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FULGENTIUS’S FIRST LETTER TO THE SCYTHIAN MONKS ATIANUS, Fortunatus, Boethos, Victor, Scholasticus, Horontius, Vindicianus, Victor, Januarius, Victorianus, Fontius, Quodvultdeus, Fulgentius, Felix, and Januarius1 send greetings in the Lord to the beloved and highly esteemed saints and brothers in the faith and grace of Christ: Peter the deacon, John, Leontius, another John, and to the other brothers whom you mentioned in your letter2 and who were sent to Rome together with you in the cause of the faith.3 1. (I.) Our blessed brother, Deacon John, directed by your fellowship, presented to us the letter that you sent. After examining it, we simultaneously and eagerly acknowledged both your faith and your salvation. Or more precisely, your salvation became obvious to us through your acknowledgment of the faith. For in this life the only true salvation of men is correct faith in God, “faith that works through love,”4 through which faith apostolic authority testifies that we have been saved by divine grace, saying, “By grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not from yourselves. It is a gift of God, not from works, lest any43 1. This list of senders includes eight names not listed among the addressees in the monks’ letter to the bishops: two Victors, Scholasticus, Vindicianus, Victorianus , Quodvultdeus, Felix, and a second Januarius. This list does not include Albanus, who is listed among the addressees of the monks’ letter. 2. This list of addressees corresponds exactly to the list of the senders of the monks’ letter to the bishops. Fulgentius’s second letter (Ep. 15) has a slightly different list of addressees. 3. As explained in the introduction, Fulgentius wrote this letter on behalf of the North African bishops exiled to Sardinia. He wrote it to the Scythian monks in 519, while they were in Rome. The Latin critical text may be found in CCL 91A, 563–615. 4. Gal 5.6. 44 FULGENTIUS AND MONKS one be exalted.”5 And since love must adhere continually to the correct faith (which enables that love to practice good works effectively , and thus to “cover a multitude of sins”),6 therefore the teacher of the Gentiles in faith and truth then adds, “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God has prepared so that we may walk in them.”7 He added this lest he dare, out of the presumptuousness of human pride, to claim anything for himself after that faith (through which we have been freely saved) has been approved, and so that instead he might assign even the grace of good works to the benefits of divine goodness. We rejoice that you, under God’s guidance, are walking in such good works and accomplishing them. To be sure, you are “not slothful in concern,” but instead you are “fervent in the Spirit,”8 who is the Lord you serve with a very laudable devotion. Therefore, love deriving from a pure heart, a good conscience, and an unfeigned faith spurs you (for the sake of the fellowship of the faith) to examine more carefully the secret reasons for our exile, secrets that need to be made known. Thus, because the word of God, which is living and powerful,9 is not bound,10 we will also demonstrate (by means of a public reply written back to you, beloved brothers) those same truths that we also receive and hold by the holy authority of the canonical books, and also by the things the Fathers taught and instituted. These are truths about the Incarnation and economy of our Lord Jesus Christ, and about grace (which is granted freely to the unworthy in such a way that it brings about in us both the beginning and the completion of a good will). We trust in the Lord (from whom faith is also imparted to us so that we may believe with our hearts, leading to righteousness , and from whom a word is given so that we may confess with our mouths, leading to salvation),11 that he will guide both our understanding and our pen equally, so that we may give an appropriate response to your question. He will so guide us that in our response we may state those things that the reality of our 5. Eph 2.8–9. 6. Cf. Jas 5.20, 1 Pt 4.8. 7. Eph 2.10. 8. Rom 12.11. 9. Cf. Heb 4.12. 10. Cf. 2 Tm 2.9. 11. Cf. Rom...

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