A Letter from Bishop Theodore to the Priest John
Dear brother, we are sending this letter to your charity in the hands of our brothers Nicodemus, Abraham, Clement, and Stephen. Look on these men as the servants of our person and as the masters of yours, since they have been sent to correct you, and you are obliged to obey them. If Verecundus delivered our previous letter to you, you will know why. But since we have heard nothing from our legate since his departure, you may not have seen it. Let us therefore lay things out in all clarity.
It has come to our attention, not by one report, but by many, that a certain shepherd in your parish, guided by visions of a saint in his dream, as he claims, has discovered some ancient remains, and that you, not communicating with your bishop as the Catholic Church demands, but on your own insufficient authority, have exhibited these in your local church as the relics of holy martyrs. Many have been cured of their infirmities and even of mortal illness, it is said. This we do not doubt, but readily believe, yet it was not for you to decide whether the relics were genuine, but for us to investigate the matter thoroughly and decide it with the help of learned men, among whom your piety will not presume to number itself.
You may show your penitence, however, in aiding the learned in their investigation, first of all by giving them an account of the discovery of the bones and the miracles effected by them, secondly by bringing to them anyone who has taken part in the discovery, and as many of the healed as the brothers require, so that they can be interrogated, and thirdly by guiding them to the gravesite itself, so that its age and the signs of martyrdom can be ascertained. Fourthly, if it is true that you have some acts of the martyr or martyrs — for we have not learned their name or number — you must produce them, and hand over all copies in your possession.
You must also hand over the relics themselves, so that they can be brought to the metropole, for we are raising a great cathedral, and it is surely by providence that the relics — for we trust they are genuine — have been discovered at this time, so that they can serve for the consecration of this holy temple, as those of Saints Gervasius and Protasius once did for Saint Ambrose in Milan.