Tuesday, 19 March 2013

Inconsiderate strictness


Quote from Letter 6,15 to John, bishop of Constantinople. September 595

Just as wichkedness of heretics should be crushed by the zeal of true faith, so the integrity of genuine confession should be embraced. For if trust is one who confesses faithfully is despised, the faith of all men is made doubtful, and deadly sins arise from inconsiderate strictness. And from this not oonly are errant sheep not recalled at al to their Lord's folds, but those palced inside them are exposed to be cruelly torn apart by the teeth of wild animals.
Let us consider this, dearest brother, with great care, and not allow anyone who truly confesses the Catholic faith to be afflicted under the pretxt of correcting it.
But we were greatly astonished why those who had been appointed by you as judges in the case of faith, against John, a priest of the church of Chalcedon, neglected the truth and believed what men thought, and were unwilling to trust him as he professed his strict faith, especially when his accusers, being asked what the heresy of the Marcionites was (for which they were trying to make hum guilty), replied with an open admission that they did not know.



Cited from: The Letters of Gregory the Great, trans. John R.C. Martyn (Toronto: PIMS, 2004), II, 413

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