Letter 9: Reply of the Senate of the City of Rome to the Emperor Anastasius Augustus.

Rescript of the Senate of the City of Rome to Anastasius Augustus [the emperor], through Theopompus and Severianus, men of clarissimus [most distinguished senatorial] rank. If the devotion of suppliants, invincible emperor, is always first looked to by those who govern, and if favor is won by obedience to our lords alone, you will assuredly recognize with how great rejoicing the pronouncements of your sacred command were received by your Senate, especially since the spirit of our lord, the most invincible king Theoderic, your son, who enjoins obedience to your instructions, was joined to this end, and since we know that we are then more exalted above all your benefits, when you judge us worthy of those whom it ought to command. Therefore at once, in our zeal to fulfill the sacred command, we believed the most blessed pope Hormisdas must be entreated. Of whom it is too little to say that by his kindness he anticipated the prayers of the suppliants; but he also joined his own prayers with ours, that what you exhort might come to pass, affirming his own will by evangelical [Gospel] testimonies, showing the world more heavily burdened by the scandals of its sins than by their multitude, since this is the Lord's saying: Woe to the world because of scandals, and that it is needful for men to cut off the part of their members that gives scandal, rather than that, by not renouncing scandals, they be cast into eternal fire. But also after these things he showed, by examples of the divine reading, how good are the fruits of peace, when he said that even the apostle Paul, full of the grace of God, nevertheless found nothing better that he might wish for those whom he well desired, except that the peace of God, which is above all excellence, should abound in their senses, and that in the Gospel of the Lord there is this saying of him who says: For the peacemakers shall be called the sons of God. And again, returning to the teacher of all the scriptures himself, he showed how much greater charity is than that very faith by which we both presume upon the heavenly kingdoms and, by believing, are saved from the torments of sins, subjoining such a testimony: Hope, faith, charity, but the greater of all is charity. The same Spirit, the grace of God bestowing, empties charity of all virtues in those who do not have it. Therefore, if both on account of punishment we shun scandals and pursue peace on account of the goods of peace, and if Christ, who is charity, exhorts us to charity: what then is it that holds back those who hasten with catholic ardor? What is it that hinders those who wish to see Christ, the person of the offending Acacius? What is it that those who are free are burdened by another's error? Although these matters have been more fully set forth in the venerable pope's rescripts, nevertheless out of the obedience of our devotion we believed they must be set down, lest we should be thought not to have asked, by hiding away the response which we received when entreating. Accordingly, most pious emperor, the Senate, provoked by the clemency of your serenity, has added these things in its own name, that, with however benevolent a spirit you have been in reconciling both commonwealths, so you may be known to be equally pious in restoring the unity of the Church. For as that peace of the realms is known to profit only the subjects, so this peace of religion profits the ruler together with his people. For indeed, who would not judge that the followers of the perfidious heresies have offended more than the very authors themselves? Who would not condemn those who again divide the members of Christ after the gibbet of the cross? Would that this cause had already begun while you were reigning, so that the evils might more easily be suppressed at their birth than when advanced! For who would doubt that an error could not have arisen which he saw corrected in his own times? Hormisdas to Anastasius Augustus.

RESCRIPTVX SEXATVS URBIS ROMAE AD AXASTASirM AUGUSTVir. PER THEOPOMPUM ET SEUERIANUM UU. CC. Si prima semper est, imperator inuicte, a regentibus sup- plicum spectata deuotio, si solo gratia dominorum conciliatur & obsequio, indubitanter agnosces, sacrae iussionis oracula quanta senatus uestri fuerint gratulatione suscepta, maxime cum ad hoc et aniraus domini nostri inuictissimi regis Theoderici filii uestri mandatorum uestrorum oboedientiam praecipientis acce- deret et sciamus supra omnia beneficia uestra tunc magis lo 2 nos erigi, cum dignos creditis, quibus debeat imperari. mox igitur sacrae studio iussionis implendae beatissimum papam Hormisdam credicdi >mus deprecandum. de quo parum est dicere, quia uota supplicantium benignitate praecessit; sed et nobis- cum suas preces, ut quod hortamini fiat, adiunxit euangelicis is uoluntatem suam testimoniis adserendo, ostendens mundum supra multitudines peccatorum suorum scandalis plus grauatum, dum uox sit ista dominica: uae mundo ab scandalis, et <absc>idere oportere homines scandalizantem paiiem membro- rum, quam ut in ignem non renuntiando scandalis mittantur 20 3 aeternum. sed et post haec diuinae lectionis exemplis, quam boni sint fructus pacis, ostendit, cnm diceret et apostolum Paulum gratia dei plenum nihil tamen, quibus bene cupiebat, quod optaret, melius inuenisse, nisi ut pax dei, quae est supra 18 Matth. 18, 7 19 sq. cf. Matth. 18, 8 24 cf Philipp. 4, 7 Epist. CXIV 1-8. 509 omnem excellentiam, in eorum sensibiis abundaret, quodque in euangelio domini sit uox ista dicentis: quoniam pacifici filii dei uocabuntur. et iterum ad ipsum scripturarum omnium 4 reuertendo doctorem, quanto ipsa uel fide, qua et caelestia regna praesumimus et a peccatorum cruciatibus credendo sal- uamur, caritas sit maior, ostendit testimonium tale subiciens: spes fides caritas, maior autem omnium caritas. idem spiritus gratia donante diuina caritatem uirtutibus omnibus euacuat non habentes. ergo si et propter poenam scandala decli- 5 namus etpacem propter pacis bona sectamur et ad caritatem nos, qui est caritas, Christus hortatur: quid est enim, quod retinet catholico ardore festinos? quid est, quod deliuquentis Acacii impedit uolentes Christum uidere persona? quid est, quod a suo liberi alieno grauantur eiTore? haec cum uenerabilis 6 papae latius fuerint expedita rescriptis, pro nostrae tamen obsequio credidimus deuotionis indenda, ne non rogasse puta- remur recondendo responsum, quod accepimus deprecantes. proinde, piissime imperator, haec suo nomine senatus sereni- 7 tatis tuae clementia prouocatus adiunxit, ut animo quam benigno in utraque re publica concordanda fuisti, tam esse pio in ecclesiae redintegranda unitate noscaris. nam ut pax illa regnorum tantum scitur prodesse subiectis, sic haec reli- gionis cum populo suo proficit imperanti. etenim quis non 8 haeresum perfidarum sequaces plus quam ipsos deliquisse putet auctores? quis non post patibulum crucis diuidentes iterum Christi membra condemnet? utinam haec iam uobis regnantibus causa coepisset, ut facilius mala reprimerentur nascentia quam prouecta! nam quis ambigat non potuisse eius existere, cuius corrigi temporibus uideret errorem? 2 Matth. 5, 9 7 Cor. I 13, 13 8 cf. Cor. I 13, 1—3 corr. a* 11 hortamur F, corr. cod. Angelic. 12 delinquentis Bar.: delinquentium F 13 impendit F, corr. persona ex persona corr, V 14 cuw os^: quam F, quamquam 17 recondendo Bar.: recedendo F, reticendo p^ 21 redintegrandae F, corr. cod. Arujelic. 22 sic o*; si F 510 Hormisda Anastasio Augusto