Constantine’s Letter to the Council at Tyre

“Victor Constantine, Greatest Augustus, to the holy council at Tyre. [a] “Surely it would best suit and best become the prosperity of our times that the catholic church should be undivided, and that the servants of Christ should be, at this very moment, free from all reproach. But there are those who, carried away by a harmful and furious spirit of contention (for I will not accuse them of deliberately leading a life unworthy of their calling), are trying to create general confusion, which in my judgment is the most destructive of all evils. So I urge you, eager as you already are, to meet together and hold a synod without delay: to defend those who need protection, to give remedies to your brothers who are in danger, to bring the divided members back to agreement, and to correct errors while there is still time. In this way you may restore to so many provinces the proper measure of harmony which, strange and sad to say, the arrogance of a few individuals has destroyed. And I believe that all are equally convinced that this course is pleasing to Almighty God (as well as the highest object of my own wishes), and that it will bring you no small honor if you succeed in restoring peace. So do not delay. Hurry with redoubled zeal to end the present disputes in a way that suits the occasion, by meeting together in that spirit of true sincerity and faith which the Savior we serve especially demands of us on every occasion, I might almost say with an audible voice. No proof of devout zeal on my part will be lacking. I have already done everything your letters drew my attention to. I have sent to those bishops whose presence you wanted, so that they may share your deliberations. I have sent Dionysius, a man of consular rank, who will remind those church leaders who are bound to attend the council with you of their duty, and will be there himself to oversee the proceedings, but especially to keep good order. Meanwhile, if anyone, though I think it most unlikely, should dare on this occasion to disobey my command and refuse to attend, a messenger will be sent at once to banish him by imperial edict, and to teach him that it is not fitting for him to resist an emperor’s decrees when they are issued in defense of the truth. For the rest, it will be for Your Holinesses, swayed neither by hostility nor by favor, but in keeping with the order of the church and the apostles, to find a fitting remedy, whether for deliberate offenses or for unintended errors. In this way you may at once free the church from all reproach, relieve my anxiety, and, by restoring the blessings of peace to those who are now divided, win the highest honor for yourselves. God keep you, beloved brothers!”