The Presbyters Project

Letter 25

III,6. De consignandis vero infantibus manifestum est, non ab alio, quam ab episcopo fieri licere. Nam presbyteri licet secundi sint sacerdotes, pontificatus tamen apicem non habent. Hoc autem pontificium solis deberi episcopis, ut vel consignent, vel paracletum Spiritum tradant, non solum, consuetudo ecclesiastica demonstrat, verum et illa lectio Actuum Apostolorum, quae asserit, Petrum et Joannem esse directos, qui jam baptizatis traderent Spiritum sanctum. Nam presbyteris, sive extra episcopum sive praesente episcopo cum baptizant, chrismate baptizatos ungere licet, sed quod ab episcopo fuerit consecratum, non tamen frontem ex eodem oleo signare, quod solis debetur episcopis, cum tradunt Spiritum paracletum. Verba vero dicere non possum, ne magis prodere videar, quam ad consultationem respondere.

(ed. Coustant 1845: 554-555)

Letter 25

III,6. It is clear that only bishops, and nobody else, can make the sign of the cross on children. It is true that presbyters are the second priests, but they do not attain the summit of the pontificate. That which is pontifical should be reserved to the bishops. Only they can make the sign of the cross and confer the Paraclete Spirit. This is shown not only by the ecclesiastical custom, but also by this passage from the Acts of the Apostles that states that Peter and John were directed to confer the Holy Spirit to those who had already been baptized [Acts 8: 14-17]. When the presbyters baptize, be the bishop present or absent, they are allowed to anoint the baptized with the chrism, provided it was consecrated by the bishop, but they must not make the sign of the cross on the forehead, which is allowed only to the bishops, when they confer the Holy Spirit. I end here because I do not want to give an impression of putting forward more than responding to the questions asked.

(trans. S. Adamiak)

Discussion:

The letter was sent on 19 March 416 to Decentius, bishop of Gubbio in Umbria (Italy).

Place of event:

Region

Rome
Italy north of Rome with Corsica and Sardinia

City

Rome
Gubbio

About the source:

Author: Innocent I
Title: Letters, Epistulae
Origin: Rome (Rome)
Denomination: Catholic/Nicene/Chalcedonian

Innocent I was the bishop of Rome from AD 401 to 417. Several of his letters, especially to the bishops of Gaul and Spain, are "decretals": authoritative letters containing papal rulings, usually in response to questions raised by the bishops.

Edition:

P. Coustant ed., S. Innocentii Papae Epistolae et Decreta, Patrologia Latina 20, Paris 1845, 463-608.

Bibliography:

R. Cabié, La lettre du Pape Innocent Ier à Décentius de Gubbio. Texte critique, traduction et commentaire, Louvain 1973.

Categories:

Described by a title - Presbyter/πρεσβύτερος

Described by a title - Sacerdos/ἱερεύς

Ritual activity - Baptism and instructing catechumens

Ritual activity - Anointment

Ritual activity - Anointment with chrism

Theoretical considerations - On priesthood

Please quote this record referring to its author, database name, number, and, if possible, stable URL: S. Adamiak, Presbyters in the Late Antique West, ER1712, http://www.presbytersproject.ihuw.pl/index.php?id=6&SourceID=1712