The Presbyters Project

234. [in Coll. Avell.]

The letter first informs the Pope about the ordination of Epiphanius whom the praise is also given. Then the synod recommends his legates:

10. adicient igitur nostris supplicationibus, quod minus dictum est, Iohannes sanctissimus episcopus Claudiopolitanae ciuitatis noster comminister et Heraclianus reuerentissimus presbyter sanctae maioris ecclesiae et cohabitator praedicti sanctissimi archiepiscopi et patriarchae Epiphanii et Constantinus uir reuerentissimus diaconus eiusdem sanctae ecclesiae, qui probationem sui rectae fidei et bonae uoluntatis olim his, qui a uestra apostolica sede fuerant directi, dedisse cognoscuntur, digni autem et uestrae sanctitatis et ministratione pacis et gratiae domini lesu Christi dei nostri et unitionis sanctarum ecclesiarum monstrabuntur. 11. quos speramus laetantes in domino et pacem desideratam nuntiantes ad nos citius uestris deo ama<bi>libus correctionibus edoctos remeare dignemini. omnem in Christo fraternitatem nos quoque et qui nobiscum sunt plurimum salutamus.

Here follow the signatures of the participants of the synod.

(ed. Guenther 1895: 713; summary by M. Szada)

234. [in Coll. Avell.]

The letter first informs the Pope about the ordination of Epiphanius whom the praise is also given. Then the synod recommends his legates:

10. The most holy Bishop John of the city Claudiopolis, our fellow-servant, and the most reverend Presbyter Heraclianus of the holy main church who also dwells together with the aforementioned most holy Archbishop and Patriarch Epiphanius, the most reverend man, the Deacon Constantinus of the same holy church, join to our petitions which were briefly expressed. They have been recognized as those who gave confirmation of the righteous faith and good will by those who have been sent some time ago by your Apostolic See. Therefore, they will show themselves worthy to Your Sanctity and for the cause of peace, worthy of the grace of our Lord, Jesus Christ, our God and of the unity of the holy churches. They, we hope, will be joyful in Lord and will announce the desired peace, and then you would return them to us instructed with the teachings pleasing to God. We and all who are with us greet all the brothers in Christ.

Here follow the signatures of the participants of the synod.

(trans. and summary M. Szada)

Place of event:

Region

East
Rome

City

Constantinople
Rome

About the source:

Author: Synod of Constantinople 520
Title: Collectio Avellana, Epistulae, Letters
Origin: Constantinople (East)
Denomination: Catholic/Nicene/Chalcedonian

Hormisdas was a bishop of Rome from 514 until his death in 523. During his pontificate he managed to resolve the Acacian schism (see the discussion in [1581]) in 519.

Collectio Avellana is a collection containing 244 letters issued by emperors, imperial magistrates and popes. The earliest item is dated to AD 367, the latest to AD 553. Hence, the compilator worked most probably in the second half of the sixth century. Two hundred documents of the Collectio are not known from any other collection. The editor of the Collectio, Günther noticed that it can be divided into five thematic parts (Günther 1896: 3-96; Steinacker 1902: 14-15; Blaudeau 2013: 4) :

1) Nos. 1–40 are an independent collection making use of the records of the prefecture of the city of Rome concerning two episcopal elections;

2) Nos. 41–50 are derived from the records of the bishopric in Carthage, and consist of the letters of Innocentius I and Zosimus;

3) Nos. 51–55 are the late letters of Leo I not known from any other source, regarding the exile of Bishop Timothy II of Alexandria;

4) Nos. 56–104 are the group of letters from the pontificates of Simplicius, Gelasius, Symmachus, John, Agapet, and Vigilius;

5) Nos. 105–243 are the letters from the records of Hormisdas.

The modern name of the collection is derived from the codex Vaticanus Latinus 4961 copied in the monastery Sancti Crucis in fonte Avellana that was considered the oldest by the brothers Ballerini who edited the Collectio in 1787.

Edition:

O. Guenther ed., Epistolae Imperatorum Pontificum Aliorum Inde ab a. CCCLXVII usque DLIII datae Avellana Quae Dicitur Collectio, Corpus Scriptorum Ecclesiasticorum Latinorum 35/1, 35/2, Prague, Vienna, and Leipzig 1895

A. Thiel ed., Epistolae Romanorum Pontificum genuinae et quae ad eos scriptae sunt a s. Hilaro usque ad Pelagium II, vol. 1, Brunsberga 1868

Bibliography:

P. Blaudeau, "Un point de contact entre collectio Avellana et collectio Thessalonicensis?”, Millennium Yearbook / Millenium Jahrbuch 10 (2013), 1–12.

A. Grillmeier and T. Hainthaler, Christ in Christian tradition, London 1995.

O. Guenther, Avellana-Studien, Wien 1896.

O. Guenther, "Zu den Gesta de nomine Acacii”, Byzantinische Zeitschrift 3 (1894), 146–149.

D. Moreau, "Les actes pontificaux comme sources des historiens et des chroniqueurs de l'Antiquité tardive", in: L'historiographie tardo-antique et la transmission des savoirs, ed. P. van Nuffelen, P. Blaudeau, Millenium-Studien 55, Berlin, Boston 2015, 23-54.

H. Steinacker, "Ueber das älteste päpstliche Registerwesen”, Mitteilungen des Instituts für Österreichische Geschichtsforschung 23 (1902), 1–49.

A.A. Vasiliev, Justin the First. An Introduction to the Epoch of Justinian the Great, Cambridge, Mass. 1950.

Categories:

Travel and change of residence

PR765.

Described by a title - Presbyter/πρεσβύτερος

PR765.

Ecclesiastical administration - Participation in councils and ecclesiastical courts

PR765.

Ecclesiastical administration - Ecclesiastical envoy

PR765.

Relation with - Bishop/Monastic superior

PR765.

Please quote this record referring to its author, database name, number, and, if possible, stable URL: M. Szada, Presbyters in the Late Antique West, ER1697, http://presbytersproject.ihuw.pl/index.php?id=6&SourceID=1697