For he did this to this end: that either the lord emperor should be heeded, and he himself should seem confirmed in his vanity; or that he should not be heeded by me, and his mind should be provoked against me. But we will hold to the right way, fearing nothing else in this cause but the almighty Lord. Whence let your Charity in no way tremble. Whatever it sees in this world to be lofty against the truth, let it despise for the sake of the truth; and let it trust in the grace of almighty God and the help of blessed Peter. Let it recall the voice of the Truth, saying: Greater is He that is in you, than he that is in this world (1 John iv, 4). And in this cause, let it act with supreme authority whatever must be done.
For since we can in no way be defended from the swords of the enemies, since for the love of the commonwealth we have lost silver, gold, slaves, and garments, it is far too ignominious that through them we should lose even the faith. For to consent in this wicked title is nothing else than to lose the faith. Whence, as I have already written to you in previous letters, never presume to proceed together with him. (Book v, letter 49.) 56. But indeed John, the inventor of a new presumption, when he had made Maurice adverse to God and hostile toward Gregory with his accomplices, seeing the empress Constantina persuade with all her efforts that the privileges to be preserved for the Roman Church, with what arts he could, in...
...stirred that, on account of the church which she was building in the palace in honor of the holy apostle Paul, she should demand of Gregory that the head of that same apostle, or some other part of his body, be directed to her. Recognizing which craftiness, the most blessed pope thus satisfied the empress's mind: While I desired that those things be commanded me, in which, by showing most ready obedience, I might have been able to provoke your favor toward me the more, a greater sadness held me, that you command those things which I can neither do nor dare. For the bodies of the holy apostles Peter and Paul shine with such great miracles and terrors in their churches, that one cannot approach even to pray there without great fear.
Finally, when my predecessor of blessed memory wished to change the silver that lay above the most sacred body of the blessed Apostle Peter—though it was far from that body, at a distance of nearly fifteen feet—a sign of no small terror appeared to him. And I too likewise wished to make some improvement near the body of the most sacred holy Apostle Paul; and because it was necessary that a digging be made somewhat deeper next to the tomb of this kind, the overseer of that place found certain bones (not indeed joined to the same tomb), and because he presumed to lift them and to transfer them to another place, with certain mournful signs appearing, he died a sudden death.
Besides this, moreover, that same predecessor of mine of holy memory, desiring to make certain improvements at the body of the holy martyr Lawrence, while it was unknown where the venerable body had been placed, dug in his searching, and suddenly the martyr's tomb was unknowingly opened; and those who were present and laboring there—monks and sacristans, who saw the body of that same martyr, though they by no means presumed to touch it—all died within ten days, so that no one who had seen that holy and just body could remain alive.
But let the most serene lady know that it is not the custom of the Romans, when they give relics of the saints, to presume to touch anything of the body; rather, only a brandeum (a cloth) is placed in a small box and set upon the most sacred bodies of the saints. This, when taken up, is laid away with due veneration in the church that is to be dedicated; and through it as great miracles are wrought there as if their bodies had been specially carried thither. Whence it came to pass that, in the time of Pope Leo of blessed memory—as is handed down by our elders—when certain Greeks doubted concerning such relics, the aforesaid pontiff took shears and cut this very brandeum, and from that incision blood flowed forth.
For among the Romans, or in all the regions of the West, it is utterly intolerable and sacrilegious if anyone should perchance wish to touch the bodies of the saints. And if he should presume to do so, it is certain that this rashness will in no way remain unpunished. For this reason we marvel greatly, and scarcely believe, concerning the custom of the Greeks, who assert that they lift up the bones of the saints. For certain Greek monks who came here two years ago were, in the silence of the night, digging up beside the church of Saint Paul the bodies of the dead lying in the field, and hiding away their bones, keeping them for themselves for when they should depart.
When they had been seized and diligently examined as to why they were doing this, they confessed that they were about to carry those bones to Greece as though they were relics of saints. From their example, as was said before, a greater doubt has arisen in us as to whether it be true what is said, that the bones of the saints are truly lifted up. But concerning the bodies of the blessed Apostles, what am I to say? Since it is established that at the time when they suffered, faithful men came from the East who sought back their bodies as those of their own citizens; and these, having been brought as far as the second milestone of the city, were placed in the spot which is called Catacumbas.
But when the whole multitude of them, gathering together, strove to lift them up from there, such a force of thunder and lightning so terrified and scattered them that they by no means presumed to attempt such things again. Then the Romans, coming out, lifted up the bodies of those who by the mercy of the Lord deserved this, and placed them in the spots where they now lie buried. Who then, most serene lady, could be so rash that, knowing these things, he would presume—I do not say to touch their bodies, but even in any degree to look upon them?
Since therefore such commands have been laid upon me by you, which I could by no means obey, insofar as I can discover, it is not from you, but certain men have wished to stir up your piety against me, so that they might, God forbid, withdraw from me the favor of your goodwill; and for that reason they sought out a matter in which I might be found, as it were, disobedient toward you. But I trust in almighty God that in no way is anything being stolen from your most kindly disposition, and that you will always possess the power of the holy Apostles, whom you love with your whole heart and mind, not from their bodily presence, but from their protection. As for the sudarium (napkin), which you likewise ordered to be sent, it is with his body:
and it can no more be touched than his body can be approached. But because the religious desire of the most serene lady ought not to be left empty, from the chains which the holy Apostle Paul himself bore on his hands and neck, and from which many miracles are shown forth among the people, I shall hasten to send you some portion, if indeed I am able to remove it by filing: for since often many come from those same chains and beg a blessing, that they may receive some little bit from the filings, a priest stands by with a file, and for some who ask, something is so quickly struck off from his chains that there is no delay;
but for certain others who ask, the file is drawn along those same chains for a long time, and yet it is not obtained that anything should come forth from them. (Book IV, Letter 50.) 57. In these truthful words of Gregory it clearly appears that up to those times the Roman pontiff conferred a brandeum in place of relics, whereas in a later period particles began to be given, as sacred relics, to those who asked, from the garments which are kept beneath the altar of Saint John in the Constantinian basilica. 58. These garments are indeed proven to shine forth even to the present day with such great miracles that, shaken out of doors in time of drought, they bring rain, and in time of flooding they restore fair weather.
For besides these things, which they do throughout the several churches, I will not conceal what things almighty God has wrought through those garments placed in the oratory of my house in the Suburra. Recently, in the time of Pope Hadrian, it seemed good to me that the altar of the holy Mother of God Mary—which, being placed outside the oratory of Saint John in a wholly open courtyard, could not be honored with suitable lights—ought to be located within the oratory. And Gaudericus of Velletri, who is still seen to survive as bishop, being summoned, with hymns and canticles struck out from the old altar two little sealed boxes.
One of these, at my entreaty, he opened, being exceedingly fearful, and in it he found particles from those tunics—as far as could be discerned by curious eyes from their likeness—which he solemnly deposited beneath the new altar. From that time onward, as many know who are proven still to survive, the lamps, kindled by divine power, more frequently than usual shone bright. For in this eighth indiction, in the week before the day of the Lord's Nativity, when I somewhat doubted concerning a matter of this kind, after the morning hymns were completed, the sacristan extinguished a candle. Desiring to relight it after vespers, he found it already lit; and judging that he had carelessly failed to extinguish it, on the next day he put it out more attentively;
and having barred the doors, he returned at vespertime to relight the lamp. When he nonetheless found it kindled, from the awareness that the key had been kept by himself, and from the miracle of the oil not being diminished, he assuredly recognized that He had kindled the lamp who, in that daily lighting, in which the oil could not have been diminished, had by divine power increased it. 59. Of these garments, as I judge, the one which has the tighter sleeves is truly the tunic of Saint John, which the blessed Gregory received in his own time, a certain bishop bringing it. Whence, among other things, he writes to Abbot John, saying: Concerning the tunic of Saint John I have received it altogether gratefully, because you were solicitous to inform me.
But let your love take care to send me the tunic itself, or—what is better—the same bishop who has it, together with his clerics and with it, to me: so that we may both enjoy the blessing of the tunic, and be able to have recompense from the same bishop or his clerics. (Book III, Letter 3.) But the other (which, with its wider sleeves, seems to be not a tunic, but plainly a dalmatic), unless I am mistaken, belongs to Saint Paschasius, deacon of the Apostolic See, who—according to what the same blessed Gregory mentions in the fourth book of the Dialogues (Chapter 40)—when he had died in the times of Pope Symmachus, a man possessed by a demon touched his dalmatic laid upon the bier, and was immediately made whole.
But as to why both garments are called Saint John's, I would believe that they obtained this ancient custom because they are customarily kept beneath his altar. For that one of them belongs to John the Evangelist, and not to the Baptist, no one doubts—especially since every wise man knows that the Baptist used camel's hair for clothing (Matthew 3), whereas the Evangelist, who for so many years after the Lord's Passion, bearing the pontifical office, most frequently celebrated the solemnities of the Mass, could by no means have been without priestly vestments.
But if it be said that, since a tunic and a dalmatic are pontifical vestments, both ought to be believed to be Saint John's, it must be considered that Gregory named to Abbot John not a dalmatic, but a tunic: for if he had thought that a dalmatic too had been Saint John's, then in seeking his tunic he would consequently not have kept silent about having his dalmatic. 60. Let it suffice that I have somehow inserted these things concerning the garments of Saint John—about which many are in doubt—into the acts of the blessed Gregory.
For the rest, John of Constantinople, that hypocrite, who with many evasions refused to be turned away from his ambition for the title of "universal," recognizing—according to the prophecy of the same Father—that the judgments of the Lord were watching over him, after no long space of time died a sudden death; and he whose ambitious pride the whole world could scarcely contain, was easily placed within the narrowness of a single tomb.
After his gradual passing away, when the Emperor Maurice—that beholder, namely, of the priests of Christ—was urging, on behalf of Cyriacus, who had succeeded John, that Gregory should not labor over the matter of so frivolous a title, Gregory himself resisted so long by the authorities of his pontificate, until he had utterly taken away the plague of the "universal" title even from the very deceitful lips of the flatterers. Wherefore, writing after certain matters to Eulogius, Patriarch of Alexandria, he says: Your Beatitude took care to indicate that you now do not write superb titles to certain persons, which have sprung from the root of vanity; and you speak to me, saying: "As you commanded." That word "command," I beg, remove from my hearing: for I know who I am, who you are.
For by place you are my brethren, by character my fathers. I therefore did not command, but took care to point out what things are useful. Yet I do not find that Your Beatitude wished perfectly to retain this very thing which I set before your memory. For I said that neither to me nor to any other ought you to write any such thing; and behold, in the preface of the letter which you directed to me myself, who forbade it, you took care to imprint the word of a proud appellation, calling me "universal pope." This, I beg, let your most sweet holiness do no further, because that is withdrawn from you which is bestowed on another more than reason demands. For I seek to be prospered not by words, but by character;
nor do I reckon it to be my honor, in which I recognize my brethren to lose their honor. For my honor is the honor of the universal Church. My honor is the solid vigor of my brethren. Then indeed am I truly honored, when the honor due to each and every one is not denied. For if your holiness calls me "universal pope," you deny yourself to be that which you confess me to be universally. But far be this. Let the words depart which puff up vanity and wound charity. And indeed you know that in the holy Council of Chalcedon, and afterward by the Fathers who followed, this was offered to my predecessors:
but nevertheless none of them ever wished to use this title, so that, while they cherished in this world the honor of all priests, they might guard their own before almighty God. (Book VIII, Letter 30.)