Letters
of Pope Alexander II (1061-1073)
Translations and notes are copyright John S. Ott.
Classroom use is freely conferred; other use forbidden without
permission.
1.-2. Trans. John Ott, from S. Löwenfeld, ed., Epistolae
pontificum Romanorum ineditae (Leipzig,
1885), nos. 82-83, pp. 43-44.
3.Trans. John Ott
from J.-P. Migne, ed., Patrologia latina
cursus completus, vol. 146 (Paris,
1884), Letters and diplomas of Pope Alexander II (Alexandri II
pontificis
Romani epistolae et diplomata), no. 101, cols. 1386D-1387A.
The following two letters date approximately to the
end
of 1063.
(1) Letter of Pope
Alexander II to the clergy of Volturno (1063, late)
To the
clergy of Volturno. We urge with
paternal charity that those who are determined to set out for Spain
think
with maximum care about what they, divinely inspired, have decided to
carry
out. Let a measure of penance be imposed
on each and every one of them who shall confess, according to the
quality of
his sins, to his bishop or spiritual father, so that the devil may not
accuse
them of impenitence. We, accompanying
[them] with prayer, by the authority of the holy apostles Peter and
Paul,
[thereby] lift their penance and give them remission of sins.
(2) Letter of Pope
Alexander II to Gaufrid, archbishop of Narbonne (1063, late)
To [Arch]bishop Gaufrid.[1] All laws, both ecclesiastical and
secular,
condemn the shedding of human blood, unless by chance they punish by
judgment a
crime already committed, or, as in the case of the Saracens, a hostile
provocation occurred. Thus, you acted
advisedly and laudably because you did not allow the Jews to be
persecuted
without cause. We urge you to act again
in a similar fashion if necessary.
The following letter, although dated by its editor no
more specifically than 1061-1073, was probably also written about 1063
or 1064.
(3) Letter of Pope Alexander II to all the
bishops
of Spain
(1063 or 1064)
Pope Alexander, to all the bishops of Spain.
The news which we recently heard about you
was pleasing to us, how you protected the Jews who lived among you so
that they
would not be annihilated by those who had set out against the Saracens
in Spain. Indeed, those people, moved either by dull
ignorance or by blind avarice, wished to bring slaughter upon those
whom divine
piety predestined for salvation. Thus
blessed Gregory [2] forbade
certain men who burned to exterminate [the Jews], denouncing as impious
the
wish to destroy them who were saved by God’s mercy, so that they—cast
out from
homeland and liberty, damned to a lengthy punishment by the prejudgment
of the
father for spilling the Savior’s blood—might live dispersed to the ends
of the
earth. The situation of the Jews and
Saracens is completely different. For
war is waged justly against those who persecute Christians and expel
them from
their cities and own homes; these were everywhere created to be
enslaved. But [blessed Gregory] even
prohibited a
bishop who wished to destroy [the Jews’] synagogue [from doing so].
Notes:
[1] Also called Wilfrid of Guifrid, archbishop of Narbonne from ca.
1019-1077.
[2] Pope Gregory I, ruled 590-604.