651 chapter 21: the restoration of the mystical temple what one cannot amend in oneself or in others, until God ordains otherwise. If anyone admonished once or twice does not submit, do not quarrel with him, but entrust all to God, so that His will be done and honor may come to be in all His servants; for He knows well how to change evil into good.”196 I do not, however, advise against admonition. For everybody has a commandment concerning his neighbor.197 Yet I do not permit connivance, since it destroys entire communities. In this regard I want charity to be joined to prudence and patience. For the Apostle also gave this injunction to Timothy: “Proclaim the word; be persistent whether it is convenient or inconvenient; convince, reprimand, encourage through all patience and teaching” (2 Tim 4:2). For the rest, to fulfill the law of fraternal correction, it is sufficient to not approve an action, if corrections cannot be done otherwise. For who would begin to contest with the mighty about the good? Unless perhaps you have been armed with the grace of God, in which case I shall advise you to proceed to the battle and you will either die or conquer. You have great examples of great men. Among the Hebrews there is John the Baptist,198 among the Latins — Boethius199 with Symmachus,200 and Martin201 with 196 IC, Bk. I, Ch. 16, §§ 1-2. 197 Cf. Sir 17:14 198 Cf. Mt 14:10. 199 Boethius, Anicius (d. 524). “In 523, because he defended the senator Albinus who was accused of a secret communication with the emperor Justinus to the detriment of Theodoric, Boethius was involved in the same accusation, exiled, imprisoned and finally tried and condemned to death on October 23, 524. It seems likely that national and religious motives lay behind this tragedy, since Theodoric was a barbarian and an Arian, whilst Boethius was a champion of Catholicism and of what was Roman. Traditionally Boethius has always been venerated as a martyr;” Degl’Innocenti Umberto, Boethius, Anicius Manlius Torquatus Severinus: ECat II, 1753-54. 200 St. Simmac, Pope (d. 514). He suffered much from the faction of the antipope Laurentius (“harassed for a long time by a faction of Schismatics” (MR, July 19)). “The enemies of Symmachus, not being able to further contest his election, had recourse to accusations and calumnies.” Cf. Amore, Agostino, Symmachus, Pope, Saint: ECat XI, 630. 201 St. Martin I, Pope and Martyr (d. 656). He “held a Synod at Rome and condemned the heretics Sergius, Paulus and Pirrhus. For that reason, on the orders
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