Letter 166

 

2. Now there came to me a pious young man, a brother in Catholic peace, a son in terms of age, our fellow presbyter in terms of dignity, Orosius, alert in mind, ready in speech, afire with zeal, a man who desires to be a useful vessel in the house of the Lord for refuting the false and destructive teachings that have slain the souls of Spaniards much more tragically than the barbarian sword has slain their bodies. He has hastened to us from there, almost from the very shore of the ocean, stirred by the idea that he could learn from me whatever he wanted concerning those matters he wanted to know. Nor was his coming without any benefit. For, first, he ceased to believe much of what was said about me; second, I taught him what I could and advised him where he could learn what I could not and encouraged him to go to you. Since in this matter he willingly and obediently took my advice and directive, I asked him to return from you to his own country by passing through ours. Having his promise, I believed that the Lord had granted me an opportunity to write to you about these matters that I want to know from you. For I was looking for someone to send to you, but I did not easily find someone suitable who would act with reliability, obey quickly and was experienced in traveling. And so, when I learned that this young man was the very sort of person for whom I was asking the Lord, I could not hesitate.

 

(trans. R. Teske, slightly altered)