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ER 2365

Gregory the Great writes to Bishop Clementius of Hadrumetum (North Africa), on behalf of the presbyter Adeodatus. Adeodatus was deprived of his position due to two-months absence and another presbyter took his post. Gregory the Great, Letter 4.13, AD 593.

Letter 4.13 to Bishop Clementius of Hadrumetum (October 593)

Gregorius Clementio episcopo primati Bizaceno

Praesentium latoris Adeodati querellam, qui se sui presbyteratus loco incongrue dicit expulsum, licet subditae tibi textus petitionis explanet, tamen paulo iudicauimus apertius retexendam. Asserit namque a Quintiano fratre atque coepiscopo nostro in loco suo pro quibusdam se suis ordinandis negotiis relaxatum aegritudinisque causa per duorum mensium spatium suae se ecclesiae defuisse; cuius rei occasionem captantem praedictum fratrem nostrum alium loco eius illic presbyterum ordinasse. Hortamur igitur fraternitatem tuam ut causam eius sollicite districte que perquiras. Et si manifeste aegritudinis sicut dicitur causa ecclesiae suae eum defuisse reppereris, nullum ei ex ordinatione alterius presbyteri permittas praeiudicium generari. Sed in loco suo sine aliqua eum fac dubietate restitui. Sin autem aliter se res habere dicitur, quam porrecta ab eo uidetur continere suggestio, causam eiusdem legitime canonice que perquire, et quicquid secundum Deum tibi uisum fuerit, iuuante Domino, ita stude decernere, ut nulla de hac re ad nos ulterius questio reuertatur.

Illud autem caritatem tuam specialiter admonemus ut, si uera fuerit suggestio atque in suo fuerit ordine restitutus, de presbytero qui in loco eius ordinatus est subtiliter districte que debeas esse sollicitus. Et siquidem sine datione aliqua ad eundem ordinem uenit, ut in simoniacam haeresem non potuisset incidere, in aliam quamcumque uacantem ecclesiam eum uolumus ordinari. Sin autem in eum quippiam, quod auertat Dominus, fuerit tale repertum, ipso etiam presbyteratus priuetur ordine, quem non causa replendae necessitatis ecclesiae sed sola comprobatur ambitione sumpsisse.

(ed. Norberg 1982: 231)

Letter 4.13 to Bishop Clementius of Hadrumetum (October 593)

Gregory to Clementius, bishop and primate of Byzacena

The bearer of this letter, Adeodatus, says that he has been expelled improperly from the position of his presbyterate. Although his complaint may be explained by the text of the petition to you added below, it needs to be unraveled a little more openly, in my opinion. For he asserts that, relieved by Quintianus, our brother and fellow-bishop, from the duties of his position because of some personal affairs and sickness, he was absent from his church for the period of two months. Our aforesaid brother seized an opportunity in this matter, he claims, and consecrated another man as presbyter there, in his place. We therefore exhort your Fraternity to inquire into his case with careful concern. And if you find that he was absent from his church quite clearly because of the illness, as is argued, you should not allow any prejudice to be created against him through the ordination of another presbyter. But see that he is restored to his position without any hesitation. However, if the matter is said to differ from the apparent content of the suggestion he offerred, inquire into the same man's case according to the law and the canons. Whatever you decide on in accordance with God, take care with the Lord's help to make a decision so that no question about this matter reverts to us any more.

We also especially advise your Beloved concerning this, that if his suggestion were truthful and he were to be restored to his own rank, you ought to show acute and strict concern about the presbyter who was consecrated in his place. And if he indeed came to this same rank without any payment, so that he could not have fallen into the heresy of simony, we want him to be consecrated for some other vacant church. But if something of that sort is discovered against him (Heaven forbid!), let him also be deprived of that very presbyterate, if he is convicted of having assumed it not for the sake of filling a Church requirement, but through personal ambition alone.

(trans. Martyn 2004: 297–298, altered and summarized by J. Szafranowski)

Discussion:

The see of Bishop Quintianus is unknown, but it is clear that it was located within the ecclesiastical province of Byzacena.

It is telling that the presbyter Adeodatus decided to seek justice so far from his place of office as Rome, and that Gregory wrote a letter to primate of Byzacena, rather than directly to his suffragan, Bishop Quintianus. The latter will seemingly suffer no consequences for his actions, even if Clementius' investigation were to prove he wronged the presbyter Adeodatus.

Place of event:

Region

Latin North Africa
Rome

City

Hadrumetum
Rome

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

PR1057.

Ecclesiastical transfer

PR1058.

Described by a title - Presbyter/πρεσβύτερος

Reasons for ordination - Personal ambition

PR1058.

Reasons for ordination - Pastoral needs of the Christian community

PR1058.

Simony/Buying office

PR1058.

Conflict

PR1057.

Relation with - Bishop/Monastic superior

PR1057.

Administration of justice - Ecclesiastical

Administration of justice - Demotion

PR1058.

Administration of justice - Exile

PR1057.

Please quote this record referring to its author, database name, number, and, if possible, stable URL: J. Szafranowski, Presbyters in the Late Antique West, ER2365, http://www.presbytersproject.ihuw.pl/index.php?id=6&SourceID=2365