Imperial letter to Cyril, calling the council (CPG 8651)
| Reference: | CPG 8651 |
| Incipit: | Ἤρτηται τῆς εἰς θεὸν εὐσεβείας |
| Date: | Nov., 430 |
| Greek Text: | ACO 1.1.1:114-116 |
| Latin Text: | ACO 1.3:49-50 ACO 1.2:31-32 |
| English Translation: | FCC (below) CE #28 |
This work is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0. For information about the historical context of this letter and its connection to the escalating Christological controversy of the time, click here. The Greek text below is that found in the ACO (see above). The English translation for FCC is by LCR.
| Θεῖον γράμμα ἀποσταλὲν ἐν Ἀλεξανδρείᾳ Κυρίλλῳ ἀρχιεπισκόπῳ καὶ τοῖς κατὰ χώραν τῶν μητροπόλεων ἐπισκόποις | A divine letter sent in Alexandria to Cyril the archbishop and those bishops of the metropolipses throughout the land. | |
| Αὐτοκράτορες Καίσαρες Θεοδόσιος καὶ Οὐαλεντινιανὸς νικηταὶ τροπαιοῦχοι μέγιστοι ἀεισέβαστοι αὔγουστοι Κυρίλλῳ ἐπισκόπῳ. | Emperors and Caesars Theodosius and Valentinian, victors, most triumphant, ever-revered Augusti; to Bishop Cyril. | Imperatores Caesares Theodosius et Valentinianus uictores triumphatores maximi semper augusti Cyrillo episcopo. |
| Ἤρτηται τῆς εἰς θεὸν εὐσεβείας ἡ τῆς ἡμετέρας πολιτείας κατάστασις καὶ πολὺ ταύταις ἔνεστι τὸ συγγενές τε καὶ προσφυές. | The condition of our state has been attached to piety for God, and much exists that is related and closely connected to these. | Pendet a dei pietate nostrae reipublicae status et multum his inest cognatio et societas. |
| ἔχονται γὰρ ἀλλήλων καὶ ἑκατέρα τῇ τῆς ἑτέρας συναύξεται προκοπῇ, ὥστε τὴν μὲν ἀληθῆ θρῃσκείαν τῇ δικαιοπραγίᾳ, τὴν δὲ πολιτείαν ὑπ’ ἀμφοτέρων συγκροτουμένην ἐκλάμπειν. | For they hold to each other and each one is increased with the progress of the other one, so that, on the one hand, true worship with justice, but also the state composed by both shines forth. | habent enim se ipsas inuicem et utraque ex alterius promotione concrescit, ut uera religio iusto actu, res publica uero ex utrisque sustentata praefulgeat. |
| βασιλεύειν οὖν τεταγμένοι παρὰ θεοῦ σύνδεσμοί τε τῆς τῶν ὑπηκόων εὐσεβείας τε καὶ εὐπραγίας τυγχάνοντες, ἀρραγὲς ἀεὶ τὸ προσφυὲς τούτων φυλάττομεν, τῇ τε προνοίᾳ καὶ ἀνθρώποις μεσιτεύοντες ἐκείνῃ μὲν ὑπουργοῦμεν εἰς τὴν τῆς πολιτείας αὔξησιν, διὰ πάντων δὲ ὡς εἰπεῖν τῶν ὑπηκόων γινόμενοι τούτους εὐσεβεῖν τε καὶ πολιτεύεσθαι κατὰ τὸ εὐσεβέσι πρέπον παρασκευάζομεν. | Therefore, having been appointed to rule by God and being links with the piety of the obedient and obtaining success, we always keep this close connection unbroken. Mediating with both providence and men, we serve the former for the increase of the state, and being present for all these, so to speak, we prepare them to both show piety and live as citizens according to what is fitting for the pious. | ad imperandum igitur constituti a deo, complices autem pietatis et bonae actionis subiectorum existentes, indisruptum semper quod his consuenit, custodimus, prouidentiae et hominum mediatores. illi quidem subministramus ad rei publicae augmentum; per omnia autem, sicut dici potest, utilitates subiectorum sequentes, hos et pie agere et conuersari secundum quod conuenit piis, efficimus. |
| ἑκατέρου δεόντως ἐπιμελούμενοι (οὐδὲ γὰρ ἔνεστι τὸν θατέρου μεταποιούμενον μὴ ὁμόιως καὶ τοῦ ἑτέρου φροντίσαι) σπουδὴν τιθέμεθα πρὸ τῶν ἄλλων τὴν ἐκκλησιαστικὴν κατάστασιν θεῷ πρέπουσαν καὶ τοῖς ἡμετέροις καιροῖς πρόσφορον διαμένειν ἔχειν τε ἐκ τῆς τῶν πάντων ὁμονοίας τὸ ἀτάρχον καὶ διὰ τῆς ἐν τοῖς ἐκκλησιαστικοῖς πράγμασιν εἰρήνης τὸ ἀστασίαστον προσεῖναί τε τῇ εὐσεβεῖ θρῃσκείᾳ τὸ ἀνεπίληπτον καὶ τοὺς εἰς τὸν κλῆρον τήν τε μεγάλην ἱερωσύνην τελοῦντας πάσης τῆς κατὰ τὸν βίον μέμψεως ἀπηλλάχθαι. | We who duly care for each (for it is not possible for whoever pursues the one to not pay attention likewise also to the other) place zeal before all else that the ecclesiastical condition fitting for God and suitable for our times remains and has freedom from chaos through the harmony of all and through the peace in ecclesiastical affairs freedom from division, that the blamelessness exists with the pious religion and that those completing service in the clergy and in the great priesthood be free from all reproach concerning their life. | utriusque, sicut decet, curam gerentes (non enim possibile est unum defendentem non similiter et de altero esse sollicitum), festinamus ante omnia aliis omnibus praeponere ecclesiasticum statum deo condecentem et nostris temporibus aptum permanere et habere ex concordia cunctorum quietem per pacis tranquillitatem ecclesiasticis rebus insitae, accedere autem ad piam religionem et inreprehensibilitatem et eos qui in clero sunt et qui maius sacerdotium regunt, ab omni culpa quae in uita est, liberari. |
| ταῦτά τε συνορῶντες διὰ τῆς εἰς θεὸν ἀγάπης καὶ τῆς φιλαλλήλου γνώμης τῶν εὐσεβούντων κρατύνεσθαι, πολλάκις μὲν ἤδη διὰ τὰ κατὰ καιρὸν συμπεσόντα ἀναγκαίαν τὴν τῶν ἁπανταχόθεν ἁγιωτάτων ἐπισκόπων θεοφιλῆ σύνοδον ἡγησάμεθα, ὀκνηρότεροι δὲ ὅμως περὶ τὸν σκυλμὸν τῆς αὐτῶν θεοσεβείας γεγόναμεν. | And perceiving that these things, through love for God and through a friendly mindset of those practicing piety, are strengthed, many times already we, because of things befallen us at the time, considered the synod loved by God of holy bishops from everywhere a necessity, but we became hesitant concerning the mangling of their godliness. | Haec igitur prouidentes per dei caritatem et per inuicem se amantium piorum sententiam confortari, saepius quidem iam propter haec quae diuersis temporibus contigerunt, necessariam uniuersorum episcoporum reuerentissimam synodum aestimauimus, pigri tamen facti sumus de uexatione corum. |
| ἀλλ’ ἡ τῶν νῦν ἀναγκαίων ἐκκλησιαστικῶν τε καὶ τῶν ταύταις συνημμένων δημοσίων χρειῶν ζήτησις χρειωδεστάτην τε καὶ ἀπαραίτητον ταύτην ἀπέδειξεν· ὅθεν ὡς ἂν μὴ τὰ τῆς προκειμένης τῶν οὕτω χρησίμων ἐξετάσεως ἀμελούμενα τὴν ἐπὶ τὸ χεῖρον λάβοι ῥοπήν, ὅπερ ἐστὶ τῆς τῶν ἡμετέρων καιρῶν εὐσεβείας ἀλλότριον, φροντίσει ἡ σὴ θεοσέβεια μετὰ τὸ ἐπιόν, σὺν θεῷ δὲ εἰρήσθω, ἅγιον πάσχα εἰς τὴν Ἐφεσίων τῆς Ἀσίας παραγενέσθαι κατ’ αὐτὴν τῆς ἁγίας πεντηκοστῆς τὴν ἡμέραν, ὀλίγους οὓς ἂν δοκιμάσειεν, ἐκ τῆς ὑπ’ αὐτὴν τεταγμένης ἐπαρχίας ἁγιωτάτους ἐπισκόπους εἰς τὴν αὐτὴν συνδραμεῖν παρασκευάσασα, ὥστε καὶ τοὺς ἀρκοῦντας ταῖς κατὰ τὴν αὐτὴν ἐπαρχίαν ἀγιωτάταις:1. ἐκκλησίαις καὶ τοὺς τῇ συνόδῳ ἐπιτηδείους μηδαμῶς ἐλλεῖψαι. | But the questioning of both current ecclesiastical necessities and the needs of the public attached to them demonstrated this both necessarily and inevitably, from which, lest the things of the proposed investigation of such useful things being neglected might take a turn for the worse, which is foreign among the piety of our times, your godliness will take care of, with God let it be said, after the impending holy Pascha to come to Ephesus of Asia in accordance with the very day of the holy Pentecost, a few of whom you might test, from the province assigned under you, having prepared the most holy bishops to assemble for the same thing, so that both those sufficient for the most holy churches throughout the same province and those fit for the synod might in no way be lacking. | sed praesentium ecclesiasticarum, quae necessariae sunt, et publicarum, quae his adiunctae, causarum quaestio utilem et inrecusabilem eam ostendit, ne propositae tam utilissimae rei quaestio si neglegatur, ad peiorem ordinem conuertatur, quod est a temporibus nostrae pietatis alienum. curam ergo gerat tua reuerentia post exactum deo iuuante sanctum uenturum pascha ad Ephesum Asiae peruenire ipso die sanctae pentecostes, paucos, quos approbauerit, ex eadem prounicia sibi subiecta sanctissimos episcopos ad idem concilium faciens conuenire, ut et sint sufficientes sanctissimis ecclesiis eiusdem prouinciae et ad concilium qui idonei sunt, nullatenus desint. |
| γέγραπται γὰρ τὰ ἴσα παρὰ τῆς ἡμετέρας θειότητος περὶ τῆς προλεχθείσης ἁγιωτάτης συνόδου τοῖς θεοφιλέσιν ἐπισκόποις τῶν ἁπανταχοῦ μητροπόλεων, ὥστε τούτου γενομένου τήν τε ἐκ τῶν ἀμφισβητουμένων συμβαίνουσαν ταραχὴν κατὰ τοὺς ἐκκλησιαστικοὺς κανόνας διαλυθῆναι καὶ τὴν ἐπὶ τοῖς οὐ δεόντως γενομένοις δοθῆναι διόρθωσιν τῇ τε περὶ θεὸν εὐλαβείᾳ καὶ τῇ τῶν δημοσίων λυσιτελείᾳ ὑπάρξαι τὸ βέβαιον, δηλαδὴ μηδεμιᾶς πρὸ τῆς ἁγιωτάτης συνόδου καὶ τοῦ μέλλοντος παρ’ αὐτῆς κοινῇ ψύφῳ ἐφ’ ἅπασι δίδοσθαι τύπου καινοτομίας ἰδίᾳ παρά τινων γινομένης. | For the same things have been written by our divinity about the aforementioned most holy synod with the bishops loved by God from metropolipses everywhere, so that, after this happened, they arranged for the stirring of the things disputed according to the ecclesiastical canons to be dissolved and for correction to be given to things done improperly and that stability be established for the reverence concerning God and for the usefulness of the public; specifically, before the most holy synod and the decree that is going to be given by it by common vote on everything, that no innovation is made privately by some. | scripta enim sunt exemplaria a nostra diuinitate de praedicto sancto concilio reuerentissimis episcopis uniuersis metropolitanis, ut hoc facto omnis turbela quae ex controuersia nascitur, secundum ecclesiasticas regulas dissoluatur et his quae decenter facta non sunt, correctio praebeatur, et ut reuerentia circa deum et firmitas publicae utilitati proueniat, ut nulla scilicet specialis nouitas a quibusdam fiat ante sanctum concilium et sententiam ab hoc de rebus omnibus proferendam. |
| καὶ πεπείσμεθα μὲν ἕκαστον τῶν θεοφιλεστάτων ἱερέων γνόντας ἐκκλησιαστικῶν τε καὶ οἰκουμενικῶν πραγμάτων χάριν τὴν ἁγιωτάτην σύνοδον τούτῳ ἡμῶν τῷ θεσπίσματι κατεπείγεσθαι συνδραμεῖν σπουδαίως τοῖς οὕτως ἀναγκαίοις καὶ εἰς θεοῦ ἀρέσκειαν φθάνουσι τὰ δυνατὰ συμβαλούμενον· καὶ ἡμεῖς δὲ τούτων πολλὴν ποιούμενοι φροντίδα ἀπολιμπάνεσθαι οὐδένα φορητῶς ἀνεξόμεθα οὐδεμίαν τε ἕξει πρὸς θεὸν οὐδὲ πρὸς ἡμᾶς ἀπολογίαν ὁ μὴ παραχρῆμα κατὰ τὸν προειρημένον καιρὸν εἰς τὸν ἀφορισθέντα τόπον σπουδαίως παραγενόμενος. | And we have been persuaded that each of the priests most loved by God who know that for the sake of the ecclesiastical and ecumenical affairs the holy synod has been pressed by this decree of ours to quickly assemble for these truly necessary matters that lead to pleasing God, is assisting as able. And indeed we, who made great care of these things, will not tolerably stand that anyone is left behind, and the one who did not come at once in earnest at the aforementioned time to the set place will have no defense before God nor before us. | et constat quidem apud nos unumquemque reuerentissimorum sacerdotum cognoscentem quod ecclesiasticarum et uniuersarum rerum gratia sit hoc sanctissimum concilium, pro hac nostra sanctione festinare concurrere, ut tam rei necessariae et deo placitae, quantum possibile sit, subueniat; et nos uero pro his multam sollicitudinem gerentes neminem deesse patiemur, nec ullam habebit neque apud deum neque apud nos excusationem qui non continuo secundum praedictum tempus ad constitutum locum festinanter occurrerit. |
| καὶ γὰρ ὁ καλούμενος εἰς ἱερατικὴν σύνοδον καὶ μὴ προθύμως συντρέχων οὐκ ἀγαθῆς εἶναι δείκνυται συνειδήσεως. | For also whoever is called to the priestly synod and is not eagerly contributing is shown to not be of good conscience. | qui enim uocatur ad sacerdotale concilium et non alacriter concurrit, non bonae esse conscientiae demonstratur. |
| Ὁ θεός σε διαφυλάξᾳ πολλοῖς χρόνοις, πάτερ ὁσιώτατε καὶ εὐλαβέστατε. | May God guard you securely for many years, O most holy and reverent father. | |
| Ἐδόθη τῇ πρὸ δεκατριῶν Καλανδῶν Δεκεμβρίων ἐν Κωνσταντινουπόλει ὑπατείᾳ τῶν δεσποτῶν ἡμῶν Θεοδοσίου τὸ τρισκαιδέκατον καὶ Οὐαλεντινιανοῦ τὸ τρίτον τῶν αἰωνίων αὐγούστων. | Given on the thirteenth day before the Kalends of December in Constantinople in the consulship of our masters Theodosius for the thirteenth time and Valentinian for the third time, the eternal Augusti. | DA |
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