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having been called to the papal dignity and already making his way to Rome from Syria, it occurred 475 to him—for he had also heard of the emperor’s messages to the pope, how he desired the peace of the churches—to send to the emperor and first to greet him in a friendly manner, and at the same time to announce his election, and how he extraordinarily longed for the peace of the churches, and if the emperor also wished this, it could not happen under better circumstances than when he himself held the papal dignity. When Gregory had communicated these things through friars, it was clear that the emperor sought peace out of cowardice toward Charles, as, if peace were not a factor, he would never have even brought it to mind, but Gregory and his circle sought it for the very good of peace itself and the union of the churches; for it was neither just nor at all reasonable for such nations to disagree over certain small matters, but either, with the accuser laying aside the charges, to grant peace to his brothers, or else, with each remaining in his own offices or, that is, privileges, not to be so at odds and irreconcilably hostile to one another; for the enemies of the cross, whose end is destruction, were enough for both sides, and it was quite desirable for those bearing the name of Christ to fight against them, a battle in which to conquer is praiseworthy and to fail is salvific for those who have shown their zeal in deed. Thus, then, being so disposed toward one another, the emperor and Gregory, the latter went forward to receive his ordination, while the emperor, for his part, was earnestly pressing the synod and coaxingly prevailing upon the patriarch to yield and to accomplish what was being pursued; for the pope was a man of peace and of a better desire. Not long after, when Gregory had been established, envoys from there arrived in Byzantium, and the envoys were friars, one of whom was named John Parastron, originally a citizen and skilled in the Greek tongue, who indeed had zeal for the union of the churches, as he presented it in his speeches, so that he often prayed for his own immediate death, if only the cause of peace might advance; which indeed happened later. He said these things and in truth was a most ardent promoter of peace, so that he often met with both the patriarch and the synod and implored and urged this, praising our ways, so that sometimes, even when the patriarch was celebrating the liturgy, he himself, taking off his cowl, not only 477 but also taking those with him, would enter the sanctuary and, standing beside whichever bishop was there, would read the mystical prayers along with him with all devoutness. So then, he behaved toward our people so decorously and reverently, but turning to the Italians, he said it was good and safe to make peace in this way, by abandoning the addition, which was set forth as a stumbling block to the brethren; or if not, it was just to accept them as they made their defense for the addition, so that both those who say the Holy Spirit proceeds from the Father and the Son, and you who say from the Father through the Son, were speaking rashly, prying into the mysteries of God. He, then, said these things, obscuring the audacity concerning the creed, being an envoy and wishing to accomplish his mission above all else. But the men of the church said that peace was a good thing—and how could it not be?—, and especially for such churches, which held the position of head for the disciples of Christ the prince of peace everywhere, yet it must be with security and not in any random way; for the danger was great for those who erred in any way from what is right. "And it is not that this has just now been done by us, so that we should be accused both of innovating in matters no one did before and of not wishing to change back to what we were before; but men great in virtue and wise in knowledge, having spoken about these things, disagreed and established a division of opinion on them. And to extend the strife further was not their will, and for those who add more, the addition is otherwise ignorant and audacious. However, for us to bring up the addition to you would then have a place and we would be justly reproached, if

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παπικὸν προσκληθέντος ἀξίωμα καὶ ἤδη τὴν ἐπὶ Ῥώμης ἐκ Συρίας ἀνύοντος, γίνεταί 475 οἱ ἐνθύμιονἤκουστο γὰρ ἐκείνῳ καὶ τὰ τῶν τοῦ βασιλέως μηνυμάτων πρὸς πάπαν, ὡς τὴν εἰρήνην τῶν ἐκκλησιῶν αἱροῖτοπέμψαι πρὸς τὸν βασιλέα καὶ φιλικῶς μὲν τὰ πρῶτα ἐκεῖνον ἀσπάσασθαι, ἅμα δὲ καὶ δηλῶσαι τὴν κλῆσιν, καὶ ὡς τῆς εἰρήνης ἐκτόπως τῶν ἐκκλησιῶν ὀρέγοιτο, κἂν βούλοιτο τοῦτο καὶ βασιλεύς, οὐκ ἂν ἐν ἄλλῳ γενέσθαι κάλλιον ἢ αὐτοῦ γε τὴν παπικὴν ἀξίαν κατέχοντος. Ταῦτα τοῦ Γρηγορίου διὰ φρερίων διαμηνυσαμένου, δῆλον ἦν ὡς ὁ μὲν κρατῶν κατὰ δειλίαν τὴν πρὸς τὸν Κάρουλον τὴν εἰρήνην ἐζήτει, ὡς, αὐτῆς γε μὴ οὔσης, μηδ' εἰς νοῦν φέρειν ἐκείνην πώποτε, οἱ δὲ περὶ τὸν Γρηγόριον δι' αὐτὸ τοῦτο τὸ τῆς εἰρήνης καλὸν καὶ τὴν τῶν ἐκκλησιῶν ἕνωσιν· μηδὲ γὰρ δίκαιον μηδ' ὅλως εὔλογον ἔθνη τοιαῦτα ἐπὶ μικροῖς τισι διαφέρεσθαι, ἀλλ' ἤ, ἀποδυόμενον τὰς αἰτίας, τὸν αἰτιώμενον εἰρηνεύειν παρέχειν τοῖς ἀδελφοῖς, ἢ μήν, ἐν τοῖς ἰδίοις ὀφφικίοις εἴτ' οὖν προνομίοις ὄνθ' ἑκάτερον, μὴ οὕτως διαφόρως ἔχειν καὶ ἀκηρύκτως ἀλλήλοις διαπεχθάνεσθαι· ἀρκεῖν γὰρ ἀμφοτέροις τοὺς ἐχθροὺς τοῦ σταυροῦ, ὧν τὸ τέλος ἀπώλεια, καὶ ἀγαπητὸν ἀποχρώντως, φέροντας ὄνομα τοῦ Χριστοῦ, πρὸς ἐκείνους μάχεσθαι, ὅπου καὶ τὸ νικᾶν ἐπαινετὸν καὶ τὸ ἀποτυγχάνειν σωτήριον ἔργῳ τὴν προθυμίαν δείξασιν. Οὕτω μὲν οὖν πρὸς ἀλλήλους ἔχοντες βασιλεὺς καὶ Γρηγόριος, ὁ μὲν ἤιεν εἰς τὸ πρόσω, τὴν χειροτονίαν δεξόμενος, βασιλεὺς δὲ πολὺς ἦν ἐντεῦθεν τῇ συνόδῳ ἐπέχων καὶ τὸν πατριάρχην θωπευτικῶς ὑπερχόμενος ὑποκλίνειν καὶ ἀνύειν τὸ σπουδαζόμενον· εἶναι γὰρ καὶ ἄνδρα τῆς εἰρήνης τὸν πάπαν καὶ ἐπιθυμίας τῆς κρείττονος. Μετ' οὐ πολὺ δέ, καταστάντος τοῦ Γρηγορίου, πρέσβεις ἐκεῖθεν καταλαμβάνουσι τὸ Βυζάντιον, καὶ οἱ πρέσβεις φρέριοι, ὧν εἷς ἦν Ἰωάννης Παράστρων ὠνομασμένος, πολίτης ἀρχῆθεν καὶ ξυνετὸς τὰ ἐς γλῶσσαν Ἕλληνα, ᾧ δὴ καὶ ζῆλος ἦν ὑπὲρ τῆς τῶν ἐκκλησιῶν ἑνώσεως, ὡς ἐκεῖνος λέγων παρίστα, ὥστε καὶ πολλάκις κατεύχεσθαι ἑαυτοῦ αὐτίκα θάνατον, ἢν μόνον προβαίη τὰ τῆς εἰρήνης· ὃ δὴ καὶ γίνεται ὕστερον. Ταῦτ' ἔλεγε καὶ ταῖς ἀληθείαις σπουδαστὴς ἦν τῆς εἰρήνης θερμότατος, ὥστε πολλάκις καὶ παραβάλλων πατριάρχῃ τε καὶ τῇ συνόδῳ κατελιπάρει καὶ ταύτην ἐπέσπευδε, τὰ μὲν καθ' ἡμᾶς ἐκθειάζων, ὥστ' ἐνίοτε καὶ ὅτε ὁ πατριάρχης λειτουργοίη, αὐτὸν ἀποτιθέμενον τὴν καλύπτραν, οὐ μὴν δὲ 477 ἀλλὰ καὶ τοὺς μετ' αὐτοῦ συλλαμβάνοντα, εἰσέρχεσθαι τὰ ἄδυτα καί, παρὰ τὸν τυχόντα ἀρχιερέα ἱστάμενον, τὰς μυστικὰς συναναγινώσκειν εὐχὰς μετὰ πάσης ἐνθουσιότητος. Τοῖς μὲν οὖν ἡμετέροις οὕτω κοσμίως καὶ εὐλαβῶς προσεφέρετο, πρὸς δ' Ἰταλοὺς ἀφορῶν, καλὸν εἶναι καὶ ἀσφαλὲς ἔλεγεν, ἀφεμένους τῆς προσθήκης, εἰς σκάνδαλον προκειμένης τοῖς ἀδελφοῖς, οὕτως εἰρηνεύειν· εἰ δ' οὖν, καὶ αὐτοὺς ἀπολογουμένους ἐπὶ τῇ προσθήκῃ δίκαιον δέχεσθαι, ὥστε καὶ τοὺς μὲν λέγοντας ἐκ Πατρὸς Υἱοῦ τε, ὑμᾶς δὲ ἐκ Πατρὸς δι' Υἱοῦ τὸ Πνεῦμα τὸ ἅγιον ἐκπορεύεσθαι, παραπληκτίζειν καὶ ἄμφω, εἰς Θεοῦ μυστήρια παρακύπτοντας. Ἐκεῖνος μὲν οὖν ταῦτ' ἔλεγε, συσκιάζων τὸ ἐπὶ τῷ συμβόλῳ τόλμημα, πρέσβις ὢν καὶ προὔργου μᾶλλον παντὸς τὸ πρεσβευόμενον θέλων ἀνύτειν. Οἱ δὲ τῆς ἐκκλησίας καλὸν μὲν ἔλεγον τὴν εἰρήνην εἶναικαὶ πῶς γὰρ οὔ; , καὶ μᾶλλον ἐκκλησίαις τοιαύταις, κεφαλῆς λόγον ἐχούσαις τοῖς ὁπουδήποτε τοῦ εἰρηνάρχου Χριστοῦ μαθηταῖς, πλὴν μετ' ἀσφαλείας καὶ οὐχ ὡς ἔτυχεν· εἶναι γὰρ τὸν κίνδυνον μέγαν τοῖς τοῦ ὀρθοῦ ὁπωσοῦν ἁμαρτάνουσι. «Καὶ τοῦτο οὐχ ἡμῖν ἄρτι ξυνέβη πεπρᾶχθαι, ὡς καὶ αἰτίαν ἔχειν τοῦ τε καινοτομεῖν ἃ οὐδεὶς πρότερον καὶ τοῦ μὴ θέλειν μεταβάλλειν πάλιν εἰς ὃ καὶ πρὶν ἦμεν· ἀλλ' ἄνδρες μεγάλοι τὴν ἀρετὴν καὶ σοφοὶ τὴν γνῶσιν, περὶ τούτων λαλήσαντες, διηνέχθησαν καὶ δόξαν ἐκείνοις διέστησαν. Τὸ δὲ καὶ εἰς πλέον τὴν ἔριν ἐκτείνεσθαι οὔτ' ἐκείνοις ἦν θελητόν, καὶ τοῖς πλεονάζουσιν ἀμαθὲς ἄλλως καὶ τολμηρὸν ὁ πλεονασμός. Πλὴν τὸ καὶ ἡμᾶς τὴν προσθήκην προφέρειν ὑμῖν τότ' ἂν χώραν εἶχε καὶ δικαίως ὀνειδι ζοίμεθα, εἰ