Pope Pelagius I writes to a patrician John on the detrimental effects of the schism in the Church (the so-called Three Chapters Controversy), singling out Bishop Euphrasius as a particularly depraved schismatic and advising the patrician to repress the schismatics in the province of Aquileia (that is, the region Venetia et Histria).
Pelgaius papa Iohanni patricio.a
Relegentes litteras excellentię vestrę, de iniuria quidem quam vobis iniquorum hominum pręsumptio ingessit, valde doluimus; sed quia scimus occulto Dei iudiciob animam vestram, etsi per aliorum iniquitatem ac superbiam a contaminatione scismatis custoditam, egimus omnipotenti Deo gratias, qui etiam de malis hominum actibus bona operari consuevit.
Nec enim sine illius providentia factum esse credendum est, ut insensati et perversi homines ad hoc usquec prosilirent, ut suam divisionem catholicam esse credentes Ęcclesiamd, a sua vos pollutione prohiberent. Sic enim per misericordiam Dei, etiam nescientibus illis, factum est, ut a scismaticorum communione eruti, catholicę, quam diligitis, servari vos contigisset Ęcclesięe.
Quamvis igitur vestra per illorum scelus utilitas factaf sit, nolite tamen impunitam pręsumptionem iniquorum hominum crassari permittere. Si enim hoc, quod in vestram gloriam pręsumpseruntg, non fuerit vindicta conpręssum, quid in minoribus valeant ambigi ultra non debet. Exercete igitur in talibus debitamh auctoritatem et ne eis amplius talia committendii crescat spiritus, vestris coercionibusj recomprimaturk. Ad hoc siquidem Dei nutu etiam contra vos talia pręsumpserunt, ut, talia vobis corrigentibus, ab eorum scelere alios possetis, Deo propiciante, munire.
Quales autem sint, qui Ęcclesiam fugiunt, Eufrasii vos sceleral, quę Deus occulta esse non voluit, evidenter informant, qui in homicidio quidem nec hominis necessitudinem, nec caritatem fratris, nec sacerdotii reverentiam cogitavit. Incestuoso autem adulteriom, ipsi etiam vindictęn abstulit modum, quia, si adulterium punias, non remanet in quo vindicetur incestus; si incestuosoo ingeras poenamp, inultum crimen adulterii remanebit. Ecce de quo collegio sunt qui, quantum ad superbiam suam, iniuriam vobis inferre moliti sunt, et quantum ad providentiam Dei impollutos vos Ęcclesięq servaverunt.
Auferter tales ab illa provincias, utimini oblata vobis a Deo opprimendi perfidos occasione. Quod tunc plenius fieri poterit, si auctores scelerum ad clementissimum principem dirigantur, et maxime ęcclesiętAquileiensis invasor, quiu estv in scismaste, et a scismatico maledictus, nec honorem episcopi poterit optinere nec meritum.
a) De scismaticis coercendis a secularibus add. sup. forma titulis C. b) iuditio D. c) housque D. d) Ecclesiam D. e) Ecclesię D. f) acta B. g) presumpserunt B. h) om. D; debitam in talibus inv. B. i) committendi talia inv. B. j) cohercionibus BD. k) reprimantur B et edd. Gassó et Batlle; recomprimantur D. l) scęlera D. m) in adulterio B. n) vindicte BD. o) incesto B. p) pęnam D; penam B. q) Ecclesię D. r) Item auferte B. s) provintia BD. t) ęcclesie D. u) quis D. v) et D.
The third in the series of six letters issued by Pope Pelagius I to Byzantine civil officials trying to persuade them to use their authorities to repress the schism and support the papal quest to restore union to the Church (for a full list of these six documents, see the edition of the first letter to patrician John edited here.)
This is the first mention of Bishop Euphrasius in public documents. Euphrasius, the man behind the 6th-century renovation of the basilica in Poreč, a UNESCO monument that is to this day known as Euphrasian Basilica, was depicted quite negatively by the Roman pontiff, as a murderer and an adulterer in addition to being a leading figure behind the Schism of the Three Chapters.
The fact that these letters did not encourage the aggressive response Pope Pelagius I had hoped for is attested in the second letter to patrician Valerian (see the edition here) and in the fact that absolutely no actions were taken against Bishop Euphrasius who continued to enjoy the support of the Byzantine court.
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