Letter XXII, from Ennodius of Pavia to Pope Symmachus
Ennodius to Pope Symmachus. Chapter I: While the Apostolic See Is Moderated by the Care of Symmachus’s Crown and the Summit of the Heavenly Empire Is Governed; Ennodius Recalls His Past Services While the Apostolic See is moderated by the care of Your Crown, and the summit of the heavenly empire is governed [by you], […]
Letter XVIII, from Ennodius of Pavia to Pope Symmachus
Ennodius to the Pope. Heavenly Providence Arranges the Usefulness of Those Who Follow; The Adversaries of the Apostolic See Have Learned by Whose Championing They Are Conquered The heavenly care arranges the usefulness of those who follow [it]: with good auspices, gifts are bestowed on those who deserve well of God. The supernal dispensation furnishes […]
Letter XVII, from King Sigismund of the Burgundians to Pope Symmachus
To Pope Symmachus. Chapter I: Sigismund Acknowledges the Sacred Relics Received Through the Deacon Julianus and Requests the Patronage of the Saints from the Apostolic Fountain While You enriched our Gaul with the spiritual reward of sacred pledges of relics through me, I do not presume to deny the petitioners; therefore it is necessary that […]
Letter V, Fourth Roman Synod (Synodus Palmaris) of 23 October 501
Translator’s note: The Latin of this synodal document is, even by Thiel’s standards, unusually compressed and difficult — particularly in sections 7 through 9, where the original passes through long periodic constructions and dense ablative absolutes. Readers consulting the document for technical theological or canonical purposes should compare it against the Latin in Thiel’s edition […]
Letter I, from Pope Anastasius II to the Emperor Anastasius I
Bishop Anastasius to the Most Glorious and Most Clement Son Anastasius Augustus. Exordium: The See of the Most Blessed Peter Holds in the Universal Church the Primacy Assigned to It by the Lord God At the beginning of my pontificate I bear, as my first announcement, the peace offered to the peoples. I therefore come […]
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 […]
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 […]
