| Saint Leo I | |
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| Birth name | Leo |
| Papacy began | September 29, 440 |
| Papacy ended | November 10, 461 |
| Predecessor | Sixtus III |
| Successor | Hilarius |
| Born | 400 Tuscany, Italy |
| Died | November 10, 461 Rome, Italy |
| Other popes named Leo | |
| Styles of Pope Leo I |
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| Reference style | His Holiness |
| Spoken style | Your Holiness |
| Religious style | Holy Father |
| Posthumous style | Saint |
Pope Saint Leo I or Pope Saint Leo the Great was Pope from September 29, 440 to November 10, 461. Events 522 BC - Darius I of Persia kills the Magian usurper Gaumâta securing his hold as king of the Persian Empire. Events By Place Western Roman Empire Geiseric, king of the Vandals, captures Sicily. Events 1444 - Battle of Varna: The crusading forces of King Vladislaus III of Varna (aka Ulaszlo I of Hungary and Wladyslaw Events By Place Western Roman Empire August 2 — Majorian resigns as Emperor shortly afterwards Libius Severus Pope Events By Place Western Roman Empire Italy is first invaded by Alaric (probable date Tuscany (Toscana is a region in Italy. It has an area of 22990 km² and a population of about 3 Italy (Italia officially the Italian Republic, (Repubblica Italiana is located on the Italian Peninsula in Southern Europe, and on the two largest Events 1444 - Battle of Varna: The crusading forces of King Vladislaus III of Varna (aka Ulaszlo I of Hungary and Wladyslaw Events By Place Western Roman Empire August 2 — Majorian resigns as Emperor shortly afterwards Libius Severus Rome ( Roma ˈroma Roma is the capital city of Italy and Lazio, and is Italy's largest and most populous city with more than 2 Italy (Italia officially the Italian Republic, (Repubblica Italiana is located on the Italian Peninsula in Southern Europe, and on the two largest A style of office, or honorific, is a term which by Tradition or Law precedes a reference to a person who holds a post or Title, or to the A saint (from the Latin sanctus) is a human being to whom has been attributed (and who has generally demonstrated a high level of Holiness and Sanctity History See also History of the Papacy Catholics recognize the Pope as a successor to Saint Peter, who Jesus named as the "shepherd" and Events 522 BC - Darius I of Persia kills the Magian usurper Gaumâta securing his hold as king of the Persian Empire. Events By Place Western Roman Empire Geiseric, king of the Vandals, captures Sicily. Events 1444 - Battle of Varna: The crusading forces of King Vladislaus III of Varna (aka Ulaszlo I of Hungary and Wladyslaw Events By Place Western Roman Empire August 2 — Majorian resigns as Emperor shortly afterwards Libius Severus
He was a Roman aristocrat and the first Pope to receive the title "the Great". Ancient Rome was a Civilization that grew out of a small agricultural community founded on the Italian Peninsula as early as the 10th century BC Aristocracy is a form of Government, where rule is established through an internal struggle over who has the most status and influence over society and internal relations He is perhaps best known for having met Attila the Hun outside Rome near Governolo (Mantua) in 452 in a successful attempt to persuade the king not to ransack the city. Rome ( Roma ˈroma Roma is the capital city of Italy and Lazio, and is Italy's largest and most populous city with more than 2 Events By Place Western Roman Empire Attila, king of the Huns, invades Italy. He is also a Doctor of the Church, and a leading figure in the centralization of the organization of the Roman Catholic Church. Doctor of the Church ( Latin doctor, teacher from Latin docere, to teach is a title given by a variety of Christian Churches to individuals
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Early life
According to the Liber Pontificalis he was a native of Tuscany. The Liber Pontificalis ( Latin for Book of the Popes) is a book of biographies of Popes from Saint Peter until the 15th century Tuscany (Toscana is a region in Italy. It has an area of 22990 km² and a population of about 3 By 431, as a deacon, he occupied a sufficiently important position for Cyril of Alexandria to apply to him in order that Rome's influence should be thrown against the claims of Juvenal of Jerusalem to patriarchal jurisdiction over Palestine -- unless this letter is addressed rather to Pope Celestine I. Events By Place Western Roman Empire Aëtius pushes the Franks back across the Somme. Deacon is a role in the Christian Church that is generally associated with service of some kind but which varies among theological and denominational traditions Cyril of Alexandria (ca 378 - 444 was the Pope of Alexandria when the city was at its height of influence and power within the Roman Empire. Saint Juvenal ( Greek: Άγιος Ιουβενάλιος (d 458 was a Bishop of Jerusalem from about 422 Palestine is a name which has been widely used since Roman times to refer to the region between the Mediterranean Sea and the Jordan River. Pope About the same time John Cassian dedicated to him the treatise against Nestorius written at his request. Saint John Cassian (ca 360 – 435 ( Latin: Jo(hannes Eremita Cassianus, Joannus Cassianus, or Joannes Massiliensis) John the Nestorius (in Greek: Νεστόριος; c 386&ndash c 451 was Archbishop of Constantinople from 10 April 428 But nothing shows more plainly the confidence felt in him than his being chosen by the emperor to settle the dispute between Aëtius and Albinus, the two highest officials in Gaul. Aëtius is also the name of several other persons Flavius Aëtius or simply Aëtius, (c Gaul (Gallia was the Roman name for the region of Western Europe comprising present day northern Italy, France, Belgium, western
During his absence on this mission, Pope Sixtus III died (August 11, 440), and Leo was unanimously elected by the people to succeed him. Pope Events 2492 BC - Traditional date of the defeat of Bel by Hayk, progenitor and founder of the Armenian nation Events By Place Western Roman Empire Geiseric, king of the Vandals, captures Sicily. On September 29 he entered upon a pontificate which was to be epoch-making for the centralization of the government of the Roman Catholic Church. Events 522 BC - Darius I of Persia kills the Magian usurper Gaumâta securing his hold as king of the Persian Empire.
Zeal for Chalcedonian Christology
An uncompromising foe of heresy, Leo found that in the diocese of Aquileia, Pelagians were received into church communion without formal repudiation of their errors; he wrote to rebuke this culpable negligence, and required a solemn abjuration before a synod. Aquileia (also called Aquilegia, Friulian Acuilee/Aquilee, Slovene Oglej) is an ancient Roman city in what is Pelagianism is a theological theory named after Pelagius (ad 354 – ad Abjuration is the solemn repudiation abandonment or renunciation by or upon Oath, often the renunciation of Citizenship or some other Right or Privilege A synod (also known as a council) is a council of a church, usually a Christian church convened to decide an issue of doctrine administration or application
Manicheans fleeing before the Vandals had come to Rome in 439 and secretly organized there; Leo learned of this around 443, and proceeded against them by holding a public debate with their representatives, burning their books, and warning the Roman Christians against them. Manichaeism (in Modern Persian fa-Arab آیین مانی Āyin e Māni; Chinese zh 摩尼教 was one of the major Gnostic Religions originating Events By Place Western Roman Empire Licinia Eudoxia, wife of the Emperor Valentinian III, is granted the title of ''Augusta'' Events By Place Western Roman Empire The Burgundians create a kingdom on the banks of the Rhone. His efforts led to the edict of Valentinian III against them (June 19, 445). Flavius Placidius Valentinianus ( July 2, 419 &ndash March 16, 455) known in English as Valentinian III, was among the last Events 1179 - The Norwegian Battle of Kalvskinnet outside Nidaros. Events By Place Western Roman Empire An edict of Valentinian III is issued against the Manichaeans.
Nor was his attitude less decided against the Priscillianists. Priscillian, Bishop of Ávila (died 385 a theologian from Roman Gallaecia (in the Iberian Peninsula) was the first person in the Bishop Turrubius of Astorga, astonished at the spread of this sect in Spain, had addressed the other Spanish bishops on the subject, sending a copy of his letter to Leo, who took the opportunity to exercise Roman policy in Spain. Saint Toribius (Turibius of Astorga (fl 460 AD was a Bishop of Astorga, in Spain Spain () or the Kingdom of Spain (Reino de España is a country located mostly in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. He wrote an extended treatise (July 21, 447) against the sect, examining its false teaching in detail, and calling for a Spanish general council to investigate whether it had any adherents in the episcopate -- but this was prevented by the political circumstances of Spain. Events 356 BC - Herostratus sets fire to the Temple of Artemis in Ephesus, one of the Seven Wonders of the World Events By Place Eastern Roman Empire Battle of the Utus: Attila the Hun meets the Romans in an indecisive battle
In 445, Leo disputed with Dioscorus, St. Events By Place Western Roman Empire An edict of Valentinian III is issued against the Manichaeans. Pope Dioscorus I of Alexandria ( Coptic:, Arabic: البابا ديسقوروس was the 25th Pope of Alexandria (444 AD&ndash454 AD/ Patriarch of Cyril's successor in the patriarchate of Alexandria, insisting that the ecclesiastical practise of his see should follow that of Rome; since Mark, the disciple of Peter and founder of the Alexandrian Church, could have had no other tradition than that of the prince of the apostles. The Patriarch of Alexandria is the Archbishop of Alexandria and Cairo, Egypt. "Saint Mark" redirects here For other uses see Saint Mark (disambiguation. This, of course, was not the position of the Copts, who saw the ancient patriarchates as equals. A Copt ( Coptic: ouRemenkīmi enEkhristianos, literally Egyptian Christian) is a native Egyptian Christian.
The fact that the African province of Mauretania Caesariensis had been preserved to the empire and thus to the Nicene faith in the Vandal invasion, and in its isolation was disposed to rest on outside support, gave Leo an opportunity to assert his authority there, which he did decisively in regard to a number of questions of discipline. Mauretania Caesariensis was a Roman province located in northwestern Africa The Nicene Creed (ˈnaɪsiːn is an ecumenical Christian statement of faith accepted in the Eastern Orthodox Church, Assyrian Church of
In a letter to the bishops of Campania, Picenum, and Tuscany (443) he required the observance of all his precepts and those of his predecessors; and he sharply rebuked the bishops of Sicily (447) for their deviation from the Roman custom as to the time of baptism, requiring them to send delegates to the Roman synod to learn the proper practice. Campania is a region of Southern Italy in Europe. The region has a population of around 5 Picenum was a Region of ancient Roman Italy. Picenum was the birthplace of such notables as Pompey the Great and his father Pompeius Strabo Sicily ( Italian and Sicilian: Sicilia) is an autonomous region of Italy. Events By Place Eastern Roman Empire Battle of the Utus: Attila the Hun meets the Romans in an indecisive battle In Christianity, baptism ( Greek, "immersing" "performing Ablutions " is the ritual act with the use of water by which one is admitted
The assertion of Roman power over Illyria had been a strong point with previous Popes. Illyria ( Albanian Iliria ( Ancient Greek; Latin Illyria; see also Illyricum) was in Classical antiquity a region in the Pope Innocent I had constituted the metropolitan of Thessalonica his vicar, in order to oppose the growing power of the patriarch of Constantinople there. Pope In Hierarchical Christian churches the rank of metropolitan bishop, or simply metropolitan, pertains to the Diocesan bishop or Thessaloniki (Θεσσαλονίκη), Thessalonica, or Salonica is the second-largest city in Greece and the capital of Macedonia In the broadest sense a vicar (from the Latin Vicarius) is a representative anyone acting "in the person of" or agent for a superior "Patriarch of Constantinople" redirects here For the institutional church itself see Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople. But now the Illyrian bishops showed a tendency to side with Constantinople, and the popes had difficulty in maintaining their authority. Constantinople (Κωνσταντινούπολις Konstantinoúpolis, or gr ἡ Πόλις hē Polis, Latin: la CONSTANTINOPOLIS In 444 Leo laid down in a letter to them the principle that Peter had received the "primacy and oversight of the whole Church as a requital of his faith, and that thus all important matters were to be referred to and decided by Rome. Events By Place Europe The Irish city of Armagh is founded by St " In 446 he had occasion twice to interfere in the affairs of Illyria, and in the same spirit spoke of the Roman pontiff as the apex of the hierarchy of bishops, metropolitans, and primates. Events By place British Isles The Cor Tewdws (Collage of Theodosius Llantwit Major is burned down However, after his death the influence of Constantinople was again predominant.
In 451 Leo further tried to restore order to the Eastern churches at the Council of Chalcedon. The Council of Chalcedon was the fourth Ecumenical council. It was held from 8 October to 1 November 451 at Chalcedon (a city of According to tradition, after Leo had finished his decree, the 630 bishops and 4 papal legates present exclaimed unanimously, "What Leo believes we all believe, anathema to him who believes anything else. Anathema (in Greek Ανάθεμα meaning originally something lifted up as an offering to the gods later with evolving meanings it came to mean to be formally Peter has spoken through the mouth of Leo. " This is taken to mean that popes are the rightful successors to St. Peter.
Roman Authority in Gaul
Not without serious opposition did he succeed in asserting his authority over Gaul. Patroclus of Arles (d. 426) had received from Pope Zosimus the recognition of a primacy over the Gallican Church which was strongly asserted by his successor Hilary. Events By Place Europe King Gunderic of the Vandals becomes king of the Alans as well (approximate Zosimus ( ''fl'' 490s-510s was a Byzantine historian who lived in Constantinople during the reign of the Byzantine Emperor Anastasius An appeal from Celidonius of Besançon gave Leo occasion to proceed against Hilary, who defended himself stoutly at Rome, refusing to recognize Leo's judicial status. But Leo restored Celidonius and restricted Hilary to his own diocese, depriving him even of his metropolitan rights over the province of Vienne. French Ancien Régime Roman Catholic Dioceses and ecclesiastical provinces were heirs of Late Roman Civitates (themselves created out of
Feeling that his dominant idea of the Roman universal monarchy was threatened, Leo appealed to the civil power for support, and obtained from Valentinian III the famous decree of June 6, 445, which recognized the primacy of the bishop of Rome based on the merits of Peter, the dignity of the city, and the Nicene Creed (in their interpolated form); ordained that any opposition to his rulings, which were to have the force of law, should be treated as treason; and provided for the forcible extradition by provincial governors of anyone who refused to answer a summons to Rome. Flavius Placidius Valentinianus ( July 2, 419 &ndash March 16, 455) known in English as Valentinian III, was among the last Events 1508 - Maximilian I Holy Roman Emperor, is defeated in Friulia by Venetian forces; he is forced to sign a three-year Events By Place Western Roman Empire An edict of Valentinian III is issued against the Manichaeans. The Nicene Creed (ˈnaɪsiːn is an ecumenical Christian statement of faith accepted in the Eastern Orthodox Church, Assyrian Church of Hilary made his submission, although under his successor, Ravennius, Leo divided the metropolitan rights between Arles and Vienne (450). For the area code see Area code 450. Events By Place Eastern Roman Empire August 25 — Marcian is proclaimed
A favorable occasion for extending the authority of Rome in the East was offered in the renewal of the Christological controversy by Eutyches, who in the beginning of the conflict appealed to Leo and took refuge with him on his condemnation by Flavian. Christology (from Christ and Greek grc -λογία -logia) is a field of study within Christian theology which is concerned with Eutyches ( c 380— c 456 was a Presbyter and Archimandrite at Constantinople. Flavian may refer to Any member of the Flavian dynasty of three Roman rulers of the late 1st-century CE Religious leaders But on receiving full information from Flavian, Leo took his side decisively.
The Tome
At the Second Council of Ephesus, Leo's representatives delivered his famous Tome (Latin text, a letter), or statement of the faith of the Roman Church in the form of a letter addressed to Flavian, which repeats, in close adherence to Augustine, the formulas of western Christology, without really touching the problem that was agitating the East. The Second Council of Ephesus was a church synod in 449 AD. It was convoked by Emperor Theodosius II as an Ecumenical council but because of the controversial Flavian may refer to Any member of the Flavian dynasty of three Roman rulers of the late 1st-century CE Religious leaders Christology (from Christ and Greek grc -λογία -logia) is a field of study within Christian theology which is concerned with The council did not read the letter, and paid no attention to the protests of Leo's legates, but deposed Flavian and Eusebius, who appealed to Rome.
Leo demanded of the emperor that an ecumenical council should be held in Italy, and in the meantime, at a Roman synod in October, 449, repudiated all the decisions of the "Robber Synod. Ecumenism (also oecumenism, œcumenism) refers to initiatives aimed at greater Religious unity or cooperation Events By Place Europe Vortigern forms an alliance with Hengest and Horsa, by tradition chieftains of the Jutes " Without going into a critical examination of its dogmatic decrees, in his letters to the emperor and others he demanded the deposition of Eutyches as a Manichean and Docetic heretic. Eutyches ( c 380— c 456 was a Presbyter and Archimandrite at Constantinople. Manichaeism (in Modern Persian fa-Arab آیین مانی Āyin e Māni; Chinese zh 摩尼教 was one of the major Gnostic Religions originating In Christianity, Docetism (from the Greek, "to seem" is the belief that Jesus ' physical body was an illusion as was his Crucifixion
With the death of Theodosius II in 450 and the sudden change in the Eastern situation, Anatolius, the new patriarch of Constantinople fulfilled Leo's requirements, and his Tome was everywhere read and recognized. Flavius Theodosius ( 10 April, 401 – July 28, 450) called the Calligrapher, known in English as Theodosius II, was
He was now no longer desirous of having a council, especially since it would not be held in Italy. It was called to meet at Nicaea, then transferred to Chalcedon, where his legates held at least an honorary presidency, and where the bishops recognized him as the interpreter of the voice of Peter and as the head of their body, requesting of him the confirmation of their decrees. For the Ecumenical Council of 451 see Council of Chalcedon; For the religious/political organization see Chalcedon Foundation. He firmly declined to confirm their disciplinary arrangements, which seemed to allow Constantinople a practically equal authority with Rome and regarded the civil importance of a city as a determining factor in its ecclesiastical position; but he strongly supported its dogmatic decrees, especially when, after the accession of the Emperor Leo I (457) there seemed to be a disposition toward compromise with the Eutychians. Events By Place Western Roman Empire Majorian is declared emperor by Ricimer. He succeeded in having an imperial patriarch, and not the Oriental Orthodox Pope Timotheus Aelurus, chosen as Coptic Orthodox Pope of Alexandria on the murder of Greek Patriarch Proterius of Alexandria. Oriental Orthodoxy is the communion of Eastern Christian Churches that recognize only three Ecumenical councils — the First Council of Nicaea, the Pope Timothy II of Alexandria (d 477 also known as Αίλυρος/Aelurus (from Greek weasel because of his small build was Coptic Pope and twice succeeded The Pope of The Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria, or Pope of Alexandria for short is the head of the Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria The Eastern Orthodox Patriarch of Alexandria has the title Pope and Patriarch of Alexandria and All Africa Proterius of Alexandria (d 457 Chalcedonian of Alexandria (451-457 was elected by the Council of Chalcedon in 451 to replace Dioscorus of Alexandria
The approaching collapse of the Western Empire gave Leo a further opportunity to appear as the representative of lawful authority. Raphael Sanzio, usually known by his first name alone (in Italian Raffaello) (April 6 or March 28 1483 – April 6 1520 was an Italian painter and Paul the apostle (שאול התרסי Šaʾul HaTarsi, meaning " Saul of Tarsus " Σαούλ Saul and Σαῦλος Saulos and The Huns were an early confederation of Central Asian equestrian nomads or semi-nomads with a Turkic core of aristocracy When Attila invaded Italy in 452 and threatened Rome, it was Leo who, with two high civil functionaries, went to meet him, and effected his withdrawal. Italy (Italia officially the Italian Republic, (Repubblica Italiana is located on the Italian Peninsula in Southern Europe, and on the two largest Events By Place Western Roman Empire Attila, king of the Huns, invades Italy. According to Prosper of Aquitaine, he was so impressed by him that he withdrew. Saint Prosper of Aquitaine (c 390 – c 455 a Christian writer and disciple of Saint Augustine of Hippo, was the first continuator of Jerome 's Universal [1] Jordanes, who represents Leo's contemporary Priscus, gives other grounds. Jordanes (also Jordanis or even Iornandes) was a 6th century Roman Bureaucrat, who turned his hand to History later in life Priscus was from Panium (in Thrace) living in the Roman Empire during the 5th century. Pragmatic concerns such as the large sum of gold that accompanied Leo, or logistical and strategic concerns, may have been the true reason for Attila's mercy. Attila's army was already quite stretched and full from booty from plunder, the Pope's plea for mercy may well have merely served as an honorable reason to not continuing on and sacking the Roman capitol. Other sources of Catholic hagiographical information cite that an enormously huge man dressed in priestly robes and armed with a flaming sword, visible only to Attila, threatened him and his army with death during his discourse with Pope Leo, and this prompted Attila to submit to the Pope's request. [2] Unfortunately Leo's intercession could not prevent the sack of the city by the Vandals in 455, but murder and arson were repressed by his influence. The second of three Barbarian sacks of Rome, the sack of 455 was at the hands of the Vandals, then at war with the usurping Western Roman Events By Place Western Roman Empire March 16 — Valentinian III is murdered by former soldiers of Aëtius, in revenge He died probably on November 10, 461. Events 1444 - Battle of Varna: The crusading forces of King Vladislaus III of Varna (aka Ulaszlo I of Hungary and Wladyslaw Events By Place Western Roman Empire August 2 — Majorian resigns as Emperor shortly afterwards Libius Severus
Leo's significance
The significance of Leo's pontificate lies in the fact of his assertion of the universal jurisdiction of the Roman bishop, which comes out in his letters, and still more in his ninety-six extant orations. This assertion is commonly referred to as the doctrine of Petrine supremacy. A number of Christian denominations and scholars hold that Simon Peter was the most prominent of the apostles, favored by Jesus of Nazareth with the first
According to him the Church is built upon Peter, in pursuance of the promise of Matthew 16:16-19. The Confession of Peter is a statement made by Saint Peter the Apostle in the Synoptic Gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke Peter participates in everything which is Christ's; what the other apostles have in common with him they have through him. What is true of Peter is true also of his successors. Every other bishop is charged with the care of his own special flock, the Roman with that of the whole Church. Other bishops are only his assistants in this great task. In Leo's eyes the decrees of the Council of Chalcedon acquired their validity from his confirmation. The Council of Chalcedon was the fourth Ecumenical council. It was held from 8 October to 1 November 451 at Chalcedon (a city of
St. Leo's letters and sermons reflect the many aspects of his career and personality, including his great personal influence for good, and are invaluable historical sources. His rhythmic prose style, called cursus leonicus, influenced ecclesiastical language for centuries
The Roman Catholic and many Anglican churches mark November 10 as the feast day of Saint Leo (formerly April 11), while the Eastern Orthodox churches mark February 18 as his feast day. Anglicanism is a tradition of Christian faith Churches in this tradition either have historical connections to the Church of England or have similar beliefs Events 1444 - Battle of Varna: The crusading forces of King Vladislaus III of Varna (aka Ulaszlo I of Hungary and Wladyslaw Events 491 - Flavius Anastasius becomes Byzantine Emperor, with the name of Anastasius I. The Eastern Orthodox Church is the second largest single Christian Communion in the world Events 3102 BC - Epoch (origin of the Kali Yuga. 1229 - The Sixth Crusade: Frederick II Holy
See also
References
- Louise Ropes Loomis, The Book of Popes (Liber Pontificalis). While the term " Pope " ( Latin: papa "father'" is used in several churches to denote their high spiritual leaders this title in English Merchantville, NJ: Evolution Publishing. ISBN 1-889758-86-8 (Reprint of the 1916 edition. English translation with scholarly footnotes, and illustrations).
- T. Jalland, The Life and Times of St. Leo the Great, (London, 1941).
Footnotes
External links
- Catholic Encyclopedia: Pope St. Leo I
- Pope Leo's Tome ccel. org
- Early Church Texts The Tome of Leo in Greek and Latin with English translation.
- St Leo the Great the Pope of Rome Orthodox icon and synaxarion
- Opera Omnia by Migne Patrologia Latina with analytical indexes
| Roman Catholic Church titles | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Sixtus III |
Pope 440–461 |
Succeeded by Hilarius |
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