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| To Gennadius, Patrician and Exarch of Africa.
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Epistle LXXIV.
To Gennadius, Patrician and Exarch of Africa.
Gregory to Gennadius, &c.
As the Lord hath made
your Excellency to shine with the light of victories in the military
wars of this life, so ought you to pose the enemies of the Church with
all activity of mind and body, to the end that from both kinds of
triumph your reputation may shine forth more and more, when in forensic
wars, too, you firmly resist the adversaries of the Catholic Church in
behalf of the Christian people, and bravely fight ecclesiastical
battles as warriors of the Lord. For it
is known that men heretical in religion, if they have liberty allowed
them to do harm (which God forbid), rise
strenuously against the catholic faith, to the end that they may
transfuse, if they can, the poison of their heresy to the corrupting of
the members of the Christian body. For we have learnt that they
are lifting up their necks against the Catholic Church, the
Lord being opposed to them, and desire to
pervert the faith of the Christian profession. But let your
Eminence suppress their attempts, and subdue their proud necks to the
yoke of rectitude1386
| 1386 The
heretics (so called, though they were really rather schismatics than
heretics) were the Donatists, who still lingered in Africa in spite of
imperial edicts for their suppression. What Gregory here urges
the Exarch to do is to put in force the existing laws against
them. A series of imperial laws against the Donatists will be
found in Cod. Theod. Bk. xvi. tit. 5, that of Honorius,
a.d. 414, being especially severe. | .
Moreover, order the council of catholic bishops to be admonished not to
appoint their primate on the ground of his standing, without regard to
the merits of his life, since before God it is
not the more distinguished rank, but the action of a better life, that
is approved1387
| 1387 It was the
immemorial custom in the provinces of Africa generally for the senior
bishop of the province according to the date of his consecration to be
appointed primate, instead of the bishop of the civil metropolis being
such in virtue of his See, as was the rule elsewhere. (The
province of Africa proper, or Africa Proconsularis, was however an
exception; for in it the bishop of Carthage was always the
primate.) Hence in Africa the designation Metropolitan was not
used, but that of Primate or Senior (senex). Gregory here,
though allowing the old custom of movable primacies, forbids the
necessary election of the senior bishop: and this in order to guard
against the appointment of unfit persons. His main motive, as
appears from Epistle LXXVI., addressed to the bishops of the province
of Numidia, was to preclude the elevation to the primacy of any bishop
who had once been a Donatist. For in it he allows the retention
of the old African custom in all respects, save only that no bishop who
had been a Donatist was ever to be appointed primate. | . But
let the primate himself live, not, as is customary, here and there in
the country, but in one city according to their selection, to the end
that he may be better able to bring to bear the influence of the
dignity that has fallen to him in resisting the Donatists.
Moreover, if any from the Council of Numidia should desire to come to
the Apostolic See, permit them to do so; and stop any who may be
disposed to bring charges against their character. Great increase
of glory will accrue to your Excellency with the Creator, if through
you the union of the divided churches could be restored. For when
He beholds the gifts granted by Him given back to His glory, He bestows
gifts so much the more abundantly as He sees the dignity of His
religion to be thereby enlarged. Furthermore, bestowing on you,
as is due, the affection of our paternal charity, we beseech the
Lord to make your arm strong for subduing your
enemies, and to sharpen your soul with zeal for the faith like the edge
of a quivering sword.E.C.F. INDEX & SEARCH
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