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PL 3 · cols. 1037–1044
Pseudo-Stephanus, Appendix: epistolae decretales S. Stephano ascriptae (ad Hilarium episcopum; de expulsione episcoporum)
Letter II
faciat divinae ultionis justum flagellum ad ima. Haec illis partibus, quibus moraris, et in omnibus quibus potueris, cunctis nota facito, et observare apostolica mandato auctoritate; quia et nostri nobisque commissi in sancta apostolica et universali Ecclesia, omnes haec observare, nunc et futuris temporibus professi sunt. His breviter tuis, frater, magnifice respondi litteris. Quibus tua dilectio ita societur, ut nihil in his quae ad universalis Ecclesiae statum pertinent, aut dubie agatur aut segniter (S. Lec. epist. XLVI). Et cum tali moderatione agantur cuncta, ut nec benevolentiae partes, nec justitiae negligantur, sed absque personarum acceptione divinum in omnibus judicium cogitetur. Quod ut recta observantia valeat custodiri, catholicae primitus servetur fidei integritas. Et quia per omnia angusta et arcta via quae ducit ad vitam, neque in sinistram neque in dextram ab ejus tramite devietur
[that is,] the just scourge of divine vengeance, to the depths. Make these things known to all in those parts in which you dwell, and in all [places] that you can, and command by apostolic authority that they be observed; because both our [predecessors] and those committed to us in the holy apostolic and universal Church have all professed to observe these things, now and in future times. With these [words], brother, I have briefly and amply answered your letters. Let your love be so joined to them that nothing in those matters which pertain to the state of the universal Church is done either doubtfully or sluggishly (St Leo, Letter 46). And let all things be done with such moderation that neither the claims of benevolence nor those of justice are neglected, but that without respect of persons the divine judgement is kept in mind in all things. That this may be preserved by right observance, let the integrity of the catholic faith be kept first of all. And since the way that leads to life is narrow and strait throughout, let there be no turning aside from its path either to the left or to the right
Data quinto Nonas Maii, Valeriano et Gallicano viris clarissimis, consulibus (Annis 254 255 et 257).
Given on the fifth day before the Nones of May, Valerian and Gallicanus, most illustrious men, being consuls (in the years 254, 255 and 257).
EPISTOLA II.
Letter II.
ARGUMENTUM. — De expulsione episcoporum, et ut quidquid in sacratis Deo rebus et episcopis injuste agitur, pro sacrilegio reputetur; et ut per scripta nullius accusatio suscipiatur, et de aliis pluribus atque utilibus causis.
Argument. — On the expulsion of bishops, and that whatever is done unjustly against things consecrated to God and against bishops is to be reckoned as sacrilege; and that no one's accusation is to be received in writing; and on many other useful matters.
De accusationibus sacerdotum. II. De episcopis rebus suis exspoliatis, aut a sede pulsis. III. Si quis episcopos vel actores sive defensores Ecclesiae, antequam eos charitative conveniat, accusare praesumpserit, ut sit puniendus. IV. Qui non debeant admitti ad accusationem. V. Accusationem, per scripta non suscipiendam, nec absentem posse accusari vel accusare, nec debere priusquam locum accipiat deferendi. VI. De primatibus et metropolitanis, et de negotiis episcoporum ad ipsos referendis. VII. Ut episcopus accusatus, ab omnibus comprovincialibus episcopis audiatur. VIII. Ut omnis accusatio intra provinciam terminetur, nisi ad Sedem apostolicam fuerit appellatum; et de accusationibus criminalibus implicatis, vel sponte confessis, aut olim inimicis. IX. Si clericus episcopum accusaverit, aut insidiatus fuerit. X. Si laici res ecclesiasticas dispensare debeant. XI. De personis accusatorum. XII. De criminationibus doctorum, vel quod divinis vocibus damnati episcopos non possunt accusare vel in eos testificari.
On accusations against priests. II. On bishops despoiled of their property or driven from their see. III. That anyone who presumes to accuse bishops or agents or defenders of the Church before meeting them in charity is to be punished. IV. Who ought not to be admitted to bring an accusation. V. That an accusation is not to be received in writing, and that an absent person can neither be accused nor accuse, nor ought [an accusation to be made] before [the accuser] receives a place for bringing the charge. VI. On primates and metropolitans, and on the business of bishops to be referred to them. VII. That a bishop who is accused is to be heard by all the bishops of the province. VIII. That every accusation is to be concluded within the province, unless an appeal has been made to the Apostolic See; and on criminal accusations by those who are implicated [in crime], or who have confessed of their own accord, or who were formerly enemies. IX. If a cleric accuses a bishop or lays snares for him. X. Whether laymen ought to administer ecclesiastical property. XI. On the persons of accusers. XII. On charges against teachers, or that those condemned by divine utterances cannot accuse bishops or testify against them.
STEPHANUS, SANCTAE APOSTOLICAE ET UNIVERSALIS ROMANAE ECCLESIAE EPISCOPUS, OMNIBUS PER DIVERSAS PROVINCIAS CONSTITUTIS EPISCOPIS, IN DOMINO SALUTEM.
Stephen, bishop of the holy apostolic and universal Roman Church, to all the bishops established throughout the various provinces, greeting in the Lord.
Plurimum gaudemus in Domino (S. Leo. epist. XL), et in dono gratiae ipsius gloriamur, quod fides vestra per bona opera crescit magnifice, et dilatatur amplissime, sed nimis affligimur et tribulamur de vestra oppressione, super qua crebrior commeantium usque ad nos fratrum sermo perlatus est (Idem, epist. LXXXVII et seq.). Non oportuerat quidem ab illis a quibus sustentare et portari atque honorari
We rejoice greatly in the Lord (St Leo, Letter 40), and we glory in the gift of His grace, that your faith grows magnificently through good works and spreads most widely; but we are exceedingly afflicted and troubled at your oppression, about which a report has been brought to us with increasing frequency by brethren travelling all the way to us (the same, Letter 87 and following). It ought not indeed [to have happened] that, by those by whom to be sustained and carried and honoured
Editors' notes and page, col. 1037
Footnotes
Variorum notae.
Notes of various editors.
(printed under page 570)
Page
- running head: 1037 EPISTOLÆ DECRET[...] (cut off at image edge)
- marginal letters: A ‹faciat divinae ultionis justum›; B ‹tus servetur fidei integritas›; C ‹scripta non suscipiendam, nec absentem›; D ‹Plurimum gaudemus in Domino›
- old-edition numerals: 1002 after ‹terminetur,›
- misprints kept as printed: "S. Lec. epist." (for Leo)
- other: editors' matter set: Argumentum (‹De expulsione episcoporum›) and chapter summary (‹De accusationibus sacerdotum›), the latter printed without a numeral I.; "Gallicano" set as printed (consul usually Gallienus), not marked as misprint; "tramite" read where e/o is blurred (page may print "tramito"), unsure; D's position falls between "LUTEM." and "Plurimum", unsure; the Variorum notae heading at the page foot, printed across both columns and cut off, is not set, nor its note (4)
debueratis tantis vos oppressionibus concuti. Quapropter necessarium est ut, remotis talium tergiversationibus, quibus venenosa malitia revelari, atque obscurari bonitas et veritas solet (Idem, epist. XXXV), adminiculum non modicum vobis a fidelibus impendatur, atque ab hac apostolica Sede suffragetur, quos per divinam gratiam Christi auxilio dignum est adjuvari, ne in totius Ecclesiae perturbationem imprudens procedat intentio, et ea quae a sanctis praedecessoribus nostris, et reliquis sanctis Patribus dudum fuerant prohibita, denuo reviviscant. Loci namque nostri (S. Greg. epist. XI, lib. XII) consideratione compellimur, ea quae ad notitiam nostram emendanda pervenerunt, propter Dominum non derelinquere, sed digna emendatione corrigere. Et si saecularibus officii ordo suus, et tradita a majoribus disciplina servanda est, quis ferat ecclesiasticos ordines temeraria praesumptione confundi, audita negligere, et emendanda, non spem ferendo, postponere.
you ought, you should be shaken by such great oppressions. Wherefore it is necessary that, the evasions of such men being removed, by which venomous malice is wont to be revealed and goodness and truth to be obscured (The same, Letter 35), no small support be furnished to you by the faithful, and that aid be given from this apostolic See to you, whom it is fitting, through the divine grace of Christ, to help with assistance, lest an imprudent design proceed to the disturbance of the whole Church, and those things which had long ago been forbidden by our holy predecessors and the other holy Fathers come to life again. For by consideration of our position (St Gregory, Letter 11, Book 12) we are compelled not to abandon, for the Lord's sake, the things needing amendment that have come to our notice, but to correct them with fitting amendment. And if for secular offices their own order and the discipline handed down by our forebears must be preserved, who would endure that ecclesiastical orders be confounded by rash presumption, that things heard be neglected, and that things needing amendment be put off, not by bearing hope.
I. Audivimus enim vos a quibusdam accusari, non tam pro vestra culpa, quam pro eorum libitu, ut vestra rapere possint: et ideo vos nimis affligi et concuti in tantum, ut etiam a sedibus propriis pellamini, et tali occasione E⟨c⟩clesiae facultatesque vestrae vastentur ac depraedentur. Ista, charissimi, non oportet fieri, nec denuo replicari. Tamen necesse est ut quae toties usurpantur, saepius replicentur et prohibeantur. Nam quidquid in sacratis Deo rebus et episcopis injuste agitur, pro sacrilegio reputabitur, quia sacrata sunt, et violari a quoquam non debent.
I. For we have heard that you are accused by certain men, not so much on account of your own fault as according to their pleasure, so that they may be able to seize your possessions; and that you are therefore greatly afflicted and shaken, to such an extent that you are even driven from your own sees, and on such a pretext the churches and your means are laid waste and plundered. These things, dearest brethren, ought not to happen, nor to be repeated again. Nevertheless it is necessary that things which are so often usurped be more often restated and forbidden. For whatever is done unjustly against things consecrated to God and against bishops will be reckoned as sacrilege, because they are consecrated and ought not to be violated by anyone.
II. Nullus enim episcoporum (2, q. 2. Nullus episcoporum), dum suis fuerit rebus expoliatus, aut a sede propria qualibet occasione pulsus, debet accusari, aut a quoquam ei potest crimen objici, priusquam integerrime restauretur (Concil. Rom. III et V, sub Symmac.; Hadr.): et omnia quae illi ablata quocumque ingenio fuerant, legibus redintegrentur, et ipse propriae sedi et pristino statui regulariter reddatur, ita ut omnes possessiones et cuncta sibi injuste ablata, atque fructus omnes, ante captam accusationem, primates et synodus episcopo de quo agitur, funditus restituant; quia hoc non solum ecclesiasticae, sed etiam saeculi leges fieri prohibent.
II. For no one of the bishops (2, q. 2, "Nullus episcoporum"), while he has been despoiled of his property or driven from his own see on any pretext whatever, ought to be accused, nor can a charge be brought against him by anyone, before he is most completely restored (Roman Councils 3 and 5 under Symmachus; Hadrian); and all things which had been taken from him by whatever contrivance are to be restored by the laws, and he himself is to be returned in due order to his own see and his former standing, so that the primates and the synod restore entirely to the bishop concerned, before the accusation is taken up, all the possessions and everything unjustly taken from him, and all the revenues; because not only the ecclesiastical laws but also those of the world forbid this to be done.
III. Neque aliquis eorum, aut Ecclesiarum actorum vel defensorum (Had. coll. cap. 2, ex can. 17, conc. V Aurelianensis) ad aliquos prius accusari debet, quam ipsi charitative bis aut ter ab eis qui se laesos aestimant, vel eos pro aliquibus erratibus corripere cupiunt, conveniantur, ut ab eis aut familiarem emendationem, aut justam percipiant excusationem. Quod qui praesumpserit, liminibus arceatur Ecclesiae usque ad condignam satisfactionem.
III. Nor ought any one of them, or of the agents or defenders of the churches (Hadrian's Collection, chap. 2, from canon 17 of the fifth Council of Orléans), to be accused before any persons until they themselves have been approached in charity two or three times by those who consider themselves injured, or who wish to rebuke them for some errors, so that from them they may receive either a friendly amendment or a just excuse. Whoever presumes to do this, let him be kept from the thresholds of the Church until fitting satisfaction is made.
IV. Accusatores (3, q. 5, Accusatores; et supra
IV. Accusers (3, q. 5, "Accusatores"; and above
Editors' notes and page, col. 1038
Footnotes
(4) ‹anchor: Ecclesiarum actorum vel› · call in col 1038
Actorum vel. Episcopi dicuntur actores Ecclesiae; quia ipsis lege apostolica rerum ecclesiasticarum administratio, cura et dispensatio commissa est. Vide quae diximus in notis ad primam epistolam Alexandri, verbis, quam ad sacerdotes. SEVER. BIN.
"Of the agents or." Bishops are called the agents (actores) of the Church, because by apostolic law the administration, care and stewardship of church property has been entrusted to them. See what we said in the notes on the first letter of Alexander, at the words "quam ad sacerdotes." Severinus Binius.
(printed under page 570)
Page
- running head: …OLAE DECRETALES. 1038 (running head cut at the left edge of the image)
- marginal letters: A debueratis tantis vos oppressionibus; B Et si saecularibus officii ordo suus; C quoquam non debent.; D rum vel defensorum
- old-edition numerals: 1002 after reputabitur,
in Decr. Telesophori et Julii) vero et accusationes quas saeculi leges non recipiunt, et antecessores nostri prohibuerunt, et nos submovemus. Nullus enim alienigna aut accusator eorum fiat aut judex. Unde et de Loth scriptum est: Ingressus es ut advena, numquid ut judices (Gen. XIX)? Accusator autem vestrorum nullus sit servus (Hadr. coll. variis cap.) aut libertus, nullaque suspecta persona aut infamis. Repellantur etiam cohabitantes inimicis, et omnes laici; quia infestationem blasphemiae affectio amicitiae incitare solet. Nec illi in vestra sunt suscipiendi accusatione qui vos in sua volunt recipere infamatione. Nullus anathema suscipiatur (2 q. 2. Nullus Anathematizatorum), nec a quoquam credantur quae ab eis vel dicuntur, vel conscribuntur.
in Decr. Telesophori et Julii), however, and accusations which the laws of the world do not admit, and which our predecessors forbade, we also set aside. For let no foreigner become either their accuser or their judge. Whence also it is written of Lot: You came in as a stranger; is it that you may judge? (Gen. 19). But let no accuser of your people be a slave (Hadr. coll. variis cap.) or a freedman, nor any suspect or infamous person. Let those who live with enemies also be repelled, and all laymen, because the affection of friendship is wont to stir up the assault of slander. Nor are those to be admitted in an accusation against you who wish to draw you into their own disgrace. Let no one who is anathema be admitted (2 q. 2. Nullus Anathematizatorum), nor let the things which are either said or written by them be believed by anyone.
V. Eos quoque dico anathematizatos esse quos episcopi suis scriptis anathematizaverunt, aut eorum statuta anathematizant. Per scripta (2. q. 8) enim nullus accusator suscipiatur, sed propria voce si legitima et condigna accusatoris persona fuerit, praesente videlicet eo, quem accusare desiderat, quia nullus absens aut accusari potest aut accusare. Nullus tamen praefati ordinis vir accusari potest (Hincm. cap. 15, lib. LV), aut respondere suis accusatoribus debet priusquam regulariter a suo primate vocatus sit, locumque defendendi et inquirendi accipiat ad abluenda crimina.
V. Those too I declare to be anathematized whom the bishops have anathematized by their writings, or whom their statutes anathematize. For let no accuser be admitted through writings (2. q. 8), but by his own voice, if the person of the accuser is lawful and worthy, and namely in the presence of him whom he desires to accuse, because no one who is absent can either be accused or accuse. Yet no man of the aforesaid order can be accused (Hincm. cap. 15, lib. LV), or is bound to answer his accusers, before he has been regularly summoned by his primate and receives opportunity to defend himself and to make inquiry, so as to wash away the charges.
VI. Nulli (Idem supra in Decr. Aniceti papae) enim metropolitani aut alii episcopi appellentur primates, nisi hi qui primas sedes tenent (Hadr. coll. 25) et quorum civitates antiqui primates esse censuerunt. Reliqui vero, qui caeteras metropolitanas civitates adepti sunt, non primates, sed aut archiepiscopi, aut metropolitani vocentur. Urbes (Dist. 90, Urbes, sed sub nomine Lucii, non Stephani) enim et loca quibus primates praesidere debent non a modernis, sed etiam multis ante adventum Christi sunt statutae temporibus, quorum primates, etiam gentiles, pro majoribus etiam negotiis appellabant. In ipsis vero urbibus post Christi adventum, apostoli et successores eorum patriarchas vel primates posuerunt, ad quos episcoporum
VI. For let no metropolitans (Idem supra in Decr. Aniceti papae) or other bishops be called primates, except those who hold the first sees (Hadr. coll. 25) and whose cities the ancients determined to be primates. But the rest, who have obtained the other metropolitan cities, are to be called not primates, but either archbishops or metropolitans. For the cities (Dist. 90, Urbes, sed sub nomine Lucii, non Stephani) and places over which primates ought to preside were established not by moderns, but even long ages before the coming of Christ, and to their primates even the gentiles used to appeal in their greater affairs. And in those very cities, after the coming of Christ, the apostles and their successors placed patriarchs or primates, to whom bishops'
Editors' notes and page, col. 1039
Footnotes
Variae lectiones.
Variant readings.
⁹ ‹anchor: not visible› · call above the page foot Ms. Nullus enim. Hard.
Manuscript: "Nullus enim." Hardouin.
¹⁰ ‹anchor: not visible› · call above the page foot Al. anathematizatorum.
Another reading: "anathematizatorum" (of the anathematized).
¹¹ ‹anchor: not visible› · call above the page foot Al. Accusatio.
Another reading: "Accusatio" (accusation).
¹² ‹anchor: defendendi et inquirendi› · call in col 1039 Al. abluendi.
Another reading: "abluendi" (of washing away).
¹³ ‹anchor: sed etiam› · call in col 1039 Latinius legit sed jam. Hard.
Latinius reads "sed jam" (but already). Hardouin.
¹⁴ ‹anchor: not visible› · call above the page foot Al. cohortentur.
Another reading: "cohortentur" (let them be exhorted).
¹⁵ ‹anchor: not visible› · call above the page foot Al. add. episcopo.
Another reading adds "episcopo" (to the bishop).
¹⁶ ‹anchor: aliquid respondendi› · call in col 1040 Forte disponendi Labb.
Perhaps "disponendi" (of disposing). Labbe.
Variorum notae.
Notes of various editors.
(printed under page 571)
(5) ‹anchor: not visible (call above the page foot)› · call in col 1039
Nullus alienigena aut accusotor eorum fiat aut Judex. Vide notas epistolae primae Anacleti, verbis, peregrina judicia etc., item verbis quoniam Apostoli, etc. SEVER. BIN.
"Let no foreigner become their accuser [misprinted accusotor] or judge." See the notes on the first letter of Anacletus, at the words "peregrina judicia" etc., and also at the words "quoniam Apostoli," etc. Severinus Binius.
(printed under page 571)
(6) ‹anchor: appellentur primates› · call in col 1039
Appellentur primates, etc. Hoc loco ea quae de numero et origine patriarchalium sedium diximus in notis ad III epistolam Anacleti confirmantur: itaque vide quae ibidem diximus. SEVER, BIN.
"Let them be called primates," etc. In this place what we said on the number and origin of the patriarchal sees in the notes on the third letter of Anacletus is confirmed: so see what we said there. Severinus Binius.
(printed under page 571)
(7) ‹anchor: etiam gentiles› · call in col 1039
Quorum primates etiam gentiles. Sicut alia multa, ita etiam antiquissimum hoc nomen atque primatum et patriarcharum feliciter in Ecclesiam translatum est. Non tantum enim Judaei, sed etiam Aegyptii utebantur eo nomine atque primaria dignitate. Nam Herodotus cum agit de sacris Aegyptiorum (1), patriarchas illos nominat qui principem locum in sacris tenent. Insuper usus est eo nomine Hadrianus imperator, Trajani successor, in epistola ad Servium consulem de Aegyptiorum inconstantia, ubi, teste Flavio Vospico in Saturnino, haec verba ait: Ille ipse patriarcha cum in Aegyptum venerit, ab aliis Serapidem adorare, ab aliis cogitur Christum. Quod an imperator vere dixerit. et de quibus id intelligendum sit, vide Baronium anno Christi 132 num. 13 et 14. SEVER. BIN.
"Whose primates even the gentiles." Like many other things, this most ancient name of primates and patriarchs was happily carried over into the Church. For not only the Jews but the Egyptians too used that name and that chief dignity. For Herodotus, when he treats of the sacred rites of the Egyptians (1), names as patriarchs those who hold the chief place in the rites. Moreover the emperor Hadrian, Trajan's successor, used that name in a letter to the consul Servianus [printed Servium] on the fickleness of the Egyptians, where, on the testimony of Flavius Vopiscus [printed Vospico] in his Saturninus, he says these words: "That very patriarch, when he comes to Egypt, is compelled by some to worship Serapis, by others Christ." Whether the emperor said this truly, and of whom it is to be understood, see Baronius, year of Christ 132, nos. 13 and 14. Severinus Binius.
(printed under page 571)
(1) ‹anchor: sacris Aegyptiorum› · call in note (7)
Ista non leguntur apud Herodotum, et Baronio fucum aliquis fecit. LABB.
These things are not read in Herodotus, and someone has deceived Baronius. Labbe.
(printed under page 571)
Page
- running head: 1039 S. STEPHANI PAPÆ ET (cut off at the image edge)
- marginal letters: A in Decr. Telesophori et Julii) vero; B 1004. V. Eos quoque dico; C coll. 25) et quorum civitates; D (5) Nullus alienigena aut accusotor (in the Variorum notae at the page foot)
- old-edition numerals: 1004 after conscribuntur.
negotia, salva in omnibus apostolica auctoritate, et majores causae, post apostolicam Sedem sunt referendae. Et licet, Apostolo prohibente (I Cor. VI), inter Christianos non debe⟨a⟩nt accusationes exerceri, sed si prohiberi non poterint, accusationes episcoporum ad memoratos primates debent ab accusatoribus deferri, studendum est tamen episcopis, ut dissidentes fratres magis ad pacem quam ad judicium coerceantur (Conc. Carth. IV, cap. 26).
affairs, with the apostolic authority preserved in all things, and the greater cases are to be referred onwards to the apostolic See. And although, since the Apostle forbids it (1 Cor. 6), accusations ought not to be brought among Christians, yet if they cannot be prevented, accusations against bishops ought to be brought by the accusers before the aforesaid primates; bishops must nevertheless take pains that brothers at variance be constrained towards peace rather than towards judgement (Council of Carthage IV, ch. 26).
VII. Episcopus (Hadr. coll. 25, 27) autem aliter non debet audiri aut judicari, nisi in praesentia omnium comprovincialium, et ab omnibus comprovincialibus episcopis, quia, ipsis absentibus, nec debet nec potest. Quae vero personae ad accusationem eorum non sunt admittendae, et superius ex parte jam dictum est, et latius tam hi quam et infames personae, in epistola quam dudum Hilario misimus, sunt annumeratae.
7. A bishop (Collection of Hadrian 25, 27), moreover, ought not to be heard or judged otherwise than in the presence of all his fellow-provincials, and by all the fellow-provincial bishops, because, in their absence, he neither ought to be nor can be. Which persons, however, are not to be admitted to accuse them has both been stated in part already above, and these as well as infamous persons have been enumerated more fully in the letter which we sent some time ago to Hilarius.
VIII. Ultra provinciae (3, q. 6, Ultra provinciae; et in Decr. Joan. lib. IV) vero terminos accusandi licentia non progrediatur, sed omnis accusatio inter provinciam audiatur, et a comprovincialibus terminetur, nisi ad apostolicam Sedem fuerit tantum appellatum. Et neganda (3. q. 11, Neganda est; et in Decret. Joan. lib. IV) est accusatis licentia criminandi, prius quam se crimine, quo premuntur, exuerint (Vide Cod. Theod. lib. IX, const. 10, 11, 12 Anianum interpretem; Hadr. coll.); quia non est credendum contra alios eorum confessioni, qui criminibus implicati sunt, nisi se prius probaverint innocentes, quoniam periculosa est; et admitti non debet rei adversus quamcumque professio. Familiares vero et sponte confessi atque sceleribus irretiti, non debent admitti, nec hi qui (S. Ambr. epist. LXIV) hesterna die, aut pridie, aut ante fuerunt inimici.
8. But let the licence to accuse not go beyond the boundaries of the province (3, q. 6, Ultra provinciae; and in the Decretum of John, book 4), but let every accusation be heard within the province and be settled by the fellow-provincials, unless an appeal has been made to the apostolic See alone. And the licence to bring charges is to be denied (3, q. 11, Neganda est; and in the Decretum of John, book 4) to the accused, before they have cleared themselves of the charge by which they are pressed (see the Theodosian Code, book 9, constitutions 10, 11, 12, with the interpreter Anianus; Collection of Hadrian); because credence must not be given against others to the confession of those who are entangled in crimes, unless they have first proved themselves innocent, since it is dangerous; and the declaration of a defendant ought not to be admitted against anyone whatever. Members of the household, moreover, and those who have confessed of their own accord and are ensnared in crimes, ought not to be admitted, nor those who (St Ambrose, Letter 64) were enemies yesterday, or the day before, or earlier.
IX. Clericus ergo qui episcopum (3, q. 4, Clericus qui episcopum) suum accusaverit, aut ei insidiator extiterit, non est recipiendus, quia infamis effectus est, et a gradu debet recedere, aut curiae tradi serviturus.
9. A cleric, therefore, who has accused his bishop (3, q. 4, Clericus qui episcopum), or has been a plotter against him, is not to be received, because he has become infamous, and he must withdraw from his rank, or be handed over to the curia to serve it.
X. Laicis quoque, quamvis religiosi sint (Idem in epist. Fabiani papae), nulli tamen de ecclesiasticis facultatibus aliquid respondendi legitur unquam attributa
10. To laymen also, however devout they may be (The same in the letter of Pope Fabian), to none, however, is there ever read to have been granted, of answering anything concerning ecclesiastical resources,
Editors' notes and page, col. 1040
Page
- running head: NI PAPAE ET MARTYRIS 1040 (cut off at left edge; ligature printed PAPÆ)
- marginal letters: A ‹porum negotia, salva›; B ‹parte jam dictum est›; C ‹non debet rei adversus›; D ‹Aegyptii utebantur› (in the Variorum notae at the page foot, not set)
- old-edition numerals: 1005 within ‹comprovincialibus› (at the break comprovin-|cialibus)
- other: first word ‹porum› is the end of ‹episcoporum› broken from col. 1039; last word ‹at-› broken across the column end; ‹debe⟨a⟩nt›: letter damaged in type; ‹studendum› type slightly damaged at the m; ‹poterint› set as printed (non-classical future perfect form, not marked as a misprint); ‹Vide› printed with a mark over the e, taken as damage; ‹post apostolicam Sedem› rendered loosely, UNSURE; Variae lectiones and Variorum notae at the page foot not set
facultas. Scimus, dilectissimi, quia semper carnales spirituales solent persequi, et malevali benevolos infamare et lacerare. Ideoque Apostoli et successores eorum, ac reliqui sancti Patres noluerunt fieri facilem episcoporum accusationem: quoniam, si facilis esset, aut nullus aut vix aliquis modo inveniretur. Throni enim Dei vocantur (Conc. Tol. XI, cap. 5); ideo non debent moveri, aut affligi, vel perturbari. De ipsis ergo ait Propheta: Coeli enarrant gloriam Dei, et opera manuum ejus annuntiat firmamentum (Psal. XVIII).
the power. We know, most beloved, that the carnal are always wont to persecute the spiritual, and the malevolent to defame and tear apart the benevolent. And therefore the Apostles and their successors, and the rest of the holy Fathers, did not wish the accusation of bishops to be made easy: since, if it were easy, either no one or scarcely anyone would now be found [in that office]. For they are called the thrones of God (Council of Toledo XI, ch. 5); therefore they ought not to be moved, or afflicted, or disturbed. Of them, then, the Prophet says: The heavens tell forth the glory of God, and the firmament announces the works of His hands (Ps. 18).
XI. Hi vero qui non sunt bonae conversationis et quorum vita est accusabilis, aut quorum fides, vita et libertas nescitur, non possunt eos accusare. Primo semper accusatorum personae, fides, vita et conversatio est enucleatim inquirenda; et postea, quae objiciunt, fideliter sunt pertractanda, quia nihil prius fieri debet quam impetitorum personae, fides vitaque et conversatio diligenter discutiantur, ne alicujus invidia aut inimicitia vel intentione mala quisquam vexetur (2. q. 7, Quaerendum est; 1, q. 8. Accusatorum personae; et in Decret, Callisti papae).
XI. But those who are not of good conduct and whose life is open to accusation, or whose faith, life and free status are unknown, cannot accuse them. First, always, the persons, faith, life and conduct of the accusers are to be inquired into thoroughly; and afterwards what they allege is to be faithfully examined, because nothing ought to be done before the persons, faith, life and conduct of the assailants are diligently scrutinized, lest anyone be harassed through someone's envy or enmity or evil intention (2, q. 7, Quaerendum est; 1, q. 8, Accusatorum personae; and in the Decretal of Pope Callistus).
XII. Criminationes (Hadr. coll. 67) adversus doctorem nemo suscipiat, quia magis sunt doctores portandi, quam laedendi, aut infamandi. Unde ait Apostolus: Alter alterius onera portate, et sic implebitis legem Christi (Galat. VI). Charitas autem non est ambitiosa, non inflatur, non quaerit quae sua sunt, sed quae Jesu Christi (I Cor. 13). Qui manet in charitate, in Deo manet, et Deus in eo (I Joan IV). Et qui in Deo manet, nulli vult nocere, sed omnes desiderat adjuvare et sustentare, sicut ipse Dominus omnes venit salvare et animam suam dare in redemptionem pro nobis (Matth. XX). Eorum (Hadr. coll. 29) autem accusandi sacerdotes, vel testificandi in eos vocem obstruimus quos humanis et divinis vocibus damnatos vel mortuos esse agnoscimus. Praevidere ergo summopere debent omnes qui sacerdotes Domini persequuntur, tam occulte quam manifeste, ne subjectis Domini damnentur praeceptis. Per Jeremiam autem prophetam, talibus comminando Dominus, loquitur dicens: Iniquitates vestrae declinaverunt omnia, et peccata vestra amoverunt bona a vobis, quia inventi sunt in populo meo impii et loquentes vana; statuerunt ad disperdendos viros, et comprehenderunt, ut laqueus venantis plenus volatilibus, sic domus eorum plenae dolo (Jerem. V). Et per Duvid ait: Qui cogitaverunt malitias in corde, tota die versati sunt in praeliis exacuerunt linguas suas sicut serpentes, venenum aspidum sub labiis eorum (Psal. CXXXIX). Et paulo post: Cadent super eos carbones in igne, dejicies eos in foveas, ut non consurgant. Vir linguosus non dirigetur in terra virum injustum mala capient in interitu. Scio quia faciet Dominus causam inopis, judicia pauperum (Ibid.) Item Idem: Muta fiant labia dolosa (Psal. XXX). Et
XII. Let no one take up charges (Hadrian's Collection 67) against a teacher, because teachers are rather to be borne with than injured or defamed. Hence the Apostle says: Bear one another's burdens, and so you will fulfil the law of Christ (Gal. 6). But charity is not ambitious, is not puffed up, does not seek the things that are its own, but the things that are of Jesus Christ (1 Cor. 13). He who abides in charity abides in God, and God in him (1 John 4). And he who abides in God wishes to harm no one, but desires to help and sustain all, just as the Lord Himself came to save all and to give His life as a redemption for us (Matt. 20). But we stop the mouths (Hadrian's Collection 29), as to accusing priests or testifying against them, of those whom we know to be condemned or dead by human and divine pronouncements. Therefore all who persecute the priests of the Lord, whether secretly or openly, ought most carefully to take heed beforehand lest they be condemned by the precepts of the Lord set out below. For through Jeremiah the prophet the Lord, threatening such people, speaks, saying: Your iniquities have turned aside all things, and your sins have removed good things from you, because among My people have been found impious men and men speaking vain things; they have set [snares] to destroy men, and have caught them; like a fowler's snare full of birds, so their houses are full of deceit (Jer. 5). And through David He says: They who have devised malice in their heart all day long have been engaged in battles; they have sharpened their tongues like serpents, the venom of asps is under their lips (Ps. 139). And a little after: Coals shall fall upon them in fire; Thou wilt cast them down into pits, that they may not rise up. A talkative man will not be directed on the earth; evils will seize the unjust man to his destruction. I know that the Lord will do justice to the cause of the needy, the judgements of the poor (ibid.). Likewise the same: Let the deceitful lips be made dumb (Ps. 30). And
Editors' notes and page, col. 1041
Footnotes
Variae lectiones.
Variant readings.
¹⁷ ‹anchor: not visible› · call above the page foot Ita legitur in ms. Just.
So it reads in the manuscript of Justel.
¹⁸ ‹anchor: vestrae declinaverunt› · call in col 1041 Haec add. al..
Another [reading] adds this.
¹⁹ ‹anchor: not visible› · call above the page foot Al. insidiantur.
Another reading: "insidiantur" (they lie in wait).
(printed under page 572)
Page
- running head: EPISTOLÆ DECRET[...] (cut off at the image edge)
- marginal letters: A ‹tributa facultas.Scimus›; B ‹versatio est enucleatim inquirenda›; C ‹omnes desiderat adjuvare›; D ‹nus volatilibus, sic domus›
- old-edition numerals: 1006 after ‹doctorem›
iterum per Michaeam inquit: Omnes in sanguine judicantur, unusquisque proximum suum tribulat, omnes in malum manus suas praeparant (Mich. VII, ex vers LXX). Hos Dominus praevidens, apostolis praecepit ne facile servi sui lacerentur, ne forte perderentur aut in talem tentationem inciderent, quam ferre minime possent. Idcirco sancti Apostoli et successores eorum decretorum normas statuerunt, ne talium vox (quae magis perdere nititur innocentes et simplices, quam salvare) facile reciperetur, sed ipsi his jaculis pelle⟨r⟩entur procul, et Domini discipulos juxta voluntates et versutias eorum, minime perdere possent. Unde et ipse Dominus ait: Excutite pulverem de pedibus vestris in testimonium illis (Marc. VI). Et alibi ipsa per se Veritas de talibus dicit: Melius est illi ut suspendatur mola asinaria in collo ejus et demergatur in profundum maris, quam scandalizet unum de pusil⟨l⟩is istis (Matth. XVIII). Et Jacobus apostolus inquit: Judicium sine misericordia fiet illi qui non fecerit misericordiam (Jac. II). Qua enim fronte quis peccatorum suorum veniam sperat a Deo se impetraturum, qui delinquenti fratri nihil per pietatis et clementiae officium vult condonare? Profecto necesse est ut aestimet se talem in judicio Deum experturum, cum ante justi judicis tribunal fuerit constitutus, qualem se fratri suo exhibuerit: Nam qua mensura mensi fuerimus, eadem remetietur nobis (Matth. VII). Et Joannes apostolus et evangelista ait: Qui odit fratrem suum, homicida est. Et scitis quia omnis homicida non habet vitam aeternam in se manentem (I Joan. IV) Vos tamen filii charissimi, hortamur ut patienter mala vobis illata Domini adminiculo portetis, et his apostolicis praeceptis tales procul pellite, ne more canonico vos lacerare aut mordere valeant. Mementote etiam quia, juxta Psalmographi vocem (S. Bonif. ep. XXVI): Homo sicut foenum dies ejus, et ut flos agri ita florebit (Psal. CII). Et apostolus ait: Totus mundus in maligno positus est (I Joan. V). Unde precamur ne tales multum timeatis, qui infames sunt, et non multum vobis nocere possunt, quia eorum vox exstincta est; quoniam sic odit Deus eos (Proclus ad Domnum. Hadr. coll. 71) qui adversus patrum invasores, qui in mundo patres armantur, ut infamia sunt notati. Armamini ergo his apostolicis adminiculis contra eos, et spiritu principali roborate corda vestra, ut Deus qui vos pastores in populo suo vocari voluit, non negli⟨g⟩entes aut tepidos, aut lupis supervenientibus, fugientes inveniat, sed exemplo boni pastoris, agnos pariter cum matribus et filiis ac filiabus viriliter defensantes, atque sanctam matrem Ecclesiam fideliter reportantes, semper inveniat. Et quamquam (S. Bonif. ep. XXV, dies mali sint, vos tamen nolite esse imprudentes, sed intelligentes, quae sit voluntas Dei (Ephes. V). Quamobrem confortamini, et state in fide viriliter agentes, ac omnia
again through Micah he says: All are judged in blood, each one afflicts his neighbour, all prepare their hands for evil (Mic. 7, from the version of the Seventy). Foreseeing these men, the Lord instructed the apostles that His servants should not easily be torn apart, lest perhaps they should be lost or fall into such a temptation as they could by no means bear. Therefore the holy Apostles and their successors established the rules of the decrees, so that the voice of such men (which strives more to destroy the innocent and simple than to save them) should not easily be received, but that they themselves should be driven far off by these darts, and should by no means be able to destroy the Lord's disciples according to their wishes and cunning. Whence also the Lord Himself says: Shake off the dust from your feet as a testimony to them (Mark 6). And elsewhere the Truth Himself in person says of such men: It is better for him that a donkey's millstone be hung about his neck and that he be sunk into the depth of the sea, than that he should cause one of these little ones to stumble (Matt. 18). And James the apostle says: Judgement without mercy will be on him who has not shown mercy (Jas. 2). For with what face does anyone hope to obtain from God pardon for his own sins, who is unwilling to forgive anything to an offending brother through the office of piety and clemency? Surely he must reckon that he will find God in the judgement, when he has been set before the tribunal of the just Judge, such as he has shown himself to his brother: For with the measure with which we have measured, with the same it will be measured back to us (Matt. 7). And John the apostle and evangelist says: Whoever hates his brother is a murderer. And you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him (1 John 4). You, however, dearest sons, we exhort to bear patiently, with the Lord's help, the evils inflicted on you, and with these apostolic precepts drive such men far off, lest they be able to tear or bite you like dogs. Remember also that, according to the voice of the Psalmist (St Boniface, Ep. 26): Man, his days are as grass, and as the flower of the field so will he flourish (Ps. 102). And the apostle says: The whole world is set in wickedness (1 John 5). Therefore we beg you not to fear greatly such men, who are infamous and cannot do you much harm, because their voice has been extinguished; since God so hates those (Proclus to Domnus. Hadr. Coll. 71) who, as invaders against the fathers, are armed in the world against the fathers, that they have been branded with infamy. Arm yourselves therefore with these apostolic aids against them, and strengthen your hearts with a guiding spirit, so that God, Who willed you to be called shepherds among His people, may find you not negligent or lukewarm, nor fleeing when the wolves come upon you, but may always find you, after the example of the good shepherd, manfully defending the lambs together with the mothers and the sons and daughters, and faithfully bringing back holy mother Church. And although (St Boniface, Ep. 25, the days are evil, yet do not be imprudent, but understanding what the will of God is (Eph. 5). Wherefore be strengthened, and stand in the faith acting manfully, and let all
Editors' notes and page, col. 1042
Footnotes
Variae lectiones.
Variant readings.
(printed under page 572) ¹⁹ ‹anchor: Omnes in sanguine judicantur› · call in col 1042 Al. insidiantur.
Another reading: "insidiantur" (lie in wait).
(printed under page 572)
Page
- running head: …OLÆ DECRETALES. 1042 (cut off at the left edge; presumably EPISTOLÆ DECRETALES.)
- marginal letters: A iterum per Michaeam inquit; B dicit : Melius est illi; C filii charissimi, hortamur; D corda vestra, ut Deus
- old-edition numerals: 1007 after delinquenti
- misprints kept as printed: "more canonico" (for canino; the English renders the sense, "like dogs")
- other: "foenum" (Q1) read as the œ ligature
vestra in charitate fiant (I Cor. XVI), et secundum sanctum Evangelium, in patientia vestra possidebitis animas vestras (Luc. XII). Recordamini quoque sanctorum apostolorum et Prophetarum; et quia multum laboraverunt in Domino, ideo adepti sunt praemia sempiterna. Scitote etiam quoniam juxta Psalmistae vocem, multae tribulationes justorum, et de omnibus his liberabit eos Dominus (Psal. XXXIII). Quapropter, filii charissimi, hortamur vos et deprecamur ut crebris orationum vestrarum precibus Deum exoretis, ut (S. Bonif. ibid.) liberemur nos et vos, juxta dictum Apostoli, ab importunis et malis hominibus, quia non omnium est fides (II Thess. III). Flagitate etiam ut Deus et Dominus noster qui est refugium pauperum, et spes humilium, sanctam suam Ecclesiam, pretioso videlicet sanguine suo redemptam, et nos, qui eamdem sanctam Ecclesiam docere, regere, portare et tueri debemus, de praedictis oppressionibus et tentationibus hujus saeculi nequam, atque de omnibus necessitatibus nostris misericorditer eruat, ut sermo Dei currat (I Cor. XV) et glorificetur gloriosum Evangelium Domini nostri Jesu Christi; et gratia ejus in nobis vacua non fiat, ne sine fructu Evangelii, quod absit! steriles in conspectu Dei appareamus, et vacui filiorum filiarumque numero revertamur, nec de abscondito talento, Domino veniente, rei esse judicemur. Ista enim semper invidet Satan. Et idcirco tales adversum nos suscitat qui nos premant et suffocent, ut Domini oves absque nobis rapiat, et in ima, non existentibus pastoribus qui eos custodiant et defendant.
your things be done in charity (1 Cor. 16), and according to the holy Gospel, in your patience you shall possess your souls (Luke 12). Remember also the holy apostles and Prophets, and that because they laboured much in the Lord, they therefore obtained everlasting rewards. Know also that, according to the voice of the Psalmist, many are the tribulations of the just, and out of all these the Lord will deliver them (Ps. 33). Wherefore, dearest sons, we exhort and beseech you to entreat God with frequent petitions of your prayers, that (St Boniface, ibid.) we and you may be delivered, according to the saying of the Apostle, from troublesome and evil men, for not all have faith (2 Thess. 3). Implore also that our God and Lord, Who is the refuge of the poor and the hope of the humble, may mercifully rescue His holy Church, redeemed namely by His precious blood, and us, who are bound to teach, rule, carry and protect that same holy Church, from the aforesaid oppressions and temptations of this wicked world, and from all our necessities, so that the word of God may run (1 Cor. 15) and the glorious Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ may be glorified; and that His grace may not be void in us, lest without the fruit of the Gospel (which God forbid!) we appear barren in the sight of God and return empty of the number of sons and daughters, and lest, when the Lord comes, we be judged guilty concerning the hidden talent. For Satan always envies these things. And for that reason he raises up against us such men as press and stifle us, so that he may seize the Lord's sheep without us, and, there being no shepherds to guard and defend them, may into the depths
Editors' notes and page, col. 1043
Page
- running head: 1043 DE HÆRETICORUM BA[cut off at image edge]
- marginal letters: A ‹nia vestra in charitate›; B ‹suam Ecclesiam, pretioso›
- old-edition numerals: 1008 after ‹sanctam›
- other: column begins with fragment "nia" (rest of "omnia" from the previous column); last word "defen-" hyphenated across the column break. "vocem" is printed with a damaged or turned first o (looks like v-ɔ-cem); set as vocem, unsure. References are set as printed although Luc. XII (the quotation is Luke 21:19) and I Cor. XV (the quotation is 2 Thess. 3:1) do not match the quoted texts. B stands between the lines "suam Ecclesiam" and "redemptam". Full-width lines below the text block are not set: the title "ACTA ET MON[...] / CELEBERRIMÆ DE HÆRETICORUM B[...]", "PARS PRI[...]", "PRÆCIPUA VETERUM MONUMEN[...]", "DE BAPTISMATE HÆR[...]", "S. STEPHANI PAPÆ E[...]", "DECRETORIÆ SENT[...]", the heading "PROOEMIUM." (it is part of the same full-width block, so it is not set even though it looks complete), and the editors' prooemium lines beginning "Dolendum sane est ad nos usque", which are cut off at the right edge.
ruere faciat. Vos igitur pro viribus laborate, et orate atque vigilate ne haec fiant, scientes nos semper paratos esse in omnibus quibuscumque Dominus posse dederit, modis, vobis opem ferre, licet nos ab ipsis aemulis sanctae Dei Ecclesiae et nostris non simus excepti; et tribulationes cordis ncstri pro nostra et vestra tribulatione, sive ovium nobis commissarum, admodum sint dilatata. Vos quoque obsecramus ut junctum vobis a Domino famulatum non negligatis, et omnes oppressos et cunctos Dei servos, atque generaliter omnes Christianos, prout Dominus posse dederit, adjuvare, studeatis (S. Bonif. ep. XXVI) ut ante tribunal Christi mercedem habeatis perpetuam. Et scitote quod memoria vestra coram Deo est assidue. Nam, quemadmodum dolentes cognoscimus vos ab iniquis et scelestis hominibus obturbari, ita continuo vobis compatimur, Deum orantes pro liberatione ao sublevatione vestrae afflictionis, quae vobis (unde graviter angimur) ab iniquis in dies irrogatur. Et ante corpora Apostolorum pro vobis preces fiunt quotidie, ut et vos liberemini ab importunis et malis hominibus Domini auxilio et oves vobis commissa ad pascua aeternae vitae una vobiscum perveniant sempiterna. Unitatem et communionem (S. Bonif. ep. VI) dilectionis vestrae, valentem atque proficientem in salutem omnium populorum, Creator omnium populorum, Creator omnium Deus omnipotens memorem nostri aeternaliter custodiat. Amen.
cause them to fall. You therefore, labour with all your strength, and pray and keep watch that these things do not happen, knowing that we are always ready to bring you help in all the ways whatsoever in which the Lord has granted us the power, although we ourselves are not exempt from these same adversaries of the holy Church of God and of ourselves; and the tribulations of our heart over our own and your tribulation, or that of the sheep entrusted to us, have been greatly enlarged. We also beseech you not to neglect the service joined to you by the Lord, and to be zealous in helping all the oppressed and all the servants of God, and in general all Christians, as far as the Lord has granted the power (St Boniface, Letter 26), so that before the tribunal of Christ you may have an everlasting reward. And know that the remembrance of you is constantly before God. For, just as we learn with grief that you are harassed by wicked and criminal men, so we continually suffer with you, praying God for the deliverance and relief of your affliction, which (on account of which we are grievously distressed) is inflicted on you by the wicked day by day. And before the bodies of the Apostles prayers are made for you daily, that you too may be freed from troublesome and evil men by the help of the Lord, and that the sheep entrusted to you may come together with you to the everlasting pastures of eternal life. May the Creator of all peoples, the Creator of all, God almighty, eternally guard the unity and communion (St Boniface, Letter 6) of your love, strong and advancing towards the salvation of all peoples and mindful of us. Amen.
Data Nonis Aprilis, Valeriano et Gallieno, viris clarissimis, consulibus (Anno Christi 255).
Given on the Nones of April, Valerian and Gallienus, most illustrious men, being consuls (Year of Christ 255).
Editors' notes and page, col. 1044
Page
- running head: [...]TICORUM BAPTISMATE. 1044 (cut off at left edge)
- marginal letters: A dant. ruere faciat; B admodum dolentes cognoscimus
- old-edition numerals: (none)
- other: column begins with the fragment "dant." (word broken from col. 1043), printed with a full stop before "ruere"; "ncstri" and "ao" set as printed (possibly worn type); "oves ... commissa" set as printed (commissae expected), left unemended; "memorem nostri" set as printed, accusative agreeing with unitatem/communionem. Below the double rule a full-width block, cut off at the left edge, is not set: headings "[...]T MONUMENTA", "[...]ICORUM BAPTISMATE DISPUTATIONIS", "[PA]RS PRIMA", "[...]M MONUMENTA QUAE SUPERSUNT", "[...]TISMATE HAERETICORUM", "[...]I PAPAE ET MARTYRIS", "[...]ETORIAE SENTENTIAE", "PROOEMIUM" and the start of the editors' prooemium ("[...]venisse quascumque in his rerum tempestatibus beatissimus"), all full-width.