Clergy and People of Constantinople
Felix, to the orthodox clergy and people established at Constantinople, most beloved sons, greeting. Chapter I: The Faithful Constantinopolitans Troubled by the Legates’ Prevarication We not unreasonably suppose that the firmness of your faith, proven to all, has been disturbed by the prevarication of Vitalis and Misenus — who, by not only neglecting but even […]
Appendix One: Various Fragments of Pope Gelasius I (circa 494-496 AD)
Various fragments of letters of Pope Gelasius, preserved fragmentarily in later manuscript collections — the first five drawn from the Miscellanea of Étienne Baluze (1630-1718), and the last from a ninth-century Lucca codex. The Patrologia Latina also prints, immediately after these fragments, an Appendix Secunda containing canons attributed to Gelasius drawn from medieval canonical compilations […]
The Tractate of Pope Gelasius Against Andromachus
Pope Gelasius I, Against Andromachus the Senator and the Other Romans Who Resolved to Practice the Lupercalia According to the Old Custom. He condemns the superstitious celebration of the Lupercalia, and proves that the misfortunes of Rome have come about not from the discontinuance of the Lupercalia, but from her own crimes. Chapter I: That […]
Letter III, from Pope Felix III to Peter the Fuller, Bishop of Antioch, from the Roman Synod
Felix, bishop, to Peter, bishop of Antioch. Lamentation: What the Church Nourished, Peter Has Destroyed in a Moment Who shall give water to my head, and a fountain of tears to my eyes? (Jer. 9:1) What worthy weeping shall I bring to my soul, grieving with the holy Catholic and apostolic Church of our Lord […]
Letter XI, from Pope Gelasius to the Bishops of Dardania and Illyricum
Gelasius, bishop, to all the bishops established throughout Dardania or Illyricum. Chapter I: The Apostolic See’s Divinely Delegated Solicitude Rejoices in the Illyrian Bishops’ Constancy Hearing of the orthodox constancy of your charity in Christ — and that you so cleave to the traditions of the ancient faith and of sincere communion that the neighboring […]
Letter IX, from Pope Gelasius to the Bishops of Lucania, Bruttium, and Sicily
To his most beloved brothers, all the bishops appointed throughout Lucania, Bruttium, and Sicily: Gelasius. Chapter I: The Necessity of the Times Requires the Apostolic See to Moderate the Ancient Canons, Yet Without Altogether Departing from Them By necessary disposition of affairs We are bound, and by the moderating authority of the Apostolic See We […]
Letter VII, from Pope Gelasius to All the Bishops throughout Picenum
Gelasius, bishop, to all the bishops throughout Picenum, greetings in the Lord. The Bishops of Picenum Are Charged with Negligence for Allowing Heresy to Flourish We have grieved until now at the barbaric invasions devastating the provinces nearest to the City, and the savage tempest of wars; but as much as we have discovered among […]
Letter LI to All Bishops of Spain
Hormisdas to all the beloved brothers, the bishops throughout Spain. Among the matters our brother and fellow bishop John has conveyed to our knowledge, out of zeal for ecclesiastical benefit, he has also consulted us, out of love for the Catholic faith and reverence for the Apostolic See, on the proper manner of granting holy […]
Report By Germanus and John, Bishops, Felix and Dioscorus, Deacons, and Blandus, Presbyter
We are not surprised that, through the prayers of your Apostolic office, all things have turned out favorably for us, knowing that your prayers for us exert more effort than our own ministry. Indeed, the whole outcome of the ecclesiastical matter has been such that there can be no doubt that a miracle of Blessed […]
