Presbyters Uniwersytet Warszawski
ID
ER 1727
Pope Leo the Great sends a gratulatory letter to the newly-elected bishop of Constantinople, Anatolius, through the Presbyter Casterius and the Deacons Patricius and Asclepias, who brought him letters from Constantinople. Letter 80 of Pope Leo the Great "Gaudemus in Domino", written in Rome, AD 451.
Letter 80
 
1. Gaudemus in Domino, et in dono gratiae ipsius gloriamur, qui, sicut dilectionis tuae litteris et fratrum nostrorum quos Constantinopolim miseramus relatione cognovimus, sequacem te evangelicae eruditionis ostendit: ut per sacerdotis probabilem fidem merito praesumamus quod tota Ecclesia eidem credita nec rugam cujusquam sit erroris habitura nec maculam, dicente Apostolo: Despondi enim vos uni viro virginem castam exhibere Christo [1 Cor 11:2]. Illa est enim virgo Ecclesia, sponsa unius viri Christi, quae nullo se patitur errore vitiari: ut per totum mundum una nobis sit unius castae communionis integritas, in qua societatem tuae dilectionis amplectimur; et gestorum quae sumpsimus, seriem necessariis, sicut oportuit, munitam subscriptionibus approbamus. Ut ergo invicem dilectionis tuae animus nostris confirmaretur alloquiis, filios nostros Casterium presbyterum, Patricium et Asclepiadem diaconos, qui ad nos tua scripta detulerunt, cum epistolis nostris post venerbilem diem festi paschalis remisimus, indicantes nos, ut supra diximus, de Constantinopolitanae Ecclesiae pace gaudere, cui hunc curam semper impendimus, ut eam nulla velimus haereticorum fraude violari.
 
The rest of the letter concerns the reconciliation of the bishops who condemned Flavian of Constantinople and accepted the Eutychian heresy. The pope insists that the names of Dioscorus of Alexandria, Juvenal of Jerusalem, and Eustathius of Berytus should be removed from the diptychs. He also gives instructions about Bishop Julian of Cos and Bishop Eusebius of Dorylaeum. The letter is dated to the Ides of April in the consulship of Adelfius [= 13 April 451].
(Patrologia Latina 54, 909 = Ballerini 1753: 1034-1035)
Letter 80
 
1. We rejoice in the Lord and glory in the gift of His Grace, Who has shown you a follower of Gospel-teaching as we have found from your letter, beloved, and our brothers' account whom we sent to Constantinople:  for now through the approved faith of the priest, we are justifying in presuming that the whole church committed to him will have no wrinkle nor spot of error, as says the Apostle, "for I have espoused you to one husband to present you a pure virgin to Christ." [1 Cor 11:2]  For that virgin is the Church, the spouse of one husband Christ, who suffers herself to be corrupted by no error, so that through the whole world we have one entire and pure communion in which we now welcome you as a fellow, beloved, and give our approval to the order of proceedings which we have received, ratified, as was proper, with the necessary signatures. In order, therefore, that your spirit in turn, beloved, might be strengthened by words of ours, we sent back after the Easter festival with our letters, our sons, Casterius, the Presbyter, and Patricius and Asclepias, the Deacons, who brought your writings to us, informing you, as we said above, that we rejoice at the peace of the church of Constantinople, on which we have ever spent such care that we wish it to be polluted by no heretical deceit.
 
The rest of the letter concerns the reconciliation of the bishops who condemned Flavian of Constantinople and accepted the Eutychian heresy. The pope insists that the names of Dioscorus of Alexandria, Juvenal of Jerusalem, and Eustathius of Berytus should be removed from the diptychs. He also gives instructions about Bishop Julian of Cos and Bishop Eusebius of Dorylaeum. The letter is dated to the Ides of April in the consulship of Adelfius [= 13 April 451].
  
(trans. Ch. Lett Feltoe 1895: 65; summary M. Szada)

Place of event:

Region
  • Rome
  • East
City
  • Rome
  • Constantinople

About the source:

Author: Leo the Great
Title: Letters, Epistulae
Origin: Rome (Rome)
Denomination: Catholic/Nicene/Chalcedonian
Leo the Great was the bishop of Rome from AD 440 to his death in AD 461. We have the collection of 173 letters of Leo.
 
Anatolius succeeded in the see of Constantinople Flavianus, deposed by the Second Council of Ephesus in AD 449. Leo the Great considered the decisions of the council void, but after the death of Flavianus in AD 449, he informed the Emperor that he could accept Anatolius as the Bishop of Constantinople if he confesses the faith as defined by the councils of Nicea and Ephesus I, the letter of Cyril of Alexandria and the Tome to Flavianus. Anatolius complied to that, and in AD 451 he presided over the Council of Chalcedon. He died in AD 458. See Wessel 2008: 42-43.
 
Edition:
P. and G. Ballerini eds., Sancti Leoni Magni Romani pontificis opera, vol. 1, Venice 1753
Patrologia Latina, vol. 54
 
Translation:
Bibliography:
S. Wessel, Leo the Great and the spiritual rebuilding of a universal Rome, Leiden ; Boston 2008.

Categories:

Travel and change of residence
Described by a title - Presbyter/πρεσβύτερος
Ecclesiastical administration - Ecclesiastical envoy
Relation with - Bishop/Monastic superior
Relation with - Deacon
Please quote this record referring to its author, database name, number, and, if possible, stable URL: M. Szada, Presbyters in the Late Antique West, ER1727, http://presbytersproject.ihuw.pl/index.php?id=6&SourceID=1727