Letters to Anastasius

St. Gregory the Great (Dvoeslov) conducted active correspondence with church and secular leaders of his time. Among its recipients was Blzh. Anastasius, Patriarch of Antioch, to whom the saint expresses sympathy in connection with the persecution and difficulties of his ministry. The 5 letters emphasize the importance of mutual prayer and spiritual support, discuss issues of church discipline, the fight against heresies, preserving the unity of faith and the need for zealous fulfillment of archpastoral duty. The saint also touches on the topic of the authority of the Roman see and emphasizes the importance of agreement between the Eastern and Western Churches. The letter of Your Beatitude was pleasant for me as it was for the weary, for the sick, for the sick, for the thirsty for a source, for the shade scorched by the heat. It seemed to me that the words of this letter were not an expression of bodily language, but revealed spiritual love in such a way that it was as if the spirit itself was speaking directly. But here’s what was very hard for me: your love forced me to bear earthly burdens, and you, who first loved me spiritually, then loved me with temporary love, so bent me to the ground with the burden imposed on me that, having completely lost the rightness of my heart and the sharpness of my spiritual vision, I can say not from the spirit of prophecy alone, but from my own experience: I am a slob and have humbled myself to the point of being ( Ps.119:107). It is fitting for me, shaken by many waves of circumstances and confused by the storms of a rebellious life, to say these words of David: I fell into the depths of the sea, and the storm drowned me (Ps. 68:3). And so to me in need, you, standing on the shore of virtues, extend the hand of your word. And the fact that you call me now the mouth of the Lord, now a lamp, and claim that I benefit many, this also turns into an increase in my iniquities, when I, deserving punishment for iniquities, accept praise instead of punishment. I cannot even describe in words what earthly confusions are pressing me here: you can conclude this from the very brevity of the letter, in which I say so little and to the one whom I love most of all. In addition, I inform you that I have used all possible prayers from the Most Serene Sovereigns 2, may they allow you, upon the return of honor, to come to the ashes of St. Supreme Apostle Peter, and live here with me as long as God pleases. Then, if I am worthy to see you, we will ease the sorrow of our wanderings with mutual conversations about the eternal fatherland. Words to God in the highest and on earth peace, good will to men! the great river, which once left the dry stones of Antioch, has finally returned to its lair, and irrigates the nearby valleys, and brings forth seeds of fruit for thirty, sixty and one hundred. Now there is no longer any doubt that in these valleys many flowers of souls grow and, with the power of the streams of your tongue, reach ripe fruits. For this, from all our members, with the voice of our hearts and lips, we give due praise to Almighty God, and we rejoice not only with you, but in your Bliss and with everyone who is subordinate to you. I received a letter from your kind and longed-for Holiness, covered, so to speak, with the sweat of labor. And I know that after those heights of peace on which you, with the hand of your heart, touched the heavenly mysteries, it is very difficult to endure the external. But remember that you are governing in the Apostolic seat, and you will quickly tame sorrow; because you have become everything to everyone. In the book of Kings, as is well known to your Holiness, someone is described who used both hands as a right hand. And I have no doubt that the amiable and most holy Anastasius, my longtime patron and master, has this ability; for when he turns earthly affairs to heavenly benefit, he uses shuitsu as a right hand, so that with him, zeal for heavenly things accomplishes its work with his right hand, and care for the temporal, brought to the good of righteousness, acts with the firmness of his right hand with shuytsu. All this, of course, cannot be done without hard work and displeasure. But let us remember the works of our predecessors, and what we endure will not be difficult. For (they say) through many tribulations it is fitting for us to enter the kingdom of God (Acts 14:22); and we are weighed down with great and heavy strength, as if we had no hope of living; but we have within ourselves the condemnation of death, so that we may not put our hope in ourselves (2 Cor. 1:8, 9); however, the passions of the present time are unworthy of the desire for glory to appear in us (Rom. 8:18) How can we, weak sheep, easily pass through the waterless path of the present age, when the rams also endured such exhausting labor on it? It is impossible to express with either pen or tongue the sorrows I endure on this earth from the swords of the Longobards, from the lawlessness of judges, from unusual and annoying court cases, from supervision of subordinates, and even from bodily burdens. Speaking about this briefly, I fear that your most holy love, suffering from its sorrows, will not suffer even more from mine. But may Almighty God, by the generosity of his love, and the spirit of your most holy Beatitude, fill all consolation, and, through your intercession, grant me, unworthy, finally peace of mind from the calamities that I am enduring. Amen, Grace, (Gratia). 5 I lay down these words, borrowing them from your writings, so that your Beatitude may know that Saint Ignatius is not only yours, but also ours. For as the supreme Apostle, his teacher is common to us; so none of us considers the disciple of this Apostle to belong to himself alone. We accepted your blessing with the proper spirit, like a fragrant gift. And we thank Almighty God that your deeds, your words, and your gifts are fragrant. Therefore, let us speak again about your life and say everything: glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men! I received from your all-kind Beatitude a letter exuding not words, but tears; for in it I saw a cloud, by its nature, flying in the heights, but carrying a certain darkness of sorrow, and at the beginning it was difficult for me to comprehend where it was coming from and where it was rushing, because, due to the said darkness, I did not fully understand the reasons. However, you, Most Holy Ones, must always remember, which is what you are doing, the words of the preacher of tongues: in the last days times of cruelty will come; There will be people who are vain, lovers of money, grandiose, and so on, that it would be too much work for me to explain, but there is no particular need for you to hear. Behold, your Bliss, in holy old age, is exposed to many misfortunes; but let him imagine whose seat it occupies. Is it not the one to whom the voice of Truth says: when you grow old, he will girdle you and lead you even if you didn’t want to? (John 21:18). At the same time, I remember that Your Holiness suffered many disasters even from youth. May she say with the good King 7: I will think about all my years in the sorrow of my soul 8. Of course, many, as you write, find pleasure in our ulcers; but we know the One who said: You will weep and lament, but the world will rejoice; But you will be sad, and he immediately added: but your sorrow will turn into joy (John 16:20). And since we already endure what was predicted, we can only wait for what is promised. For those about whom you say that they increase the burden that they were supposed to lighten, I am sure, belong to the number of those who come in the clothing of sheep, but inwardly they are ravening wolves. But we must endure them all the more because they persecute us not only with evil intent, but also under the guise of piety. As for the fact that they alone want to have more than others, which was indecent to have together with brothers, this does not bother us at all: for we trust in Almighty God and are confident that those who desire someone else’s will soon lose their own. We know the One who said: everyone who exalts himself will humble himself (Luke 14:11). It is also written: arrogance (exaltation) comes before contrition (Proverbs 16:18). In these days, I find, new battles of heretics are arising, about which I have already written to your Beatitude, so that they threaten to abolish the Prophets, and the Gospels, and everything said by the Fathers. But in the continuation of the life of your Holiness, we hope for the mercy of our patron, lips open to the firmness of the truth will soon become numb, and although sharp swords rush at the stone, those crushed by it are reflected. Great is the mercy of Almighty God that there is no unity among those who have separated from the teachings of the Holy Church; for every kingdom divided into itself will not be made. The Holy Church, when it suffers an attack from heretical objections, always acquires more subtlety in its teaching, so that what is said against the heretics by God through the Psalmist is clearly fulfilled: His face was divided from the wrath, and his heart drew near 9 (Ps. 54:21). For when they are divided in their wicked error, God draws his heart closer to you, because, instructed by contrary circumstances, we more accurately understand His mind. And what disasters we suffer from the swords of barbaric and corrupt judges, I am afraid to retell to your Beatitude, so as not to increase the lamentations of the one whom I must console. In all this, I am consoled by the commandments of our Leader, who says: these words give you peace in me. You will be in a world of sorrow (John 16:33). I also think about what was said to some: Behold, this is the cotton of the day, and the region is mine (Luke 22:53). And since after this there must be a region of light among the elect, to whom it is said: You are the light of the world (Matthew 5:14) and about whom it is written: and the rulers of the morning possess them (Ps. 49:15); then we shouldn’t cry because we are enduring this time and darkness. Your all-loving Holiness expresses to me a desire to talk with me, if it were possible, without pen and paper, and grieves that we are separated by almost the entire distance of East and West. But I will tell the truth as I feel: your spirit speaks to me on paper without paper; for in the word of your Holiness the voice of one love is heard, and when, by the gift of the almighty Lord, we are united by a union of love, then no place separates us. Why are you looking for the wings of a silver-plated dove, which you already have? These wings are love for God and love for neighbor. With these wings the Holy Church ascends; with them she rises above everything earthly. If Your Holiness did not have them, you would not have come to me with such love through a letter. I ask you to pray more earnestly for the weakness of my heart, so that Almighty God, through your intercession, will protect my spirit from all evils, and rather deliver me from so many storms of the present time and lead me to the shores of eternal peace. I received all the abundant blessings that you, man of God, poor in spirit, sent to me. You say about them: what will the poor give if not something that is also poor? But if you, in the spirit of humility, were not poor, then your blessings would not be abundant. Almighty God, under His protection, will protect you from all evils, and, since your life is very necessary for all good people, after many more years, may it lead you to the joys of the heavenly fatherland. I received the writings of your Brotherhood, containing a right confession of faith, and thanked Almighty God a lot, who, changing the shepherds of his flock, preserves the faith once betrayed to the Holy Fathers unchanged even after them. An excellent preacher says: no one can lay any other foundation on him who lies, even Jesus Christ (1 Cor. 3:11). Therefore, he who, with love for God and neighbor, maintains a firm faith in Christ, has laid the foundation for himself of the same Jesus Christ, the Son of God and man. And we must hope that where Christ is the foundation, there the building of good deeds will follow. And the Truth itself says: do not enter by the door into the sheepfold, but by entering elsewhere, that thief is a robber; and when you enter through the door, the shepherd eats for the sheep (John 10:1, 2). Then he soon adds: I am the door (John 10:9). And so, he who enters through Christ enters by the door into the sheepfold. And through Christ he enters who truly understands Him, the Creator and Redeemer of the human race, and keeps what is preached; who accepts the height of government as a duty to bear the burden, and not with a desire for glory from a passing honor. Such a one watchfully takes care of the sheepfold entrusted to him, so that the sheep of God are not tormented by depraved people with wicked words, and are not devastated by evil spirits who entice people with the pleasures of vices. We remember what the blessed (Patriarch) Jacob, who served for his wives for a long time, said: I have been with you for twenty years; your sheep and your goats are not without fruit; I have not eaten the rams of your sheep; the beast-eaters were not brought to you. I will reward you from myself with tatbins of the day and tatbins of the night. There were scorching heat in the days and cold in the nights, and sleep departed from my eyes. (Gen.31:38–40). If Laban, who tends the sheep, works and watches like this, then what kind of work, what kind of vigilance is required from the one who tends the sheep of God? But in all this may He instruct us, who for our sake became man, who deigned to become what He created; May He himself breathe the spirit of his love into my weakness and into your brotherly love, and may he open the eye of our hearts for all pastoral care and prudence. For the fact that faithful men are being promoted to sacred positions, we must constantly give thanks to Almighty God, and always pray for the life of our Most Pious and Christ-loving (Christianissimi) Sovereign Emperor, for his most peace-loving wife and his meekest children, in whose days heretical lips are silenced, for although the hearts of heretics boil in the madness of the corrupt meaning, but during the time of the Orthodox Emperor they do not dare to reveal their wicked speculations in words. Moreover, speaking about the observance of the holy Councils, your Brotherhood confessed that you observe the first Holy Council of Ephesus. But as from a note on the heretical code sent to me from the royal city, I learned that the Orthodox are criticized for some heretical provisions - because some consider the first Council of Ephesus to be the one that was in Ephesus, which was once, they say, compiled by heretics - then it is necessary for your love to reclaim this Council from the Holy Church of Alexandria or Antioch, and thus it will be found, what he really is. And if you wish, then we send from here what we have kept in our treasuries since ancient times. (in scriniis). For that Council, which was compiled under the guise of the first Ephesian Council, presents some of the provisions presented to it as approved, although they are nothing more than the speculations of Celestius and Pelagius 11. since Celestius and Pelagius were condemned at the Council of Ephesus, how could such provisions be adopted at it, the perpetrators of which were condemned? It has come down to us that in the Eastern churches one enters into sacred positions only for bribes and gifts. If your Brotherhood recognizes this as true, then let this first sacrifice be offered to Almighty God in order to stop this heresy of Simony in the Churches subordinate to you. For (I am silent about the rest) what kind of sacred rank can those be who are elevated to it not by merit, but by gifts? May Almighty God preserve your love with heavenly grace, and may He grant you to enjoy, from those entrusted to your care, fruits that are numerous and abundant in measure - in eternal joys. Your letter, beloved brother, filled with tears instead of words, has been received. I saw in it a cloud, which, as usually happens, rose higher and higher, and carried some kind of darkness of sorrow; but I suddenly couldn’t quite see where it was coming from and where it was rushing; because the darkness itself prevented me from fully knowing the cause of this sorrow. However, all this should constantly bring to your mind the words of the teacher of languages: in the last days difficult times will come. For people will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, proud (2 Tim. 3:2), and the like, which it is difficult for me to list, but you do not need to know. Indeed, in old age you undergo many calamities; but remember that you are the successor of the one to whom the Truth Itself announced: when you are old, he will gird you and lead you even if you did not want to (John 21:18). However, what am I saying? Have you not suffered similar calamities since your youth? Repeat the words of the meek King (Hezekiah): I spent all the years of my life in humiliation because of the sorrow of my soul (Is. 38c from the original). If there are many who, according to you, rejoice, looking at our misfortunes; then we must remember the words spoken by the Savior: you will weep and wail, and the world will rejoice; you will be sad: but your sorrow will be turned into joy (John 16:20). If now we are already undergoing what was predicted; then we must expect that what is promised will also be fulfilled, I completely know that the burden of our sorrows is increased by those who, according to the Savior, come in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves (Matthew 7:15). But they should be all the more tolerant the more they persecute us both out of the malice of their souls and in their way of thinking about faith. It doesn’t bother me at all that they alone want to have something that they shouldn’t have, just like their brothers. I firmly hope in Almighty God that those who desire someone else’s will soon lose even what they have, I remember the words of the Savior: if everyone exalts himself, he will humble himself (Luke 14:15). According to Scripture, the heart always ascends before destruction. These days, as I hear, the Heretics, about whom I previously wrote to you, are again beginning to persecute us. They even reject the Prophets, the Gospel and all the writings of the Fathers. As long as your holy life continues, I am quite sure that, with your efforts, the lips that take up arms against the truth will soon fall silent, just as swords, falling on a stone, will soon become dull. This alone should be considered the greatest blessing of God, that those who have separated from the teachings of the Holy Church do not have any agreement among themselves. For every kingdom, being divided against itself, will become desolate (Luke 11:17). The Holy Church receives much more firmness in its teaching if its truths are disputed by Heretics. The words of the Psalmist are clearly fulfilled on them: His face was divided by the wrath, and their hearts drew near (Ps. 54:22). For at the very time that they are divided in their wrong teaching, the heart of God draws near to us. Taught by misfortunes, we much more quickly comprehend the meaning of this teaching. I will not mention to you how many disasters we suffered from the swords of barbarians, from the cruelty of judges, so as not to increase the sorrow that I should reduce with consolation. However, in all this I am consoled by the commandments of our Lord, Who says: These words are spoken to you, that in me you may have peace: you will be in a world of sorrow (John 16:33). I know to whom the words apply: now is your time and the power of darkness (Luke 22:53). If the power of light appears after darkness, because it is said to the elect: you are the light of the world (Matthew 5:14): then we should not grieve that, being in time and in the region of darkness, we are subject to many disasters. It would be desirable for you, if only it were possible, to talk with me without pen and ink, and you very much regret that there is a long distance between East and West. But I think and hope that I can talk with you on paper as well as in person: for in your letter only love is expressed, and if we, by the grace of Almighty God, are united by its bonds, then space does not separate us at all. Why do you demand the gilded wings of a dove that you already have? These wings are love for God and neighbor. On them the Holy Church ascends, on them everything earthly rises upward. If you did not have them, you would never write to me with such love. I only ask you to pray more and more for my sins, so that Almighty God, through your intercession, will preserve my soul from all evil, quickly deliver me from misfortunes, and lead me to the shore of eternal peace. I received from you those rich blessings that you, in humility of spirit, called meager. But if you were not poor in spirit, your blessings would never be rich. May Almighty God protect you with His protection from all evil, and, since your life is necessary to support all that is good, may He lead you after long days to the joys of the heavenly fatherland. Palladius, presbyter of Mount Sinai. Having received a letter from you, beloved brother, I tried to ask my son, Simplicius, about everything, and now I know what kind of temptation you were subjected to. However, you don’t need my consolation, because the Truth Itself says: if you have discredited the lord of Beelzebub’s house, how much more will he do it to his household (Matthew 10:25); and in another place: if they were quicker from the world, the world would love its own; as you are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, for this reason the world hates you (John 15:19), meaning by the world carnal hearts devoted to the world. Since I am quite sure that all this is completely known to you, I am very surprised that you are upset by the slander of people. You should always delve into the meaning of the words of both those who praise us and those who blame us, and you should grieve when others say nothing good about you, and on the contrary, you should rejoice if there is nothing bad in their response about you. However, what is the benefit if people praise us, but our conscience condemns us? And what misfortune is it for us if everyone condemns us, but our conscience justifies us? We must remember the words of the Apostle Paul: this is our boasting, the testimony of our conscience (2 Cor. 1:12). Job also says: Behold, my hearing is in heaven, and I am a witness in the highest (Job 16:19). If we have a witness in heaven, and in our hearts; then let the madmen say what they please about us. Do they not also do this by their slander by blowing on the dust, which rises and falls into their eyes, so that where the more slander blows, the less they see the truth? But we must forgive those who slander, calmly admonish them, and quickly satisfy them by all means, remembering what the Truth says about them: let us not offend them (Matthew 17:27). If it is difficult to satisfy them with the truth, then you will find consolation in the Holy Gospel. When it was said to the Savior: Are you, like the Pharisees, when you heard the word, you were tempted? He answered: leave them: the leaders are blind and blind (Matthew 15:12). The Apostle Paul also exhorts: if it is possible from you, have peace with all men (Rom. 12:18). Intending to say that we should have peace with everyone, and knowing that this was very difficult, he first said: if possible. However, adding: hedgehog from you, thereby shows that this is possible. For if we wish to maintain love for those who hate us; then, although they do not have peace with us, we, without any doubt, have peace with them. And so in everything, beloved, guard your heart according to the words of Scripture: guard your heart with all guarding: from these things comes life (Prov. 4:23). That's all I could briefly write to you out of love! I ask you to still pray for me; May Almighty God protect me from evil spirits and corrupt people: since in the life of my coming many misfortunes surround me, so in fairness I must say with the Psalmist: Thy wrath has come upon me, Thy terrors have troubled me (Ps. 87:17). May heavenly grace protect us in the cities and you in the desert; for the primordial enemy of the human race can tempt people in all places on earth. If he destroyed a person in paradise, is there a place outside of paradise where his tricks could not penetrate? But let us trust in the providence of our Creator and cry to Him from the depths of our hearts: be my protector God and a place to save me firmly (Ps. 71:3). L. 1. er 7 et L. V. cf. 39. Bl. Anastasius endured imprisonment for his firmness in Orthodoxy. See Chet. Min. Apr. 20. Of course Imp. Mauritius and his son Theodosius, then already married. It was written after Bl.’s return. Anastasia from captivity, around 595 Of course, the leaders of the flock, St. Apostles. Words taken from the letters of St. Ignatius the God-Bearer. Isaiah 38:15, Vulgate translation. So in translation. Latin instead: their hearts drawing near. L.IX. Ep 49. It is believed that this letter was written to Anastasius the Younger, who was at the See of Antioch from 599. Of course, a false Council, which took place during the true Council of Ephesus, composed by ill-wishers of St. Cyril and favored by Nestorius, this false Council was also in Ephesus.