Letter VI, Fifth Roman Synod of 6 November 502 (Constitutum on the Preservation of Church Property)
Acta of the Roman Synod held in the basilica of the blessed Apostle Peter on 6 November 502, presided by Pope Symmachus. With the venerable Pope Symmachus presiding, more than seventy Italian bishops were in attendance — among them Laurentius of Milan, Petrus of Ravenna, and Eulalius of Syracuse, whose names are preserved with the […]
Letter X, from Pope Symmachus to the Emperor Anastasius
The Apologetic of Symmachus, Bishop of Rome, against Anastasius the Emperor. Chapter I: The Precedent of Ambrose’s Response to Gratian; The Christian Prince Must Patiently Hear the Apostolic Prelate’s Voice To a letter of the emperor Gratian of august memory, blessed Ambrose responded in eight books, since on behalf of the Catholic faith it did […]
Letter XVI, from Pope Symmachus to Caesarius, Bishop of Arles
Symmachus to the most beloved brother Caesarius. Chapter I: Symmachus Confirms the Privileges of the Church of Arles and Grants Caesarius Vicariate Authority over the Gallican and Hispanic Regions, Reserving Matters of Higher Difficulty to the Apostolic See He who guards the venerable statutes of the fathers shows himself a friend of religion in its […]
Letter XIV, from Pope Symmachus to the Bishops of Gaul
Symmachus to the most beloved brothers, all the bishops established throughout Gaul. Chapter I: The Apostolic See’s Established Institutions Urge Roman Solicitude for the Universal Church; Caesarius Has Appeared at the Threshold of the Church of the Blessed Apostle Peter Seeking Renewal of Privileges The established institutions of the Apostolic See urge Us to proclaim […]
Letter XII, from the Eastern Bishops to Pope Symmachus
The Eastern Church to Symmachus, Bishop of Rome. Chapter I: Christ the Good Shepherd Seeks the Lost Sheep; The Chair of the Prince of the Apostles Christ Entrusted to Your Beatitude That good Lord and lover of mankind, our Lord Jesus Christ, who out of His kindness toward us bowed the heavens and descended to […]
Letter XV, from Pope Symmachus to Caesarius, Bishop of Arles
Symmachus to the most beloved brother Caesarius. Chapter Headings (As Preserved in the Hispanic Collection) Introduction: Caesarius’s Petition Asks That Established Canons Be Reaffirmed by the Apostolic See The fairness of your petition urges Us to consent gladly to the desire of Your Brotherhood, because in each particular you petition that this be granted by […]
Letter III, from Pope Symmachus to Aeonius, Bishop of Arles
To Our most beloved brother Aeonius, Symmachus. Chapter I: The Vienne Dispute Has Arisen Because Anastasius II’s Ruling Departed from the Older Discipline 1. We have received the letters and directives of Your beloved, brought by Our son Crescentius the presbyter, the intermediary messenger, from which it is established that some struggle has arisen between […]
Letter II, from Pope Symmachus to Aeonius, Bishop of Arles
To Our most beloved brother Aeonius, Symmachus. Chapter I: The Vienne Bishop Obtained a Ruling From Anastasius II by Stealth Procurement; The Case Is to Be Reheard at Rome 1. The report of Your beloved has indeed moved Us, in that it has declared: namely that, contrary to the rules of ecclesiastical order and against […]
Letter XI, from Pope Hilarius to the Bishops Judging Mamertus’s Case
Hilarus, bishop, to his most beloved brothers — Victurus, Ingenuus, Ydatius, Eustasius, Fonteius, Viventius, Eulalius, Veranus, Faustus, Auxanius, Proculus, Ausonius, Paulus, Memorialis, Coelestius, Projectus, Eutropius, Avitianus, Ursus, and Leontius. With Us most solicitous, and suspended in much expectation by those things which the recent and certain report had brought to Us, the letters of your […]
Letter, from Leontius, Bishop of Arles, to Pope Hilarius
Letter of Leontius, bishop of Arles, to Pope Hilarius. That death has taken away your most holy predecessor Leo — who kept watch against heresies and uprooted the tares that were sprouting all too thickly, alas, in the Lord’s field — we grieve; that he has repaired the loss through Your Holiness, we rejoice. For […]
Letter V, from Pope Hilarius to Leontius, Bishop of Arles
Hilarus, bishop, to his most beloved brother Leontius. How much reverence — in the Spirit of God, who indwells the priests subject to Him — is owed to the blessed Apostle Peter and to his See, I judge to be known to all who hold the incorrupt guardianship of paternal traditions. Since therefore We wish […]
Letter III, from Pope Hilarius to Ascanius, Bishop of Tarraconensis
Hilarus, bishop, to his most beloved brother Ascanius. We must be mindful of the divine grace which, through the mercy of its favor, raised Us to the summit of the priestly office for this purpose: that, adhering to its commands and established as watchmen of its priesthood, We may prohibit what is illicit and teach […]
Letter, from the Bishops of Tarraconensis to Pope Hilarius
To the most blessed lord, Pope Hilarus, worthy of apostolic reverence, honored by us in Christ: Ascanius and all the bishops of the province of Tarraconensis. Even if no necessity of ecclesiastical discipline compelled us, we would in truth have sought out that privilege of your See, by which — after the keys of the […]
Letter I, from Pope Hilarius to the Bishops of Tarraconensis – Synodal Decree
Hilarius, pope, to the bishops of Tarraconensis. Concerning the synodal decree. In the consulship of Flavius Basiliscus and Hermericus, most illustrious men. Chapter I: The Decrees of the Apostolic See, Like the Divine Constitutions, May Not Be Violated; The Fault for Transgressions Falls on the Chief Priest Since the devout assembly, gathered by the Holy […]
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 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 XII, from Pope Felix III to Emperor Zeno
Felix to Zeno, emperor. Chapter I: The Religious Care of Zeno’s Piety; Thanks to God for the Emperor’s Devotion The human mind confesses itself insufficient to render worthy thanks to Our God, that the divine mercy has placed such care for religion in the feelings of your piety, as that you judge it by a […]
Letter IX, from Pope Felix III to Emperor Zeno
Felix to Zeno Augustus. Chapter I: Why Felix Writes Briefly; Fear for Zeno’s Kingdom and Salvation Since your piety, though you have responded to My writings with a more copious page, has judged the truth — though more diligently impressed upon your own ears — to be worthy of disdain, I had to take care […]
Acts of the Second Roman Council under Pope Gelasius I (13 May 495), at which Misenus of Cumae was Absolved
The Second Roman Council, in which Misenus is absolved by Gelasius and fifty-five bishops, in the year of the Lord 495, on the third day before the Ides of May. Convocation With Pope Gelasius, a man worthy of veneration, presiding in the synod, together with Bonifacius, Maximinus, Epiphanius, Basilius, Vitalis, Clarus, Irenæus, Decius, Asellus, Euplus, […]
The Decretum Gelasianum: The Council of Rome (494) on the Books to Be Received and Not Received by the Catholic Church
Some Concerning the Councils Celebrated under Gelasius — The First Roman Council, in which by seventy bishops the sacred and authentic books were distinguished from the apocrypha, under Gelasius, in the year of the Lord 494, in the consulship of Asterius and Praesidius. Editorial Preface — On the Council’s Purpose (Severinus Binius) The note that […]
