Letter of Pope John to the Church of Constantinople

¹ [Letter of John, the most holy pope of Rome]

² John, servant of the servants of God, to all the most reverent and most holy bishops, our brothers and fellow-ministers, of the church of the Constantinopolitans, and to all who accept it, and to the remaining other foremost churches of Jerusalem, Antioch, Alexandria, and to those who preside over their priestly thrones. Having received, beloved brothers, your sound letters concerning the union and concord, with the most holy patriarch assisting on his part, we rejoiced greatly in them—that all alike may think and worship in the communion of the Father and in the ecumenical harmony of those of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the things that befit your pious station and most holy soul are fitting; that there be no schisms among you, but that you may know how to seek, and to knock, and to find. And we, moved by the compassion of the apostolic throne, even as we suffer together and grieve together over those who are separated and cut off from the body of Christ, and who strive to hold fast the things of fabrication and error rather than the things of Christ, so we rejoice in the bond of the peace and love of your brotherhood; and we pray always without ceasing that you may remain blameless and unblemished, according to the apostle; and that the God of peace may be with you continually. Therefore truly your much-careful and good zeal asked for a demonstration through the testimony of the blessed and chief of the apostles, Peter, that we should restore and jointly accept Photios, the most holy patriarch, within the regions of the province of the church of the Constantinopolitans; and this with an eager and most radiant soul, holding to what is said in the Gospel to the chief shepherd, to whom the Lord says: “I have prayed for you, Peter, that your faith fail not; and you, when you have once turned again, strengthen your brethren.” We have fulfilled it, then, rousing ourselves to the divine oracles, and having authority that waters, insofar as we may be able to remain blameless and beyond reproach, to bring help and cooperation to all Christians—the [authority?] resounded unto all the ends [of the earth]; and especially following the examples of the hierarchs of God before us—I mean Hadrian, pope of blessed memory—even as he acted in cooperating with Tarasius, the patriarch among the saints, when certain persons stirred up troubles and seditions against him. For that one, the patriarch of Constantinople among the saints, Tarasius, sent us synodical letters, fulfilling the custom; and we received them, and learning the rightness of his faith which he held both concerning the other doctrines and concerning the holy and venerable images, and finding them in agreement with the six holy ecumenical councils, we were well pleased and concurred—even if we bore it not without grief, nor without disturbance, that from a secular order and royal service, from the laity and not according to the [rule] among us, he ascended to the great throne, not having fulfilled the canons as patriarch. And to speak was hard, while to be silent again was dangerous. For shepherds must not be [in need of] being taught, nor before learning be called teachers; but they must have insight, lest they reap sin from the souls over which they were appointed, nor be eager to leap up to the rank of wisdom of which they have the ignorance. For one must know how presumptuous and fearful it is for one ignorant and unlearned in divine things to ascend from secular business and common everyday converse to the rank of teaching. For what general can lead an army, unless it be attested by all that he is able by toil and care to save the people entrusted to him? And if this is so, how much more shall souls be entrusted to him? And let him who is ignorant of ecclesiastical learning ascend to the height of the episcopate; and one entangled in worldly and civic affairs

³ will then run up to the chief height of the ecclesiastical order; and then, having ascended there, having mastered none of the ecclesiastical ordinances, how is it possible for him to teach others? For this reason the canonical practice was established, and enjoined, that the ignorant man—one who does not know how to be shepherded—should not thus ascend to be among shepherds and sacrificers and teachers. And for this reason also the aforesaid most holy Tarasius, coming from a layman to the high priesthood, troubled some. But because of his faithfulness in his course—for at that time there was still the restoration of the holy images—then, for grace’s sake, all those who [were present?], being of one mind concerning his high priesthood, voted together, and we too with them; just as also in the present matter, I mean concerning Photios, our most holy brother and fellow-minister. For the rare ought not to become law; nor, because these men shone forth in extraordinary fashion, ought this to be made a canon for the others. But it is fitting, beloved brothers, to bind fast the ancient law, that from the present time, in your holy Church of God, the canons of the Fathers may not be transgressed in this matter by like means, nor that some persons ascend suddenly to the great dignity.

⁴ We entreat your brotherhood also in this: that you restore to us the province of Bulgaria, which God, through the intercession of the blessed Peter the apostle, and through the toil and labor of our predecessor, turned to Christ. And we wish this also: if anyone be persecuted or [an exile?], [that] through your labor you, together with the most holy patriarch Photios, may [aid them]; for indeed you have made plain your longing, that out of all your pious works you may gain them too; so that in this also you may be found blameless before God. And let our most holy and most God-fearing brother Photios the patriarch not disdain, before the synod, [to acknowledge?] our grace and our zeal, but rather the bowels of compassion of the church of the Romans; for whatever brotherly graces we have shown him, accepting him as a lawful and canonical patriarch, in communion with the blessed Peter the apostle—and the whole church of the Romans has shown fatherly bowels of compassion toward him, following the examples of our other predecessors, and especially of the most blessed Innocent and Gelasius and many holy hierarchs of Rome; for one must do eagerly all things that conduce to the common salvation. For [consider this]: many of the hierarchs, having unjustly lost their own thrones and been driven from them, by the apostolic disposition recovered their own thrones; and you being good, and making your request for good ends, and for the benefit also of the whole world—who could be found so hard and savage as to act presumptuously against your request, beloved brothers, and to reject the common salvation of the churches? Behold, then, we have obeyed and do obey your worthy request, ratifying and confirming your shepherd Photios, the most holy patriarch; and we implore your reverence to abide in good conduct, and that there be no schisms among you; but having all accepted him devoutly, with sincere purpose, undoubting mind, and guileless heart, just as

⁵ also that no one any longer among us may raise sedition. For he who does not accept him has no part with us; just as he who receives him receives us also. For you must, to whomever we extend a hand, extend it with us; that you also, to whomever you extend a hand, may extend it with us. For thus is fulfilled the glorifying, in one spirit and one heart, of the all-honorable name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

⁶ After the letter was read, the most holy legates of elder Rome said: Does your holiness accept the letter, and do you embrace the union and communion with the most holy patriarch? The holy synod said: We have said—not once, nor twice only, but many times, even before this most honorable letter—that we are united with Photios, our most holy patriarch; and we remain inseparable from him all the days of our life. And those who do not accept his high priesthood as holy and canonical and lawful, we both regard and reckon as strangers to piety and to the canonical ordinances. And now we give thanks to God and to the most holy pope John, as being of one mind and one accord with us, and embracing the union of the Church of God, and cooperating with us in every restoration of our Church, and clasping and embracing, and united with whole-souled disposition to Photios, our most holy master and hierarch.

⁷ Peter, the most God-fearing presbyter and cardinal, said: And do you do all that is contained in the letter? The holy synod said: Whatever is for the glory of the Church of God, we both have done and have accepted and do accept, and we remain unchangeable in this disposition unto the age. But whatever else there is that does not pertain to our judgment, but to the administration and decision of our great and exalted emperor, these things we commit to his care and providence. The most holy legates of elder Rome said: The letter contains nothing outside of fitting reason. Prokopios, the most God-loving archbishop of Caesarea in Cappadocia, said: It is contained in the letter that men should not be advanced from the laity to the high-priestly dignity, and that it is a shame to those who do this. We, then, are not ignorant that the synod at Sardica forbids this from being done. But neither does it forbid every layman, but it specifies certain persons: that is, the rich man from the marketplace, and the advocate from the marketplace. Such men this Church, by the grace of Christ, has never received. Yet even if there were a canon that altogether forbade every layman, and that not of a local synod but of an ecumenical one—if it had no custom opposing it, it would be necessary to observe it. But since we see that in many cases local custom has often prevailed over canonical ordinances, we have no shame coming upon us. For what profit is there, if a man, being a cleric or a monk, lives in a manner foreign to his profession? And what is the hindrance—the natural covering of hair—if a man, being reckoned in the order of the laity, lives according to the evangelical ordinances, and renders himself worthy by what he does, of both the priestly and the high-priestly dignity?

⁸ Zacharias, the most God-loving metropolitan of Chalcedon, said: The most holy pope John, and you, brothers and fathers, who have come to our church for the sake of zeal—both God and our humility accept you; may it be granted you to obtain the like, when need requires. But concerning the matter of [advancement] from the laity, I wish to say a few things. The canon plainly and expressly states the reason why it forbids a man from the laity to ascend to this great throne. For it says thus: that if a man should give proof of his own virtue and be found suitable and tested—then if a man has rendered sufficient works of his own virtue, and has a tested character, the canon does not forbid such a one. Witness of what is said is the holy and ecumenical Second Council, which testified not in words but rather in deeds to the things said by me. For it appointed Nectarius, just lately come to the divine laver, as patriarch of Constantinople. You have also the example of Ambrose the great, Ephraim of Antioch, Eusebius of Caesarea, and many whom we cannot even number because of their multitude. And if you wish, I will recount the opinion of a man whom the Church of God inscribes as father and teacher, and whose words it names canons and accepts; and I will recount one thing from his writings. For writing to Amphilochius, the most holy bishop of Iconium, concerning the appointment of bishops, he says somewhat thus: “But if there is one of the newly-illumined, whether it seem good to Macedonius or not, let him be my bishop; and you shall form him to what is fitting”—and [God] cooperating in all things, and to ask the grace unto this. For you see that one must promote to the high-priestly dignity not only from the laity, but also from the newly-illumined, as the very wording clearly showed—provided, that is, evidently, that he be tested in his life, and in his character first, his ground still being purified. But if even this does not suffice, the twenty holy hierarchs are sufficient to take away from us all shame and all reproach. For all these aforesaid men the same accepted church of the Romans openly proclaims today, that [it testifies] not out of regard for the things said by me, but rather by the things done. And I now say this: even in the very church of the Romans certain men descended from the laity to the high-priestly throne, whose names your holiness knows better than we. But also the custom itself is sufficient to overcome the canon. Many such things we see today. You, the luminaries of the Church, who send forth your own rays over the world—what have you to say, when you examine and search these men, doing many things contrary to the canon by following the customs? But also custom often overcomes custom. In the East, if a man is not [tonsured?] in Christ, he does not become a bishop or patriarch. And the West makes clerics even of those who are ragged in dress. This we do not recognize. And then the canon speaks of the advocate from the marketplace, just as the most God-loving archbishop of Caesarea said before; and never has our Church received [such]. For what need is there to speak concerning our most holy hierarch? Who was so far from the leisure of the marketplace that he would not even look upon it with his eyes, or touch any such thing. For he himself, because of the [honor] belonging to him

⁹ was indeed reckoned among the foremost of the senate council of that time; for if he declined human honor, he so fled the tumults in the marketplace, in his longing for the better things, that even the city-dwellers and citizens were reckoned, in comparison with him, as nothing more than those who dwell in the mountains. Yet I say this also: many were then elected, both clerics and monks, and he was preferred above all according to the occasion. Then is it not absurd and unreasonable that those who at that time came behind and took the second rank should themselves again be reckoned first; and that those who hold the lowest place should ascend by their virtues to the high-priestly throne; while this man, who by all votes prevailed over them, as one measured to the lowest place, should reckon ranks and times in vain—he who has already advanced in virtues? And concerning holy Tarasius it was said by you that he turned back many heretics. And the word is true. His father and mother also died contending for piety. From childhood this our most holy master and patriarch traversed the road with a most unswerving course, and when he had ascended to this sacred throne, he did not neglect to do the same all the more. And he confined piety not within himself alone, nor among the early husbandman people; but he went over almost the whole earth with his words, converting men. And witness is the land of the Armenians, and Mesopotamia, and whole nations that formerly lived a barbarous and savage life, set free by his teachings from their old error, and led to the light through his very proclamation of piety. And however many one might wish to present in word, he will show himself far inferior to the deeds.

¹⁰ Peter, the most God-fearing presbyter and cardinal, said: The apostles chose two, Barsabbas [among them], that he might be equal in number to him; but the grace of the all-holy Spirit prepared the most sacred Matthias to be enrolled into the choir of the apostolic company, so that they became sharers in the vote with him on whom the lot fell. Behold, then, is such a judgment absurd? The divine Spirit voted in that very vote of the patriarch. And the apostolic pope, having now come, both ratified it with you and jointly accepted it. But if your holiness commands, let there come also the letter previously sent from [the patriarch] of Jerusalem to the emperor; for it is just that this too, having been read of old before you, be now read before the rest of your brothers and fellow-bishops, those who were not then present, and be ranged with the proceedings. And so, being invited, Peter the most God-loving deacon and protonotary read it.