Presbyters Uniwersytet Warszawski
ID
ER 2294
Gregory the Great grants Bishop Paul of Nepi, who is temporarily administrating the see of Naples, the right to ordain new clerics. Paul should also distribute the usual offerings to the clergy and grant them "presbyterium". Gregory the Great, Letter 2.9, AD 591.
Letter 2.9 to Bishop Paul of Naples (December 591)
 
Bishop Demetrius of Naples was demoted due to his suspiscious business operations (see letter 2.3). Bishop Paul of Nepi (app. 40 km north of Rome) is brought to tend to episcopal duties until a new bishop of Naples is elected. In the preceding letter (2.8) sent along with the one below, Gregory informs the clergy and people of Naples that he is glad they approve of Paul, and that they want him to be instated as their permanent bishop. He advises, however, that they be patient and get to know him better.
 
Gregorius Paulo episcopo Neapoli
 
Si sacerdotale quod suscipimus secure ministramus officium, et diuinum adiutorium et dilectio nobis spiritalium aderit sine dubio filiorum. Eapropter ita se fraternitas tua in cunctis studeat exhibere, quatenus testimonium, quod de ea Neapolitanae ciuitatis clerus, nobilitas simul habet et populus, bonitatis tuae augmento roboretur. Sic ergo te in praefati populi adhortatione assidua debes occupatione constringere, ut uerbi tui fructum, quem ex eis fueris operatus, in suis horreis diuinus condat agricola. Quousque uero de his quae a nobis praedicti filii nostri fienda depostulant, reuelante Domino, deliberare possimus, clericos ex laicis ordinare necnon et manumissiones apud te in eadem ecclesia sollemniter celebrari concedimus. Consuetudines autem cleri suprascriptae ecclesiae et presbyterium te uolumus sine cunctatione persoluere. In cuius etiam instructione ita diligenter inuigila, quatenus ab incongruis uel illicitis omnibus abstinentes in Dei nostri seruitium digno obsecundationis ministerio, te quoque hortante, consistant.
 
(ed. Norberg 1982: 96–97, summarised by J. Szafranowski)
Letter 2.9 to Bishop Paul of Naples (December 591)
 
Bishop Demetrius of Naples was demoted due to his suspicious business operations (see letter 2.3). Bishop Paul of Nepi (app. 40 km north of Rome) is brought to tend to episcopal duties until a new bishop of Naples is elected. In the preceding letter (2.8) sent along with the one below, Gregory informs the clergy and people of Naples that he is glad they approve of Paul, and that they want him to be instated as their permanent bishop. He advises, however, that they be patient and get to know him better.
 
Gregory to Paul, bishop of Naples
 
If we administer the priestly office undertaken by us fearlessly, we shall without doubt receive both the help of God and the love of our spiritual sons. On account of this, let your fraternity be keen to reveal yourself in all affairs, in such a way that the opinion which the clergy of the city of Naples has of you, like that of the nobility and the people, may be reinforced by an increase in your goodness. And so you ought to restrict your occupation to an assiduous encouragement of the aforesaid people. Thus the divine farmer may collect in his granaries the fruit of your word, which you have harvested from them. But as far as we may determine, with the revelation of our Lord, with regard to those things which our aforesaid sons ask us to do for them, we allow you to ordain clerics from the laity, and also to celebrate manumissions in your see with due solemnity, in the same church. But we want you to settle without delay the usual offerings (consuetudines) for clerics of the above-mentioned church, and the donatives (presbyterium). Pay careful attention also in instructing the clergy, so that they abstain from all things unsuitable or illegal and, with your encouragement also, that they are constant in their service of our God, in their due ministry of obedience.
 
(trans. Martyn 2004: 198-199, slightly altered and summarised by J. Szafranowski)

Discussion:

It is interesting that Paul is still addressed as the bishop of Naples, even though he is still nominally bishop of Nepi (where he will return in May 393, see Letter 3.35).
 
The term presbyterium is enigmatic. It is usually understood as the donations given by bishops to the clergy of their city, but it seems that it could also refer to a cleric's salary. Gregory also mentions presbyterium in letters 2.50 (2314) and 5.27 (XXXXXX).

Place of event:

Region
  • Italy south of Rome and Sicily
  • Rome
  • Italy north of Rome with Corsica and Sardinia
City
  • Naples
  • Rome
  • Nepi

About the source:

Author: Gregory the Great
Title: Letters, Epistulae, Epistolae, Registrum epistularum, Registrum epistolarum
Origin: Rome (Rome)
Denomination: Catholic/Nicene/Chalcedonian
Gregory, later called the Great (Gregorius Magnus), was born ca 540 to an influential Roman family with some connection to the ancient gens Anicia. His great-great-grandfather was Felix III, who served as the bishop of Rome from 526 to 530. Possibly, Agapetus I, pope between 535 and 536, was his relative as well. Little is known about his early career, but in 573 Gregory ascended to the high office of the city prefect. Shortly afterwards, however, he resigned from his post and adopted the monastic way of life. He founded a monastery dedicated to St. Andrew within his family estate on Coelian Hill, next to the library established by Agapetus and Cassiodorus. Six other monasteries were founded in the estates his family owned in Sicily. Soon after his monastic conversion, he started to be given various tasks by Popes Benedict I (575–578) and Pelagius II (578–590). At that time, he was ordained a deacon. Between 579 and 585/6, Gregory acted as Pelagius` envoy in Constantinople. In 590, he was elected Pelagius` successor to the bishopric of Rome. The registry of his letters contained copies of Gregory`s papal correspondence up to his death in 604. The scope of Gregory`s original registry is still the subject of scholarly speculation. There are 854 extant letters gathered in fourteen volumes, most of them (686 letters) originating from the collection compiled at the time of Pope Hadrian I (772–795).
 
It is worth remembering that the majority of Gregory’s correspondence was jointly produced by the pope and his subordinates, see Pollard 2013.
Edition:
D. Norberg ed., S. Gregorii Magni Registrum Epistularum, Corpus Christianorum: Series Latina 140, 140A, Turnhout 1982.
 
Translation:
The Letters of Gregory the Great, trans. J.R.C. Martyn, Mediaeval Sources in Translation 40, Toronto 2004.
Bibliography:
R.M. Pollard, A Cooperative Correspondence: The Letters of Gregory the Great, in: M. Dal Santo, B. Neil (eds.), A Companion to Gregory the Great, Leiden-Boston 2013, pp. 291–312.

Categories:

Described by a title - Presbyter/πρεσβύτερος
    Described by a title - Clericus
      Economic status and activity - Gift
        Relation with - Bishop/Monastic superior
          Former ecclesiastical career - None
            Livelihood/income
              Shortage of clergy
                Please quote this record referring to its author, database name, number, and, if possible, stable URL: J. Szafranowski, Presbyters in the Late Antique West, ER2294, http://www.presbytersproject.ihuw.pl/index.php?id=6&SourceID=2294