Ad Innocentium papam i

To my master, the most reverend and God-beloved Bishop Innocentius, John sends greetings in the Lord. 1. Even before our letters, I think that your reverence has heard of the lawlessness that was dared here. For the magnitude of the calamities has left scarcely a single part of the world unhearing of this grievous tragedy; indeed, the report, carrying what happened to the very ends of the earth, has produced much lamentation and wailing everywhere. But since we must not only lament, but also correct and consider how this most severe storm of the Church might be stilled, we deemed it necessary to persuade my lords, the most honorable and reverend bishops Demetrius, Pansophius, Pappus, and Eugenius, to leave their own homes, to venture upon so great a sea, to undertake a long journey, to hasten to your love, and, after clearly reporting everything, to prepare for the swiftest correction. With them we also sent the most honorable and beloved deacons Paul and Cyriacus. And we ourselves, as in the form of a letter, will briefly instruct your love concerning what has happened. For Theophilus, who was entrusted with the presidency of the Church in Alexandria, when some had appealed to the most pious emperor against him, was ordered to come alone. But gathering with himself a multitude of not a few Egyptian bishops, he arrives, as if wishing to show from the outset that he had come for war and battle.

Then, having arrived at the great and God-beloved Constantinople, he did not enter the church according to custom and the ancient established tradition, nor did he meet with us, nor did he share speech, prayer, or communion; but disembarking from the ship and passing by the church porch, he went and lodged somewhere outside the city, and although we and those who had come with him earnestly invited him to be lodged with us—for everything had been prepared, both lodgings and all that was fitting—neither they nor he consented. Seeing this, we were in great perplexity, unable even to find the cause of this unjust hostility; nevertheless, we fulfilled our part, doing what was proper for ourselves, and continually urging him to meet with us and to say for what reason he had stirred up such a war from the outset and thrown the city into such turmoil. But since he himself was unwilling to state the cause, and his accusers were pressing hard, the most pious emperor summoned us and ordered us to go to the place across where he was staying and to hear the case against him. For they were charging him with assault, slaughter, and countless other things; but we, knowing the laws of the fathers, respecting and honoring the man, and also having his own letters indicating that cases ought not to be dragged across boundaries but that provincial matters should be tried within their provinces, did not consent to judge, but declined with great vehemence.

But he, as if contending with his earlier actions, summoned my archdeacon and, with great authority, as though the Church were already widowed and had no bishop, through him drew the entire clergy to himself. And the churches were thrown into turmoil, as the clerics from each were led away and prepared to submit libels against us, and were being primed for accusation. And having done these things, he sent for us and summoned us to court, though he had not yet cleared himself of the charges against him—which was especially contrary to both the canons and all the laws. 2. But we, knowing that we had not come before a court—for we would have appeared countless times if that were the case—but before an enemy and a foe, as both what had happened earlier and what followed afterward made clear, sent to him bishops: Demetrius of Pisinus, Eulysius of Apamea, and Lupicinus of Appiaria; and presbyters: Germanus and Severus, replying with the moderation proper to us, and saying that we did not decline a trial, but that he was a manifest enemy and a clear foe. For how could one who had not yet received libels, who had done such things from the outset, who had cut himself off from the Church, from communion, from prayer, and who was priming accusers, transferring the clergy, and emptying the church, be just in ascending to the judge’s throne, which in no way befitted him? For it is not fitting that one from Egypt should judge those in Thrace, especially when he himself is subject to charges and is an enemy and a foe.

Nevertheless, showing no shame at all, but eager to accomplish what he had planned, when we declared that we were ready, even in the presence of a hundred or a thousand bishops, to strip off the accusations and show ourselves to be pure—as indeed we are—he would not tolerate it. But in our absence, while we were calling for a synod and seeking a trial, not shunning a hearing, he openly received hostility and accusers, and he absolved those whom I had excommunicated, and from those same persons, who had not yet cleared themselves of the charges, he accepted libels and drew up records, all of which was contrary to law and the order of the canons. Why need I say much? Did he not desist from doing everything, and contriving, until he expelled us with all force and authority from both the city and the church, and that at deep evening, while the whole populace was being drawn away from us? Dragged by the city's prefect in the middle of the city, and violently hauled, I was brought down, thrown into a boat, and sailed through the night, because I was summoning a synod for a just hearing. Who would hear these things without tears, even if he had a heart of stone? But since, as I said earlier, it is necessary not only to lament the evils that occur but also to correct them, I beseech your love to rise up, to sympathize, and to do everything so that these evils may be stopped. For not even here did the lawlessness end for them, but after these events they also girded themselves for further outrages.

For when the most pious emperor drove them out of the church, as they had shamelessly burst in, and many of the bishops who were present, seeing their lawlessness, withdrew to their own places, fleeing their attack as if it were a fire consuming everything, we were again summoned to the city and to the church from which we had been unjustly expelled, with more than thirty bishops bringing us in, and the most God-beloved emperor sending a notary for this purpose; but he immediately fled. For what reason and why? When we entered, we begged the most God-beloved emperor to convene a synod for the vindication of what had happened. So, knowing what he had done, and fearing the exposure, and with imperial letters sent everywhere, gathering all from every side, he secretly put himself into a boat in the middle of the night, and thus fled, taking all his followers with him. 3. But we did not stop even then, because we trusted in our own conscience, again making the same request to the most pious emperor. And he, acting as befits his piety, sent to him again, summoning him from Egypt, and all those with him, so that he might give an account of what had happened, and not think that what had been so unjustly dared by one party, and in our absence, and contrary to so many canons, sufficed for his own defense. But he did not even endure the imperial

of letters, but he remained at home, alleging a disturbance of the people and an untimely zeal of certain persons supposedly supporting him—although even before the imperial letters, this same people had heaped countless insults upon him. But we are not now examining these matters; rather, we have said this to show that he was caught in his malice. Nevertheless, even after this we did not remain quiet, but we persisted in demanding that a court be established by question and answer; for we said we were ready to prove both that we were blameless and that they had committed the worst offenses. For there were some Syrians, once present with him, who had been left behind here, who had acted together with him in the whole affair; and we were ready to go to trial, and we troubled them many times on this account, demanding that the records be given to us, or the libels of accusations, or that the nature of the charges be made known, or the accusers themselves; and we obtained none of these things, but were again expelled from the Church. How could I then describe what followed, surpassing all tragedy? What speech will represent these things? What hearing will receive them without shuddering? For while we were presenting these matters, as I said before, a multitude of soldiers suddenly, on the great Sabbath itself, as the day was already drawing toward evening, entered the churches, forcibly expelled the entire clergy with us, and the sanctuary was surrounded with weapons.

And women, having undressed for baptism in the prayer-houses at that very time, fled naked from fear of this harsh assault, not even being permitted to put on the modesty proper to women. Many also, having received wounds, were cast out, and the baptismal pools were filled with blood, and the sacred waters were stained red with blood. Nor did the calamity stop there. But where the holy things were stored, the soldiers entered—some of whom, as we learned, were unbaptized—and they saw everything within, and the most holy blood of Christ, as in such a tumult, was spilled onto the garments of the aforementioned soldiers. And as in a barbarian captivity, everything was dared. And the populace was driven into the wilderness, and all the people spent time outside the city, and the churches were emptied of their congregations on such a feast day, and more than forty bishops who were in communion with us, along with the people and the clergy, were driven out in vain and to no purpose. And wailing, and lamentations, and streams of tears were everywhere—in the marketplaces, in the houses, in the wilderness—and every part of the city was filled with these calamities. For because of the extremity of the lawlessness, not only those who suffered, but also those who endured nothing of the sort, grieved with us; not only those of the same faith, but also heretics, and Jews, and pagans; and as if the city had been captured by force, everything was in uproar, turmoil, and wailing.

And these things were done contrary to the will of the most pious emperor, night having fallen, with bishops contriving them and commanding in many places, who were not ashamed to have campiductori instead of deacons leading the way. When day came, the whole city was resettled outside the walls under trees and in glens, like scattered sheep celebrating the feast. 4. It is possible for you to reckon from this all the rest; for as I said earlier, it is not possible to recount in speech everything that happened in each case. The grievous thing is that such great and numerous evils have not yet even now received a resolution, nor even a hope of resolution; but the calamity extends each day, and we have become a laughingstock to many—or rather, no one laughs, even if the lawlessness is repeated a thousand times, but all lament, as I said, the crowning point of the evils, this novel lawlessness. What could one say of the disturbances of the other churches? For the evil did not stop here, but reached even as far as the East. For just as when a corrupt stream is poured from a head, the remaining parts are corrupted, so now as from a source, this great city

When the evils began, the disturbances advanced everywhere along a path, and clergy everywhere rose up against bishops, and bishops against bishops, and peoples were divided from peoples, while others are about to be, and everywhere there were pangs of evils, and the upheaval of the whole world. Therefore, having learned all this, my most honorable and reverend lords, display the courage and zeal befitting you, so as to check such lawlessness that has invaded the Churches. For if this custom should prevail, and it become permissible for those who wish to go into others' parishes from such great distances, and to expel whomever one might wish, to act according to one's own authority, doing whatever they wish, know that everything will be lost, and some undeclared war will overrun the whole world, with all striking and being struck by all. So that such great confusion may not overtake the entire world under the sun, be entreated to write that those things which have been done so unlawfully, in the absence of all of us, and by one faction, and without a trial that we had requested, have no force, as indeed they have none by their own nature; and that those who have committed such lawlessness, when convicted, be subjected to the penalty of the ecclesiastical laws; and that we, who have not been caught, not convicted, not proven guilty, be allowed to enjoy continually your letters, and your love, and all the other things which we enjoyed before. But if even now those who have committed such lawlessness wish to bring forward the charges on which they unjustly expelled us, though no records were given to us, no libelli, no accusers having appeared—

with an impartial tribunal seated, we will go to trial, we will defend ourselves, and we will prove ourselves innocent of the charges brought against us, as indeed we are. For the events that have now occurred at their hands are utterly devoid of any consistency, and of every law and ecclesiastical canon. And why do I say ecclesiastical canon? Not even in secular courts have such things ever been dared; rather, not even in a barbarian court, nor would Scythians or Sauromatians ever have judged in such a way, deciding from one side, with the accused absent, who rejects not a trial but enmity, who summons countless judges, declares himself blameless, and, with the whole world present, is ready to strip away the accusations and show himself innocent in all respects. Therefore, having considered all these things, and having learned everything more clearly from my lords, our most reverend brothers the bishops, be entreated to bring to us the zeal from yourselves. For in this way you will gratify not only us, but also the common body of the Churches, and you will receive the reward from God, who does everything for the sake of the peace of the Churches. May you always be strong and pray for me, most honorable and most holy master.