A note about the
painting above: St. Ambrose was out of town when Theodosius performed
his great public act of penance, and Theodosius wasn't physically
barred from the Church. The painting is metaphorical.
Letter 51
1. The memory of your old friendship is pleasant to me, and I
gratefully call to mind the kindnesses which, in reply to my frequent
intercessions, you have most graciously conferred on others. Whence it
may be inferred that I did not from any ungrateful feeling avoid
meeting you on your arrival, which I had always before earnestly
desired. And I will now briefly set forth the reason for my acting as I
did.
2. I saw that from me alone in your court the natural right of hearing
was withdrawn, so that I was deprived also of the office of speaking;
for you were frequently troubled because certain matters which had been
decided in your consistory had come to my knowledge. I, therefore, am
without a part in the common privilege, since the Lord Jesus says: That
nothing is hidden, which shall not be made known. Luke 8:17 I,
therefore, as reverently as I could, complied with the imperial will,
and took heed that neither yourself should have any reason for
displeasure, when I effected that nothing should be related to me of
the imperial decrees; and that I, when present, either should not hear,
through fear of all others, and so incur the reputation of connivance,
or should hear in such a fashion that my ears might be open, my
utterance prevented, that I might not be able to utter what I had heard
lest I should injure and bring in peril those who had incurred the
suspicion of treachery.
3. What, then, could I do? Should I not hear? But I could not close my
ears with the wax of the old fables. Should I utter what I heard? But I
was bound to be on my guard in my words against that which I feared in
your commands, namely, lest some deed of blood should be committed.
Should I keep silence? But then my conscience would be bound, my
utterance taken away, which would be the most wretched condition of
all. And where would be that text? If the priest speak not to him that
errs, he who errs shall die in his sin, and the priest shall be liable
to the penalty because he warned not the erring. Ezekiel 3:18
4. Listen, august Emperor. I cannot deny that you have a zeal for the
faith; I do confess that you have the fear of God. But you have a
natural vehemence, which, if any one endeavours to soothe, you quickly
turn to mercy; if any one stirs it up, you rouse it so much more that
you can scarcely restrain it. Would that if no one soothe it, at least
no one may inflame it! To yourself I willingly entrust it, you restrain
yourself, and overcome your natural vehemence by the love of piety.
5. This vehemence of yours I preferred to commend privately to your own
consideration, rather than possibly raise it by any action of mine in
public. And so I have preferred to be somewhat wanting in duty rather
than in humility, and that other, should rather think me wanting in
priestly authority than that you should find me lacking in most loving
reverence, that having restrained your vehemence your power of deciding
on your counsel should not be weakened. I excuse myself by bodily
sickness, which was in truth severe, and scarcely to be lightened but
by great care. Yet I would rather have died than not wait two or three
days for your arrival. But it was not possible for me to do so.
6. There was that done in the city of the Thessalonians of which no
similar record exists, which I was not able to prevent happening;
which, indeed, I had before said would be most atrocious when I so
often petitioned against it, and that which you yourself show by
revoking it too late you consider to be grave, this I could not
extenuate when done. When it was first heard of, a synod had met
because of the arrival of the Gallican Bishops. There was not one who
did not lament it, not one who thought lightly of it; your being in
fellowship with Ambrose was no excuse for your deed. Blame for what had
been done would have been heaped more and more on me, had no one said
that your reconciliation to our God was necessary.
7. Are you ashamed, O Emperor, to do that which the royal prophet
David, the forefather of Christ, according to the flesh, did? To him it
was told how the rich man who had many flocks seized and killed the
poor man's one lamb, because of the arrival of his , and recognizing
that he himself was being condemned in the tale, for that he himself
had done it, he said: I have sinned against the Lord. Bear it, then,
without impatience, O Emperor, if it be said to you: You have done that
which was spoken of to King David by the prophet. For if you listen
obediently to this, and say: I have sinned against the Lord, if you
repeat those words of the royal prophet: O come let us worship and fall
down before Him, and mourn before the Lord our God, Who made us, it
shall be said to you also: Since you repent, the Lord puts away your
sin, and you shall not die.
8. And again, David, after he had commanded the people to be numbered,
was smitten in heart, and said to the Lord: I have sinned exceedingly,
because I have commanded this, and now, O Lord, take away the iniquity
of Your servant, for I have transgressed exceedingly. And the prophet
Nathan was sent again to him, to offer him the choice of three things,
that he should select the one he chose — famine in the land for three
years, or that he should flee for three months before his enemies, or
mortal pestilence in the land for three days. And David answered: These
three things are a great strait to me, but let me fall into the hand of
the Lord, for very many are His mercies, and let me not fall into the
hands of man. Now his fault was that he desired to know the number of
the whole of the people which was with him, which knowledge he ought to
have left to God alone.
9. And, we are told, when death came upon the people, on the very first
day at dinner time, when David saw the angel smiting the people, he
said: I have sinned, and I, the shepherd, have done wickedly, and this
flock, what has it done? Let Your hand be upon me, and upon my father's
house. And so it repented the Lord, and He commanded the angel to spare
the people, and David to offer a sacrifice, for sacrifices were then
offered for sins; sacrifices are now those of penitence. And so by that
humbling of himself he became more acceptable to God, for it is no
matter of wonder that a man should sin, but this is reprehensible, if
he does not recognize that he has erred, and humble himself before God.
10. Holy Job, himself also powerful in this world, says: I hid not my
sin, but declared it before all the people. His son Jonathan said to
the fierce King Saul himself: Do not sin against your servant David;
and: Why do you sin against innocent blood, to slay David without a
cause? For, although he was a king, yet he would have sinned if he slew
the innocent. And again, David also, when he was in possession of the
kingdom, and had heard that innocent Abner had been slain by Joab, the
leader of his host, said: I am guiltless and my kingdom is guiltless
henceforth and for ever of the blood of Abner, the son of Ner, and he
fasted for sorrow.
11. I have written this, not in order to confound you, but that the
examples of these kings may stir you up to put away this sin from your
kingdom, for you will do it away by humbling your soul before God. You
are a man, and it has come upon you, conquer it. Sin is not done away
but by tears and penitence. Neither angel can do it, nor archangel. The
Lord Himself, Who alone can say, I am with you, Matthew 28:20 if we
have sinned, does not forgive any but those who repent.
12. I urge, I beg, I exhort, I warn, for it is a grief to me, that you
who were an example of unusual piety, who were conspicuous for
clemency, who would not suffer single offenders to be put in peril,
should not mourn that so many have perished. Though you have waged
battle most successfully, though in other matters, too, you are worthy
of praise, yet piety was ever the crown of your actions. The devil
envied that which was your most excellent possession. Conquer him while
you still possess that wherewith you may conquer. Do not add another
sin to your sin by a course of action which has injured many.
13. I, indeed, though a debtor to your kindness, for which I cannot be
ungrateful, that kindness which has surpassed that of many emperors,
and has been equalled by one only; I, I say, have no cause for a charge
of contumacy against you, but have cause for fear; I dare not offer the
sacrifice if you intend to be present. Is that which is not allowed
after shedding the blood of one innocent person, allowed after shedding
the blood of many? I do not think so.
14. Lastly, I am writing with my own hand that which you alone may
read. As I hope that the Lord will deliver me from all troubles, I have
been warned, not by man, nor through man, but plainly by Himself that
this is forbidden me. For when I was anxious, in the very night in
which I was preparing to set out, you appeared to me in a dream to have
come into the Church, and I was not permitted to offer the sacrifice. I
pass over other things, which I could have avoided, but I bore them for
love of you, as I believe. May the Lord cause all things to pass
peaceably. Our God gives warnings in many ways, by heavenly signs, by
the precepts of the prophets; by the visions even of sinners He wills
that we should understand, that we should entreat Him to take away all
disturbances, to preserve peace for you emperors, that the faith and
peace of the Church, whose advantage it is that emperors should be
Christians and devout, may continue.
15. You certainly desire to be approved by God. To everything there is
a time, Ecclesiastes 3:1 as it is written: It is time for You, Lord, to
work. It is an acceptable time, O Lord. You shall then make your
offering when you have received permission to sacrifice, when your
offering shall be acceptable to God. Would it not delight me to enjoy
the favour of the Emperor, to act according to your wish, if the case
allowed it? And prayer by itself is a sacrifice, it obtains pardon,
when the oblation would bring offense, for the one is a sign of
humility, the other of contempt. For the Word of God Himself tells us
that He prefers the performance of His commandments to the offering of
sacrifice. God proclaims this, Moses declares it to the people, Paul
preaches it to the Gentiles. Do that which you understand is most
profitable for the time. I prefer mercy, it is said, rather than
sacrifice. Matthew 9:13 Are they not, then, rather Christians in truth
who condemn their own sin, than they who think to defend it? The just
is an accuser of himself in the beginning of his words. He who accuses
himself when he has sinned is just, not he who praises himself.
16. I wish, O Emperor, that before this I had trusted rather to myself,
than to your habits. When I consider that you quickly pardon, and
quickly revoke your sentence, as you have often done; you have been
anticipated, and I have not shunned that which I needed not to fear.
But thanks be to the Lord, Who wills to chastise His servants, that He
may not lose them. This I have in common with the prophets, and you
shall have it in common with the saints.
17. Shall I not value the father of Gratian more than my very eyes?
Your other holy pledges also claim pardon. I conferred beforehand a
dear name on those to whom I bore a common love. I follow you with my
love, my affection, and my prayers. If you believe me, be guided by me;
if, I say, you believe me, acknowledge what I say; if you believe me
not, pardon that which I do, in that I set God before you. May you,
most august Emperor, with your holy offspring, enjoy perpetual peace
with perfect happiness and prosperity.
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