Letter 44

 

Braulio, unworthy servant of the saints of God, to my lord, deservedly outstanding, most sweet son in the members of Christ, Fructuosus the presbyter.

 

 

Now that I have forbidden you to do this, I shall turn to praise of you, and you are doubtless going to say: "Why do you do yourself what you forbid?" I must necessarily favour my side while I pay you my debt, for we are instructed by the apostle to "render to all men whatever is their due" (Romans 13: 7) [...] I must praise your soul, but in the Lord, in whom we should praise the upright [...] The more I realise the faith you show in speaking of me, the more it feels right for me to be heavily oppressed; it is thus that you must receive what I am eager to say.

How happy you are for having abandoned the business of this world and chosen in advance the holy leisure! I understand, love, cherish, and embrace the ardour and vigour of your mind, the brightness of the light that shines in the Holy Spirit; I pant with thirsty longing that your merits may prevail before God for my sins and crimes. How blessed is that desert and vast solitude which recently knew only wild beasts and is now filled with the habitations of monks, congregated by you and singing praises of God; of pilgrims of the world, citizens of God, captives from Babylon, predestined to Jerusalem. [...]

 

 

In your section of the country, be on your guard, even at this late date, against the poisonous dogma of Priscillianism, by which we know Dictinius was infected as well as many others, including saint Orosius, who was later set aright by saint Augustine. To such an extent has Priscillian distorted the Scriptures by the zeal of his heresy that even to this day we find many books depraved by the taint of this corruptor. Do not be led astray by popular favour or the vanity of vainglory, for this is the last struggle among the athletes of God, in whom is the final judgement. Now, not to protract my letter unduly, I shall come to the questions which you proposed and, as you hoped, I shall quote the opinions of our ancestors, such as I have read and as they occur to me; certain matters, for the sake of brevity, I shall put together in my own words.

 

 

Having disposed of these matters in accordance with your wish, I report that I have not found any duplicates of the books which you ask to have me send to you. Of some, I have not even located single copies; I have discovered that they are missing from our shelves and I have been too busy to institute a search, but if God is willing and life lasts long enough, there is hope of locating them and sending them to you.

 

Braulio says that he is tired because of the length of his letter; he wishes he could meet once again with Fructuosus, but he is ill and wants to die. Then he says he prefers an allegorical interpretation of Bible rather than a historical one.

 

Well done! When the beginnings you produce are so great, what will be the fruit produced by Fructuosus? In addition to this good, since you also possess zeal for the divine Scriptures, especially in mutual discussion, you will soon send out branches and will bear grapes of exceeding sweetness, to confer fruits upon your own nature, and to furnish others with the delight of their enjoyment. I shall not be content with anything mediocre from you. [...]

 

 

The province which is your home claims for itself an origin in Greece, which is the mistress of letters and learning: we recall that it has been the birthplace of most eminent and most learned men, among whom we may mention the presbyter Orosius, the bishops Turibius, Idatius, and Carterius, another bishop of laudable old age and holy erudition. Therefore you should boast of the overflowing grace of Christ rather than find fault with the slight productivity of that country.

 

 

(trans. by C. Barlowe 1969: 99-112; slightly adapted)