To Januarius, Bishop of Cagliari, on the Synagogue Seized by a Convert

Gregory to Januarius, and so on.

The Jews who have come here from your city have complained to us about Peter, who by the will of God has been brought from their superstition to the worship of the Christian faith. They say that on the day after his baptism, that is, on the Lord’s day of the paschal festival itself, he took certain disorderly persons with him and, with grave scandal and without your consent, seized their synagogue at Cagliari, and placed in it the image of the mother of our God and Lord, the venerable cross, and the white garment he had been clothed in when he rose from the font. The letters of our sons, the glorious master of the soldiers Eupaterius and the magnificent governor, pious in the Lord, agree in testifying to the same thing. They add also that you had foreseen this, and that Peter had been forbidden to venture on it. [a]

On learning this we commended you wholeheartedly, since, as became a truly good priest, you wanted nothing done that could give rise to just blame. And since, by having no part at all in these wrongdoings, you show that what was done displeases you, we, considering the bent of your will in this matter and still more your judgment, urge you by this letter to remove the image and the cross from there with fitting reverence, and to restore what was taken by force. For just as legal enactment does not allow Jews to build new synagogues, so it also allows them to keep their old ones without disturbance. Peter, then, and the others who gave him help or connivance in this lawless and disorderly act, may reply that they did it out of zeal for the faith, so that the Jews might thereby be put under a necessity of being converted. In case they do, they should be admonished, and ought to know, that moderation should rather be used toward the Jews, so that the will not to resist may be drawn out of them, and not so that they should be brought in against their will. For it is written, “I will sacrifice to you willingly,” and, “Of my own will I will confess to him.”

So let your holiness, taking with you those of your sons who disapprove of these things as you do, try to bring about good feeling among the people of your city, since at this time above all, when there is alarm from the enemy, you ought not to have a divided people. But being anxious for ourselves no less than for you, we think it right to let you know that when the present truce is over, King Agilulf will not make peace with us. So your fraternity must see to fortifying your city or other places more securely, and give earnest attention to laying up stores of provisions in them, so that when the enemy comes there, with God angered against him, he may find no harm he can do, but may withdraw defeated. We too are taking thought for you as far as we can, and are pressing those whose concern it is to prepare themselves for resistance, since, as you regard our troubles as yours, so we likewise count your afflictions as our own.