The laws of the empire having declared it unlawful for Jews or pagans to
hold Christian slaves, the church took a further step, which, in effect,
forbade pagan slaves being sold to Jews, and which, to a considerable
extent, suppressed their introduction, by the difficulties with which
the following order surrounded the traffic. It is found in lib. v.
indic. xiv. epist. xxxi.
* * * * *
GREGORIUS, Fortunato Episcopo Neopolitano:
Ne mancipia quæ Christianam fidem suscipere volunt, Judæis venundentur:
sed pretium à Christiano emptore percipiant.
Fraternitati vestræ ante hoc tempus scripsimus, ut hos qui de Judaica
superstitione ad Christianam fidem Deo aspirante venire desiderant,
dominis eorum nulla esset licentia venundandi: sed ex eo quo voluntatis
suæ desiderium prodidissent, defendi in libertatem per omnia debuissent.
Sed quia quantum cognovimus, nec voluntatem nostram, nec legum statuta
subtili scientes discretione pensare, in paganis servis hâc se non
arbitrantur conditione constringi: fraternitatem vestram oportet de his
esse solicitam, et si de Judæorum servitio non solum Judæos, sed etiam
quisquam paganorum fieri voluerit Christianus, postquam voluntas ejus
fuerit patefacta, nec hunc sub quolibet ingenio vel argumento cuipiam
Judæorum venundandi facultas sit: sed is qui ad Christianam converti
fidem desideret, defensione vestrâ in libertatem modis omnibus
vindicetur. Hi vero quos hujusmodi oportet servos amittere, ne forsitan
utilitates suas irrationabiliter æstiment impediri, sollicitâ vos hæc
convenit consideratione servare: ut si paganos, quos mercimonii causâ de
externis finibus emerint, intra tres menses, dum emptor cui vendi
debeant non invenitur, fugere ad ecclesiam forte contigerit, et velle se
fieri dixerint Christianos, vel etiam extra ecclesiam hanc talem
voluntatem prodederint, pretium ibi à Christiano scilicet emptore
percipiant. Si autem post præfinitos tres menses quisquam hujusmodi
servorum velle suum edixerit, et fieri voluerit Christianus, nec aliquis
eum postmodum emere, nec dominus quâlibet occasionis specie audeat
venundare, sed ad libertatis proculdubio præmia perducatur: quia hunc
non ad vendendum, sed ad serviendum sibi intelligitur comparasse. Hæc
igitur omnia fraternitas vestra ita vigilantes observet, quatenus ei nec
supplicatio quorumdam valeat, nec persona surripere.
* * * * *
“GREGORY to Fortunatus, Bishop of Naples:
“That slaves who wish to embrace the Christian faith must not be sold to
Jews, but (the owners) may receive a price from a Christian purchaser.
“We have before now written to you, our brother, that their masters
should not have leave to sell those who, by the inspiration of God,
desire to come from the Jewish superstition to the Christian faith; but
that from the moment they shall have manifested this determination they
should be, by all means, protected to seek their liberty. But, as we
have been led to know some persons, not exactly and accurately giving
heed to our will, nor to the enactments of the laws, think that, as
regards pagan slaves, this law does not apply, it is fit that you, our
brother, should be careful on this head; and if among the slaves of the
Jews, not only a Jew, but any of the pagans, should desire to become a
Christian, to see that no Jew should have power to sell him under any
pretext, or by any ingenious device, after this his intention shall have
been made known; but let him who desires to become of the Christian
faith have the aid of your defence, by all means, for his liberty.
“And respecting those who are to lose such servants, lest they should
consider themselves unreasonably hindered, it is fit that you should
carefully follow this rule: that, if it should happen that pagans, whom
they bought from foreign places for the purpose of traffic, should
within three months, not having been purchased, fly to the church and
say that they desire to be Christians, or even make known this intention
without the church, let the owners be capable of receiving their price
from a Christian purchaser. But if, after the lapse of three months, any
one of those servants of this description should speak his will and wish
to become a Christian, no one shall thereafter dare to purchase him, nor
shall his master under any pretext sell him; but he shall unquestionably
be brought to the reward of liberty, because it is sufficiently
intelligible that this slave was procured for the purpose of service,
and not for that of traffic. Do you, my brother, diligently and closely
observe all these things, so that you be not led away by any
supplication, nor affected by personal regard.”
* * * * *
The grounds of the law above given may be partially gathered from the
following, which is a letter to the bishop of Catania in Sicily. Lib. v.
ind. xiv. epist. xxxii.
* * * * *
GREGORIUS, Leoni Episcopo Catanensi:
_De Samaræis qui pagana mancipia emerunt et circumciderunt._
Res ad nos detestabilis, et omnino legibus inimica pervenit, quæ, si
vera est, fraternitatem vestram vehementer accusat, eamque de minori
solicitudine probat esse culpabilem.
Comperimus autem quod Samaræi degentes Catinæ pagana mancipia emerint,
atque ea circumcidere ausu temerario præsumpserint. Atque idcirco
necesse est, ut omnimodo zelum in hâc causâ sacerdotalem exercens, cum
omni hoc vivacitate ac solicitudine studeas perscrutari: et si ita
repereris, mancipia ipsa sine morâ in libertatem modis omnibus vindica,
et ecclesiasticam in eis tuitionem impende, nec quidquam dominos eorum
de pretio quolibet modo recipere patiaris: qui non solum hoc damno
mulctandi, sed etiam aliâ erant pœnâ de legibus feriendi.
* * * * *
“GREGORY to Leo, Bishop of Catania:
“Concerning Samaritans (or Jews) who purchased pagan slaves and
circumcised them.
“Accounts have been brought to us of a transaction very detestable and
altogether opposed to the laws, and which, if true, shows exceedingly
great neglect on the part of you, our brother, and proves you to have
been very culpable.
“We have found that some Jews dwelling at Catania have bought pagan
slaves, and with rash presumption dared to circumcise them. Wherefore it
is necessary that you should exert all your priestly zeal in this case,
and give your mind to examine closely into it with energy and care; and,
should you find the allegation to be true, that you should by all means,
and without delay, secure the liberty of the slaves themselves, and give
them the protection of the church; nor should you suffer their masters,
on any account, to receive any of the price given for them, for they not
only should be fined in this amount, but they are liable also to suffer
such other punishment as the laws inflict.”
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