Letter 47: Severus reports the Bostra ordination dispute to his representatives and recommends moderate canonical correction for Agapius.

It is no surprise if the prelate of Jerusalem, whose character and faith everyone knows and whose condition I can hardly bear to name, has also done the thing you report against the holy canons: raising to the bishopric a man who belonged to the clergy of your holy church at Bostra. What would have been surprising is if someone of that faith and character had done anything canonical or orderly. We have therefore reported the matter to those who handle our apokriseis [formal church representation] in the royal city. As for the devout bishop Agapius, I will say this much. If the offenses committed by him are as you describe, he must be corrected by canonical rebukes. But the correction should be moderate because the time is difficult, and because the man has now "grown old in evil days," as Scripture says, and is already near being counted with those in Hades. God is faithful; he will not allow people who are wrongly disposed toward him to outrage the sacred episcopal office for long, so that his name is blasphemed among the nations.

It is nothing surprising if the prelate of the city of the men of Jerusalem, being such in his character and in his faith as everyone knows him to be, but as I for my part loathe even to take upon my lips, has done this act also which you have mentioned in violation of the holy canons, I mean the act of raising to the bishopric a man who was included in the clergy of your holy church. On the contrary one ought to have been surprised if one such as he in his faith and in his character had done anything canonical and according to regulation. We have told this therefore to those who manage our apokriseis in the royal city. As to Agapius the devout bishop, we have this much to say, that, if the offences committed by him are of such a nature, this man must be corrected by canonical reproofs: with moderation however on account of the difficulty of the time, and because the man has now "grown old in evil days," as the sacred scripture says, and has already come near to being reckoned with those that are in Hades. For "God is faithful, who will not suffer" those that are not rightly disposed towards Him to outrage the sacred prelacy for a great length of time, so that through them His name should be "blasphemed among the nations," as it is written.