De eo quod bonus princeps ecclesiasticis causis benivola intentaque sollicitudine favere debeat et de synodalibus conventibus.
The Ruler's Care for the Church
A God-pleasing ruler must steward royal power for the churches' needs, ensure regular synodal councils, and so walk in the honored tradition of Christian emperors like Constantine at Nicaea.
Since, then, the eminence of royal power is upheld by these eight columns, a ruler who is pleasing to God ought to set aside personal advantage for the sake of the churches' needs, so that, to the extent he remembers the gifts God granted him by divine grace, to that same extent he honors the giver of every blessing. Then a good ruler truly honors the Most High when he becomes, as it were, a helper and protector of those who labor in the Lord's field, serving as steward of a great king. It is certain that the Almighty will deal favorably with the earthly ruler's concerns with as much compassion as he sees that ruler carefully concerned for his own cause — that is, the cause of the holy church. So a thoughtful ruler should strive to do what pleases God, if he wants God to grant him prosperity and glory, and with attentive care he should ensure that synodal councils be held two or three times each year, so that whatever pertains to the true worship of God, to the reverence of his churches, and to the honor of the priests, or whatever has been done against the Lord's commands, may be examined in that reverent and united assembly, so that whatever has been rightly done may be strengthened, and whatever has been done wrongly may be corrected for the better. There the leaders of the churches themselves must be examined as well, to see how they carry out their ministries and how they guide the people entrusted to them, instructing them in heavenly teaching and shaping them by the example of a holy life. If all these matters are carefully handled together with the harmony of peace and canonical justice, fruitful benefit is born for the holy church and a great store of merit is increased for the revered ruler, whose wise deliberation and authority bring these things about. For the holy council of bishops is the prized crown of a devout ruler, and in it the renowned Emperor Constantine — famous and great — rejoiced and glorified the Lord, for he gathered together into one place, for the defense of the Catholic faith, more than three hundred bishops, men most sacred, resplendent with both teaching and miracles, drawn from nearly all the nations under heaven to whom Christ's gospel had been preached — that is, the Council of Nicaea. And so it is that the Christian custom has grown up to the present day, that among all orthodox rulers of the churches, synodal councils are appointed for the necessary good of the holy church, matters that must be examined and settled by synodal deliberation and canonical decrees.
Humility Before Ecclesiastical Judgment
A devout ruler must judge church matters with humility, follow canonical decrees rather than personal opinion, following the examples of Valentinian, Constantine, and Jovian.
So a king ought to be cautious, humble, and very circumspect, and not presume to judge any matter concerning the church's affairs before he has learned the synods' decrees. For ecclesiastical judgments are very dangerous before God unless they are conducted with the greatest justice, especially if innocent people are examined in their absence through slanderous accusers and false witnesses, which is foreign to the spirit of Christianity. And this is what is read in the Gospel: "Does our law judge a man unless it first hears from him and knows what he is doing?"✦ A devout ruler, then, should first clearly attend to what is just and lawful according to the canonical decrees of the holy bishops, as a clear-sighted eye would, and then bring his own consent and the support of his authority to bear on what is true and right, but on no account form his own prejudgment on such matters, lest by going astray he perhaps incur some blameworthy guilt before the Lord's face. That is why the emperor Valentinian, of venerable memory, when he was asked by the holy bishops whether he would deign to take part in correcting a sacred doctrine, said: "Since I am the least among the people, it is not right for me to pursue such matters; rather, the priests, whose concern this is, should gather among themselves, wherever they wish." The emperor said this, endowed as he was with the virtue of humility as much as fortified by the fear of God, lest perhaps he should offend the Most High if he had preferred his own personal opinion to that of his superiors. The magnificent and most wise Emperor Constantine did this very thing, as I said before: he trusted not in his own wisdom but in the prudence and wisdom of the holy bishops. The blessed Jovian, a ruler beloved of God, kept this same path with unshaken faith; though he was an enemy and opponent of Arian treachery and a supporter of the Nicene decrees, he gained for himself the glory of an eternal kingdom from the fleeting summit of earthly rule.
The Glory of the Theodosii
The Theodosii subjected imperial dignity to God's commands and the canons, and so were exalted on earth and blessed in heaven, inviting every Christian ruler to rival their devotion and mercy.
What should I say about the two most sacred emperors, the Theodosii, with divine grace supplying the words? They so greatly pleased the Almighty that, at the Lord's inspiration, they placed their royal robes, their scepters too, and the very peak of imperial dignity beneath the divine commands and the canonical ordinances, and they always held a loving zeal for God's churches with unfailing charity.1 Therefore the Lord of all exalted them on earth, and after the glory of their present happiness he blesses them in heaven forever as his own beloved servants. But if anyone is eager to rival the glory of such great princes, if any Christian ruler wants to reign successfully and gloriously in this age and strives to reach the palm of everlasting blessedness, let them imitate the most faithful devotion these emperors showed toward the worship of the Almighty, and show themselves gracious, merciful, strict in justice, gentle in the humility of heart, compassionate in the depths of mercy, generous in largesse, and thunderous in a zeal that is according to God toward the church of God — if they would secure a place to reign forever in the company of the citizens above with holy and just rulers.23
The Prince as Guardian of the Canons
Raised by God, a magnificent ruler must submit to the supreme throne, worship with Christlike manners, favor the church, guard the canons, and shine with justice amid the glory of the pontiffs.
The magnificent prince, raised up by God so that he might rule over the people, a renowned scepter-bearer, ought to place himself in willing submission to the high throne — like the cedars that Lebanon's planter brought forth, like the mountains he lifts on high with their peaks, who makes the fields gleam and adorns them with flowers, who painted the heavens with their stars as a father, who as king of the cherubim of heaven towers above the earthly-born kings, that great one who orders all things. For this reason let an excellent ruler provide for the exalted honors that God bestowed on him, by which he might please the one who rules all things. The kingdom granted by the supreme Arbiter magnifies him — whoever worships him with the Word, with a devout heart, with righteous governance, and with the manners of Christ, and who willingly shows favor to the church. Guardian of the canons, their leader and best — he shines with the blazing crown of justice. He is king by holy right who keeps the sacred teachings and the decrees of the fathers in all things. The choir of pontiffs makes him glorious, as gems blaze in a diadem, so that the white lilies adorn the field and the shining stars illuminate the pole.
Read the original Latin
Cum itaque his octo columnis regiae potestatis eminentia fulciatur, decet amabilem Deo rectorem causam sui personalem utilitatibus postponere ecclesiasticis, ut in quantum memor est beneficiorum Dei quae illi superna gratia concessit, in tantum beneficii largitorem honoret. Tunc vero honorare Altissimum bonus princeps cognoscitur, cum illorum qui laborant in agro dominico tamquam magni regis dispensatorum adiutor et protector efficiatur. Certum namque est, quod tanto propitius causas terreni principis Omnipotens sua pietate disponet, quanto de sua, sanctae videlicet ecclesiae, causa illum sollicitum esse viderit. Itaque providus rector studeat facere quae Deo sunt beneplacita, si ipse desiderat ut Deus faciat quae sunt illi prospera et gloriosa, isque diligenti cura sollerter provideat, quatinus synodales conventus per singulos annos bis vel ter fieri iubeat, ut, quod ad verum Dei cultum pertinet, quod ad ecclesiarum ipsius reverentiam et quod ad honorem pertinere cognoscitur sacerdotum, vel quid contra mandata Domini gestum sit, in ipso reverendo atque unanimo discutiatur conventu, ut, quicquid bene sit actum corroboretur, si qua vero sunt male gesta in melius corrigantur. Ubi et ipsi ecclesiarum praepositi oportet ut investigentur, qualiter suis ministeriis fungantur vel quomodo plebem sibi commissam tam caelesti informent doctrina quam sanctae conversationis imbuant exemplo. Quae omnia si cum pacis unanimitate et canonica iustitia subtiliter pertractentur, fructuosa utilitas sanctae ecclesiae gignitur ac reverendi rectoris, cuius benivola deliberatione simul et auctoritate haec aguntur, magni seminarium meriti propagatur. Nam pretiosa religiosi principis est Corona sanctum episcoporum concilium, in quo famosissimus magnus videlicet Constantinus imperator exultans in Domino gloriabatur, qui collectos ex omnibus fere gentibus, quae sub caelo sunt, quibus Christi praedicatum est evangelium, viros sacratissimos plus quam trecentos episcopos tam doctrina quam miraculis coruscantes propter catholicae discussionem fidei in unum, hoc est Nicaenum, congregavit concilium. Unde et huc usque mos Christianus inolevit, ut apud omnes orthodoxos ecclesiarum principes synodales fieri conventus decernantur propter necessarias sanctae ecclesiae utilitates, quae non nisi synodalibus investigari conciliis atque canonicis definiri sanctionibus debent.
Unde cautum et humilem et valde circumspectum oportet esse regem, ne quicquam de negotiis ecclesiasticis iudicare praesumat, antequam synodalia statuta cognoscat. Siquidem ecclesiastica iudicia valde sunt coram Deo periculosa, nisi cum maxima proferantur iustitia, praecipue si per calumniosos accusatores et mendosos testes, qui innocentes sunt, examinentur absentes, quod est Christianitatis alienum. Unde et illud in evangelio legitur: "numquid lex nostra iudicat hominem, nisi audierit ab ipso prius et cognoverit quid faciat?" Pius itaque rector tamquam luminosa pupilla primo, quod iustum et legitimum est, secundum canonicas sanctorum episcoporum sanctiones perspicaciter adtendat, dehinc consensum atque auctoritatis adminiculum his, quae sunt vera et iusta, adhibeat, per se vero nullatenus de talibus praeiudicium faciat, ne forte errando ante conspectum Domini culpam aliquam detestabilem incurrat. Unde venerabilis memoriae Valentinianus imperator, cum a sanctis episcopis rogaretur, quatinus dignaretur ad emendationem sacri dogmatis interesse, "mihi", inquit, "cum minimus de populo sim, fas non est talia persecutari, verum sacerdotes, quibus haec cura est, apud semetipsos congregentur, ubi voluerint". Et haec quidem dicebat imperator tam virtute humilitatis praeditus quam Dei timore munitus, ne forte offenderet Altissimum, si suam propriam potioribus praetulisset sententiam. Hoc ipsum fecit, ut praedixi, magnificus et sapientissimus imperator Constantinus, non in sua, sed in sanctorum prudentia sapientiaque episcoporum confidens. Hoc beatus Iovianus, Deo amabilis princeps, fide inconcussa servavit; qui dum hostis esset Arrianae perfidiae atque sectator Nicaeni decretorum concilii, ex momentaneo terrestris imperii fastigio aeterni sibi gloriam regni comparavit.
Quid referam de duobus sacratissimis divina praestante gratia imperatoribus Theodosiis? Qui in tantum Omnipotenti placuerunt, ut regias purpuras, sceptra quoque et apicem imperatoriae dignitatis divinis praeceptis et canonicis institutis Domino inspirante subderent ac pium zelum erga Dei ecclesias indefessa caritate semper haberent. Unde illos universorum dominus sublimavit in terris et post praesentis gloriam felicitatis tamquam dilectos sibi ministros in aeternum beatificat in caelis. Sed si quis est tantorum aemulus gloriae principum, si quis Christianus rector feliciter et gloriose in hoc saeculo regnare desiderat et ad palmam sempiternae beatitudinis pervenire contendit, illorum fidelissimam erga cultum Omnipotentis imitetur devotionem, seque benivolum, clementem, in iustitiis destrictum, in cordis humilitate mansuetum, in visceribus misericordiae compatientem, in largitate munificum, in zelo qui secundum Deum est fulmineum circa Dei ecclesiam sollerter exhibeat, si in consortio supernorum civium cum sanctis et iustis rectoribus regnare perenniter procurat.
Princeps magnificus, quem Deus extulit, Ut praesit populo sceptriger inclitus, Debet Celsithrono se bene subdere, Cedros qui Libani conditor edidit, Montes qui superos vertice sublevat, Qui gemmare facit ruraque floribus, Pinxit quique polos sideribus pater, Qui caeli Cherubin rex supereminet, Reges terrigenas magnus is ordinat. Ob hoc provideat rector honoribus Excellens, superum quos Deus attulit, Olli quo placeat, qui regit omnia. Regnum qui tribuit maximus arbiter, Illum magnificat, quisquis eum colit Verbo, corde pio, regmine, moribus, Christi quique volens ecclesiae favet. Servator canonum, ductor et optimus Claret iustitiae stemmate fulgidus; Rex est iure, sacer qui sacra dogmata Ac decreta patrum servat in omnibus. Illum clarificat pontificum chorus, Ceu gemmae radiant in diademate, Ut campum decorant lactea lilia Illustrantque polum fulgida sidera.
Scripture echoes
- ↩John.7.51 — Does our law judge a man unless it first hears from him and knows what he is doing?
Notes
- 1 ↩Latin regias purpuras rendered 'royal robes' rather than 'royal purple' to keep the concrete image of imperial vestments standing parallel to sceptra and apicem.
- 2 ↩The long Latin period is broken into two English sentences for readability: the opening conditional frame, then the exhortation with its string of virtues. The connective si at the end is rendered 'if they would secure' to preserve the purpose force.
- 3 ↩Zelo ... fulmineum rendered 'thunderous in a zeal' to keep the lightning/force image of fulmineum while pairing it with zeal; zeal is used rather than jealousy to preserve the approved theological register.
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