Letter 4079: The matter of slaves who wish to convert to Christianity is one where the church's position must be unambiguous: a...
Ab FORTUNATUM EPISCOPUM.
& Judaicum aut paganum mancipium ad Christianam
ſidem converti desiderat, in libertatem vindicetur.
Gregorius Forlunato episcopo Neapolitano.
Fraternitati vestre ante hoc tempus scripsimus,
ul hos qui de Judaica $uperslitivne ad Christianam
ſidem Deo aspiranle venire desiderant, dominis eo-
rum nulla esset licentia venundandi; sed ex eo quo
voluntatis suze desiderium prodidissent, defendi in
libertatem per omnia debuissent. Sed quia, quantum
cognovimns , nec voluntatem nostram, nec !egum
Stlatuta sublili scientes discretione pengare, in paga-
nis servis hac se non arbiſrantur conditione cons1rin-
gi, fraternitatem vestram (Grat. dis. 54, c. 15) opor-
© Vulgati recent., i tanti mali conscius etiam pro- D
us,
© Ita in Turon. S. Gat. et in Vatic.
- Eeisr, XXXIIL | Al. 31]. — * Recent., et sf de Ju-
deorum, ſorie _ explicationis gratia , nam in
Mss. non legitur. mancipiis Judzorum plura ad
epist. 9, |. iv. Vide Nov. Valentiniani tertiam, an,
425, quam Sirmondus in primum tomum Conc. Gal-
liz conjecit; et in Cod. de Judais, lib. xvit, et lit.
£eq., ne Christianum mancipium.
mal,
non solum Judzus, $ed etiam quisquam paganormm
ſieri voluerit Christianus , poslquam volunlas ejus
ſuerit pateſacta, nec hunc Þ sub quolibet ingenio vel
argumento cuipiam Judzxorum . venundandi facultas
Sit, 8ed is qui ad Christianam converli fidem deside-
rat deſensione vestra in libertatem modis omnibus
vindicetur. Ii vero quos hnjuscemodi oportet servos
amillere, ne forsilan utilitates 81as jrrationabiliter
estliment impediri, sollicita vos hc convenit consi-
deratione servare; ut si Paganos , quos mercimonii
causa de externis finibus emerint, intra 1 es menses
dum emptor © cui vendi debeant invenitovr, fugere
ad Ecclesiam ſorte conligerit , et velle $e fieri dixe-
rint Christ anos, vel etiam extra Feclesiam hanc ta-
B lem voluntatem prodiderint, pretium eorum a Chri-
Stiano $cilicet emptore percipiant. Si autem post
przefinitos tres menses quisquam hnjusmodi servo-
rum velle suum cdixerit, et fieri voJuerit Christia-
nus, nec aliquis eum pos|{modum emere, nec dJomi-
nus qualibet occaSionis spercie andeat venundare , 8d
ad libertatis procul dubio premia perducatur, quia
hunc non ad vendendum, sed ad serviendum sibi
intelligitur 4 reservasse. Hac igitur omnia fraterni
las vesira ita \igilanter observet, quateius ei nec
Supplicatio quorumdam valeat, nec persora Subripe-
re. (Cf. Joan. Diac. |. i, n. 46.)
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