Religious Intolerance in the Later Roman Empire - Bad request ...

that Ursinus himself was exiled, but it can reasonably be assumed that he was exiled
along with his supporters. Valentinian finished his letter with the hope that his orders
of exile would restore concord to Rome: “after the inciting discords have been
removed, concord may again be established in the populace.” 67 Restoring peace to the
city was thus the foremost concern of Valentinian at this stage. No derogatory
rhetoric was expressed towards Ursinus or his followers.
Valentinian's second letter on the issue is undated, but since it was also
addressed to Praetextatus and referred to the exile of Ursinus it must have been issued
after the previous letter and before the third letter written to Praetextatus on the
matter. The letter shows that Valentinian was subject to lobbying on the part of
Damasus and more importantly that the emperor responded favourably, to a degree, to
such lobbying. Valentinian referred to “the petition of the defenders of the Church of
the City of Rome, or of Damasus, the bishop of the sacred law.” 68 As a result of such
lobbying, and in this letter, Valentinian appears to view the affair as being not just
prejudicial to the peace of Rome, but also damaging to the Church. As such he also
expressed his concern to see unity restored to the church in Rome.
Valentinian began the letter by referring to his exiling of Ursinus and therefore,
but indirectly, to his own efforts to achieve church unity. Valentinian also thought
that the cause of the dispute was Ursinus himself, rather than the wider Ursinian
community: “By the removal of the author of dissension, all cause for discord ought to
be settled” 69 and Ursinus was the “tinder of the quarrels.” 70 Damasus’ (lost) petition
apparently said that the Ursinians still occupied one church in Rome and Valentinian
ordered Praetextatus to restore this church to Damasus. He also revealed some
religiously motivated concerns to heal the dispute: “lest from this circumstance some
67
dum m odo incentiuis dissen sionibus ablatis firm a sit rursus in plebe concordia
68
CSEL 35.6: quam ob rem praecelsa sublim itas tua defensorum ecclesiae urgus Rom ae siv e Dam asi sacrae
legis antistites petitione perspecta
69
Dissension is auctore sublato om nis causa discordiae sopienda est
70 fom item iurgiorum
111