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History of the Franks

St Gregory of Tours, tr. Dalton, 1927

Book 6, 40. Of My Dispute with a Heretic

An envoy, named Oppila, came from Spain, bringing many gifts to King Chilperic. For Leuvigild, king of Spain, feared that King Childebert might march against him to avenge the affront offered to his sister.¹ She was sister of Childebert and consort of Hermangild, son of Leuvigild, who after capturing and imprisoning his son, left the princess with the Greeks. This envoy arriving at Tours for the holy day of Easter, I questioned him, whether he was of our faith. He answered that he believed what Catholics believe. Thereupon he went with me to church, and attended Mass; but he did not give the kiss of peace to our people, nor did he take part in the Holy Communion. It was plain that he lied when he called himself a catholic; none the less, he was present at the banquet to which I had bidden him. When I asked him earnestly what he believed, he replied: ‘I believe that the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost are equal in power.’ I rejoined: ‘If, as thou declarest, this is thy faith, what hindered thee from partaking in the sacrifice which we offer to the Lord?’ ‘I so acted’, he said, ‘because ye wrongly use the word “glory”. For we follow St. Paul and say: “Glory be to God the Father and to the Son.” But ye say: “Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost”, whereas the doctors of the Churches teach that the Father was revealed to the world through the Son, as St. Paul saith: “Now unto the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honour and glory for ever and ever through Jesus Christ our Lord.” ’² I answered: ‘No catholic, I think, is ignorant that the Father was proclaimed through the Son. But the Son after such wise proclaimed the Father in this world as by His own miracles to prove Himself God. It was necessary that the Father should send the Son down to earth to reveal the Godhead, in order that the world, which had refused belief to the prophets, the Patriarchs, and the very Giver of the law Himself, might at least yield it to the Son. Therefore is it needful that glory be given to God under distinction of Persons. For this cause we say: “Glory be to God the Father, who hath sent the Son; glory to God the Son, who by His blood redeemed the world; glory to the Holy Ghost, who sanctifieth man redeemed.” But thou, when thou sayest, “Glory be to the Father through the Son”, takest away glory from the Son, as though He were not equal to the Father in glory because He proclaimed Him in the world. The Son, as I have said, proclaimed the Father in the world; but many did not believe, as St. John the Evangelist saith: “He came unto that which was His own, and His own people received Him not. But as many as received Him, to them gave He power to become sons of God, even to them that believe on His name.”³ But thou, who dost minish Paul the apostle and perceivest not his meaning, see how warily he speaketh, according to the understanding of each, observe his way of preaching to unbelieving peoples, that he may seem to lay too heavy a burden on no man, as he saith to some: “I have given you milk to drink, not food to eat; for ye were not yet able, and even now ye are not able.⁴ But solid food is for them that are of full age.”⁵ And to others he saith: “I have preached nothing to you save Christ, and Him crucified.”⁶ But now what wouldst thou, O heretic? Because Paul preached only Christ crucified, wilt thou therefore doubt that Christ rose from the dead? Heed rather his caution, and mark his insight, how he speaketh to others whom he perceived stronger in the faith. “Yea,” he saith, “though we have known Him crucified, yet now henceforth know we Him no more.”⁷ Deny therefore also, O accuser of Paul, if such madness seize thy mind, that Christ was crucified. But, I pray thee, leave these errors, and hearken to better counsel; apply a salve to thy bleared eye and take within thee the light of the apostle’s preaching. Paul spake in lowlier wise only for man’s sake, that so he might raise them to the height of a more exalted faith, even as he saith in another place: “I am become all things to all men that I might have gain of all.”⁸ Shall mortal man not give glory to the Son, whom the Father Himself glorified out of the heavens, not once, but twice and three times? Hear that which He spake from the heavens, what time the Son, at the descending of the Holy Spirit, was baptized by the hand of John: “This is My beloved Son,” He saith, “in whom I am well pleased.”⁹ But if thine ears be stopped, that thou canst not hear these words, give heed to that which the apostles heard on the mount, when Jesus was transfigured in glory, and talked with Moses and Elias. For the Father spake from the splendour of the cloud: “This is My beloved Son; hear ye Him.”¹⁰ ’ To these arguments the heretic rejoined: ‘In the testimonies the Father saith naught of the glory of the Son; He doth but reveal Him as His Son.’ I answered: ‘If thou so understandest these things, I will set before thee other testimony, in which the Father glorifieth the Son. For when the Lord came to His Passion, He said to Him: “Father, glorify Thy Son, that Thy Son may glorify Thee.”¹¹ What answer then did the Father make from heaven? Was it not this: “I have glorified Thee, and will glorify Thee again”?¹² Behold, now, the Father with His own voice glorifieth Him, and shalt thou seek to take from Him His glory? For that, indeed, thou hast the will, but thou hast not the power. Thou that standest forth to accuse Paul the apostle, hear him, or hear rather Christ speaking through him: “Every tongue shall confess that the Lord Jesus Christ is in the glory of God the Father.”¹³ But if now He shareth the glory of the Father, and if He is declared to be in that glory where now the Father is, how canst thou strip him of honour, as one devoid of glory? And wherefore should not honour be rendered to Him among men, when in heaven He reigneth equal in glory with the Father? We therefore confess that Christ, the Son of God, is very God; and therefore, as the Godhead is one, so also shall be the glory.’ Hereupon we were both silent and the dispute came to an end. He proceeded to King Chilperic, and after presenting the gifts sent by the king of Spain, returned to that country.

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