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 […]
The Tome of Pope Gelasius On the Bond of Anathema
The Tome of Pope Gelasius On the Bond of Anathema. That the Acts of the Council of Chalcedon are valid only to the extent that the Apostolic See has approved them; that the things established against Acacius are just; and that Peter of Alexandria could only have been absolved by the Apostolic See. Chapter I: […]
Ten Fragments of the Letters of Pope Gelasius
Ten Fragments of the Letters of Pope Gelasius. Fragment I: To Bishop Caelestinus — Concerning the Promotion of the Deacon Julianus at Histonium From the Collection of Cardinal Deusdedit, Book I, Chapter 144. In the church of the blessed martyr Eleutherius, which is shown to have been built in the parish of the city of […]
Letter XV, from Pope Gelasius to the Eastern Bishops
To His Most Beloved Brothers, All the Eastern Bishops, Gelasius. Chapter I: The Eastern Bishops Should Have Recognized Petrus the Antiochene as Heretic and Refused His Communion What then about these wise men, with their sharp minds searching out the inner workings of all religion, established in the parts of the East — if they […]
Letter XIV (Tractatus IV), of Pope Gelasius — Setting Forth What Should Be Answered Against the Greeks
Letter XIV, or Tractatus, of Pope Gelasius. In Which He Sets Forth Examples From the Letters of Pope Simplicius and Pope Felix [Showing] That They Had Long Since Recognized — or Had Been Seen to Judge — the Impiety of Timothy Aelurus and Peter of Alexandria. Afterward He Continues in His Own Words, Instructing What […]
Letter V, from Pope Felix III to Emperor Zeno
To the most glorious and most serene son, Zeno Augustus: Felix, bishop, greetings in the Lord. Chapter I: Rome Conveys Peter the Apostle’s Confession to the Emperor It is fitting to announce to your clemency the order of things done for the tranquility of the empire of your serenity; and I pray that you receive […]
Letter IV, from Pope Felix III to Peter the Fuller
To the Same. Peter the Fuller Is Deposed and Anathematized. Chapter I: The Indictment — Peter’s Novelty in Ignatius’s See; His Refusal of the Fathers and of Rome’s Letters Because you have chattered impiously with unbearable words, and have not judged it fitting to yield to the aforesaid holy Fathers who adorned the see of […]
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 II, from Pope Felix III to Zeno Augustus
Here begins the copy of the letter of the most blessed Pope Felix of the city of Rome to Zeno Augustus, through the Bishops Vitalis and Misenus. Opening Courtesy; The Legation of Vitalis, Misenus, and Felix the Defensor Sent in the Pope’s Stead It was truly fitting, venerable Emperor, that after the passing of my […]
Letter I, Pope Felix III to Acacius of Constantinople
Felix, bishop, to Acacius, Bishop of Constantinople, through Our brothers and fellow bishops Vitalis and Misenus. The Cares of the Universal Church Which Peter Dispenses; The Legation of Vitalis and Misenus When my predecessor of holy memory, Pope Simplicius, passed from this life at the supernal command, the helm of the ministry he had been […]
Letter XIII, from Pope Gelasius to the Bishops of Dardania
Gelasius, bishop of the city of Rome, to the [bishops of] Dardania. Chapter I: The Astonishment at the Question; The Eutychian Communicators Have Nothing to Say We are greatly astonished that your dilection desires to know — as though it were a new and, as it were, a difficult question, and still as though it […]
Letter XII, from Pope Gelasius to Æonius, Bishop of Arles
Gelasius to his most beloved brother Æonius. The Principal Governance of the Blessed Apostle Peter, Delegated by Christ, Owes the Care of the Whole Sheepfold to the Universal Flock Among the various difficulties, We rejoice to have found the opportunity by which — disclosing that through divine grace We have come to the governance of […]
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 X, from Pope Gelasius to the Bishops of Sicily
Gelasius, bishop of the Roman Church, to his most beloved brother bishops united in the charity of Christ, who are established in Sicily. Bishops Have the Governance of Church Resources, Subject to the Distribution of Stipends to Widows, Orphans, the Poor, and the Clergy The authority of Our predecessors has gone forth, that bishops have […]
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 VIII To the Emperor Anastasius
Gelasius, bishop, to Anastasius Augustus. Gelasius Explains Why He Had Not Written, and Declares Himself Bound by the Duty of Preaching as Vicar of the Apostolic See Your Piety’s servants, my sons — Faustus the master, and Irenaeus, illustrious men, together with their companions fulfilling their public legation — upon returning to the City, said […]
Letter II, from Pope Gelasius to Laurentius, Bishop of Lignido
Gelasius to Laurentius, Bishop of Lignido. The Custom of the Roman Church: A Newly Established Pope Prescribes the Formula of Faith to All the Holy Churches In the length of your charity’s letter you have filled us with great joy — in that part where it was said that in the Church of Thessalonica, and […]
Letter LXXVIII to Justin, Emperor
Hormisdas to Justin, Emperor. I know, venerable Emperor, that your clemency is content with the awareness of good deeds, and that in what you arrange for the unity of the Catholic Church, you do not require human praise, lest the glory of such a great effort is unworthy of reward. For what is the sum […]
Letter LIII to Dioscorus, Deacon
Hormisdas to Dioscorus, Deacon. We rejoice in the success of the work you have undertaken with the help of Almighty God, regarding what has been accomplished thus far. We instruct you to consider how those who condemned the decrees of the Council of Chalcedon in writing are to be brought back. Perhaps such individuals are […]
Letter of Justin to Hormisdas
Victor Justin, Pious, Blessed, Renowned, Ever Triumphant Augustus, to the Most Holy (Most Sacred) and Blessed Archbishop and Patriarch (of the Holy City of Rome), Hormisdas. Know, most religious Father, that what we have long sought with utmost zeal has been accomplished, even before those whom you sent have arrived. Know that John, the most […]
