Presbyters Uniwersytet Warszawski
ID
ER 2326
The presbyter Magnus from Milan and the cleric Yppolitus from the same church carry a letter from the clergy of Milan to Gregory the Great, informing him that the deacon Constantius is a suitable candidate for episcopacy. Gregory the Great, Letter 3.29, AD 593.
Letter 3.29 to presbyters and other clerics of Milan (April 593)
 
Gregorius presbyteris diaconibus et clero Mediolanensis ecclesiae
 
Epistulam dilectionis uestrae suscepimus, cui tamen nullius erat inserta subscriptio, sed fidem Magni presbyteri et Yppoliti clerici portitorum personae faciebant.
 
Gregory acknowledges that the clergy of Milan proposed to ordain Constantius as their bishop. He then reminds the rules of proper episcopal election and calls for repentance in the face of judgement day drawing eminently close.
 
(ed. Norberg 1982: 174)
Letter 3.29 to presbyters and other clerics of Milan (April 593)
 
Gregory to presbyters, deacons, and clergy of the church of Milan
 
We received the letters of your Beloved selves, but nobody's signature was inserted beneath it. However, the characters of those bearing it, the presbyter Magnus and cleric Yppolitus, confirmed its authencity.
 
Gregory acknowledges that the clergy of Milan proposed to ordain Constantius as their bishop. He then reminds the rules of proper episcopal election and calls for repentance in the face of judgement day drawing eminently close.
(trans. Martyn 2004: 254, slightly altered by J. Szafranowski)

Discussion:

In Letter 3.26 ([3225]), Gregory lifted the excommunication that was imposed on Magnus by the late bishop of Milan, Laurentius.
 
The clergy of Milan was at that time living in exile at Genoa as Milan was occupied by Lombards, cf. Gregory's letter 3.30.

Place of event:

Region
  • Italy north of Rome with Corsica and Sardinia
  • Rome
  • Italy north of Rome with Corsica and Sardinia
City
  • Milan
  • Rome
  • Genoa

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 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:

Travel and change of residence
Functions within the Church - Urban presbyter
Described by a title - Presbyter/πρεσβύτερος
Ecclesiastical administration - Ecclesiastical envoy
Ecclesiastical administration - Election of Church authorities
Relation with - Bishop/Monastic superior
Relation with - Deacon
Please quote this record referring to its author, database name, number, and, if possible, stable URL: J. Szafranowski, Presbyters in the Late Antique West, ER2326, http://www.presbytersproject.ihuw.pl/index.php?id=6&SourceID=2326