Pope Leo I
Bishop of Rome | |
---|---|
Church | Catholic Church |
Papacy began | 29 September 440 |
Papacy ended | 10 November 461 |
Predecessor | Sixtus III |
Successor | Hilarius |
Personal details | |
Born | Leo c. 400 AD |
Died | Rome, Western Roman Empire | 10 November 461 (aged 60 – 61)
Sainthood | |
Feast day |
|
Venerated in | |
Attributes |
|
Theological work | |
Era | Post-Nicene |
Language | Latin |
Tradition or movement | Chalcedonism |
Main interests | Christology |
Notable ideas | Chalcedonian Definition |
Other popes named Leo |
Pope Leo I (c. 400 – 10 November 461), also known as Leo the Great,
Leo was a
He also contributed significantly to developing ideas of papal authority.Early life
According to the Liber Pontificalis, he was a native of Tuscany. By 431, as a deacon, he was sufficiently well known outside of Rome that John Cassian dedicated to him the treatise against Nestorius written at Leo's suggestion. About this time Cyril of Alexandria appealed to Rome regarding a jurisdictional dispute with Juvenal of Jerusalem, but it is not entirely clear whether the letter was intended for Leo in his capacity as archdeacon,[4] or for Pope Celestine I directly.
Near the end of the reign of
Papacy
During Leo's absence in Gaul, Pope Sixtus III died (11 August 440), and on 29 September Leo was unanimously elected by the people to succeed him.[5] Soon after assuming the papal throne, Leo learned that in Aquileia, Pelagians were received into church communion without formal repudiation of their heresy; he censured this practice and directed that a provincial synod be held where such former Pelagians be required make an unequivocal abjuration.[5]
From a pastoral perspective, he energized charitable works in a Rome beset by famines, an influx of refugees, and poverty. He further associated the practice of fasting with charity and almsgiving, particularly on the occasion of the Quattro tempora, (the quarterly Ember days).[4] It was during Leo's papacy that the term "Pope", which previously meant any bishop, came to exclusively mean the Bishop of Rome.[7]
Papal authority
Leo drew many learned men about him and chose Prosper of Aquitaine to act in some secretarial or notarial capacity.[4] Leo was a significant contributor to the centralisation of spiritual authority within the Church and in reaffirming papal authority. In 450, the
Various regional matters
On several occasions, Leo was asked to arbitrate disputes in Gaul. Patroclus of Arles (d. 426) had received from Pope Zosimus the recognition of a subordinate primacy over the Gallican Church which was strongly asserted by his successor Hilary of Arles. An appeal from Chelidonius of Besançon gave Leo the opportunity to assert the pope's authority over Hilary, who defended himself stoutly at Rome, refusing to recognize Leo's judicial status. Feeling that the primatial rights of the bishop of Rome were threatened, Leo appealed to the civil power for support and obtained, from Valentinian III, a decree of 6 June 445, which recognized the primacy of the bishop of Rome based on the merits of Peter, the dignity of the city, and the legislation of the First Council of Nicaea; and provided for the forcible extradition by provincial governors of any bishop who refused to answer a summons to Rome.[8] Faced with this decree, Hilary submitted to the pope, although under his successor, Ravennius, Leo divided the metropolitan rights between Arles and Vienne (450).
In 445, Leo disputed with
The fact that the African province 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.
Because of the earlier line of division between the western and eastern parts of the
He succeeded in having an imperial patriarch,
Writings
Almost 100 sermons and 150 letters of Leo I have been preserved.
Tome
At the
It was presented again at the subsequent Council of Chalcedon as offering a solution to the Christological controversies still raging between East and West.[12]
Council of Chalcedon
The Council of Chalcedon of 451 rejected the heresy of Eutyches who denied the true human nature of the Son of God, and affirmed the union in his one Person, without confusion and without separation, of his two natures, human and divine.
The acts of the council report:
"After the reading of the foregoing epistle, the most reverend bishops cried out: This is the faith of the fathers, this is the faith of the Apostles. So we all believe, thus the orthodox believe. Anathema to him who does not thus believe. Peter has spoken thus through Leo. So taught the Apostles. Piously and truly did Leo teach, so taught Cyril. Everlasting be the memory of Cyril. Leo and Cyril taught the same thing, anathema to him who does not so believe. This is the true faith. Those of us who are orthodox thus believe. This is the faith of the fathers. Why were not these things read at Ephesus? These are the things Dioscorus hid away."[13][14][15]
Leo 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 Leo I (457), there seemed to be a disposition toward compromise with the Eutychians.[citation needed]
Teaching on Christ
Leo's writings (sermons and letters) mostly discuss theological questions concerning the person of
To Leo the Great, Mariology is determined by Christology. If Christ were divine only, everything about him would be divine. Only his divinity would have been crucified, buried and resurrected. Mary would only be the mother of God, and Christians would have no hope for their own resurrection. The nucleus of Christianity would be destroyed.[16] The most unusual beginning of a truly human life through her was to give birth to Jesus, the Lord and Son of King David.[17]
Heir of Peter
Leo assumed the papacy at a time of increasing barbarian invasions; this, coupled with the decreasing imperial authority in the West, forced the Bishop of Rome to take a more active part in civil and political affairs. He was one of the first bishops of Rome to promote papal primacy based on succession from Peter the Apostle; and he did so as a means of maintaining unity among the churches.[18]
Besides recourse to biblical language, Leo also described his own special relationship with Peter in terms derived from Roman law. He called himself the (unworthy) heir and deputy (vicarius) of Peter, having received his apostolic authority and being obliged to follow his example. On the one hand, Peter stood before him with a claim on how Leo is to exercise his office; on the other hand, Leo, as the Roman bishop, represented the Apostle, whose authority he held. Christ, however, always comes out as the source of all grace and authority, and Leo is responsible to him for how he fulfilled his duties (sermon 1). Thus, the office of the Roman bishop was grounded on the special relationship between Christ and Peter, a relationship that cannot be repeated per se; therefore, Leo depended on Peter's mediation, his assistance and his example in order to be able to adequately fulfill his role and exercise his authority as the Bishop of Rome, both in the city and beyond.[citation needed]
Leo and Attila
After the indecisive outcome of the
Writing in the early 20th century, the
The fact of the embassy cannot be doubted. The distinguished ambassadors visited the Hun's camp near the south shore of Lake Garda. It is also certain that Attila suddenly retreated. But we are at a loss to know what considerations were offered him to induce him to depart. It is unreasonable to suppose that this heathen king would have cared for the thunders or persuasions of the Church. The Emperor refused to surrender Honoria, and it is not recorded that money was paid. A trustworthy chronicle hands down another account which does not conflict with the fact that an embassy was sent, but evidently furnishes the true reasons which moved Attila to receive it favourably. Plague broke out in the barbarian host and their food ran short, and at the same time troops arrived from the east, sent by Marcian to the aid of Italy. If his host was suffering from pestilence, and if troops arrived from the east, we can understand that Attila was forced to withdraw. But whatever terms were arranged, he did not pretend that they meant a permanent peace. The question of Honoria was left unsettled, and he threatened that he would come again and do worse things in Italy unless she were given up with the due portion of the Imperial possessions.[22]
Leo's intercession could not prevent the
On the fundamental dignity of Christians
In his In Nativitate Domini, Christmas Day, sermon, "Christian, remember your dignity", Leo articulates a fundamental dignity common to all Christians, whether saints or sinners, and the consequent obligation to live up to it:
Our Saviour, dearly-beloved, was born today: let us be glad. For there is no proper place for sadness, when we keep the birthday of the Life, which destroys the fear of mortality and brings to us the joy of promised eternity. No one is kept from sharing in this happiness. There is for all one common measure of joy, because as our Lord the destroyer of sin and death finds none free from charge, so is He come to free us all. Let the saint exult in that he draws near to victory. Let the sinner be glad in that he is invited to pardon. Let the gentile take courage in that he is called to life...
Let us put off then the old man with his deeds: and having obtained a share in the birth of Christ let us renounce the works of the flesh. Christian, acknowledge thy dignity, and becoming a partner in the Divine nature, refuse to return to the old baseness by degenerate conduct. Remember the Head and the Body of which thou art a member. Recollect that thou wert rescued from the power of darkness and brought out into God’s light and kingdom. By the mystery of Baptism thou wert made the temple of the Holy Ghost: do not put such a denizen to flight from thee by base acts, and subject thyself once more to the devil’s thraldom: because thy purchase money is the blood of Christ, because He shall judge thee in truth Who ransomed thee in mercy, who with the Father and the Holy Spirit reigns for ever and ever. Amen.[24]
Death and burial
Leo died on 10 November 461 and, as he wished to be buried as close as possible to the tomb of St. Peter,[citation needed] his body was entombed within the portico of Old St. Peter's Basilica.[25]: 11 He was the first pope to be buried within St. Peter's.[25]: 11 In 688, Pope Sergius I had Leo's remains moved to the south transept, inside the basilica. The relocation was apparently due to the number of later papal burials obscuring the prominence that Sergius believed Leo's tomb should have.[25]: 40
Significance
Pope Benedict XVI said that Leo's papacy was "undoubtedly one of the most important in the Church's history".[26]
In 1754 Pope Benedict XIV proclaimed Leo I a Doctor of the Church.[26][5] Next to Leo only one other pope, Gregory I, is also recognized as Doctor of the Church.[27]
The
The Eastern Catholic Churches as well as the Eastern Orthodox Church celebrate Saint Leo on 18 February.[citation needed]
Leo the Great is honored in the
In the Roman rite, fragments of his texts are read in the liturgy of hours, for example on Christmas.[31][32]
Feast Day
- 18 February – commemoration by Eastern Orthodox Church,[33]
- 28 June – commemoration of translation of relics in 688 by Sergius I,[34]
- 10 November – main commemoration (death anniversary),[35]
- 12 November – commemoration by Eastern Orthodox Church,[33]
- 13 or 14 November – main commemoration (
Hymns
Troparion (Tone 3)
- You were the Church's instrument
- in strengthening the teaching of true doctrine;
- you shone forth from the West like a sun dispelling the errors of the heretics.
- Righteous Leo, entreat Christ God to grant us His great mercy.
Troparion (Tone 8)
- O Champion of Orthodoxy, and teacher of holiness,
- The enlightenment of the universe and the inspired glory of true believers.
- O most wise Father Leo, your teachings are as music of the Holy Spirit for us!
- Pray that Christ our God may save our souls!
Kontakion (Tone 3)
- Seated upon the throne of the priesthood, glorious Leo,
- you shut the mouths of the spiritual lions.
- With divinely inspired teachings of the honored Trinity,
- you shed the light of the knowledge of God up-on your flock.
- Therefore, you are glorified as a divine initiate of the grace of God.
See also
- Christology
- List of 10 longest-reigning popes
- List of Eastern Orthodox saints
- List of popes
References
- ^ "Святитель Лев I, папа Римский". azbyka.ru (in Russian). Retrieved 2021-04-10.
- ^ "Martyrologium Romanum - November". www.liturgialatina.org. Retrieved 2021-04-10.
- ISBN 978-0-8146-5616-7.
- ^ a b c Butler, Alban. "St. Leo the Great, Pope", Butler's Lives of the Saints, vol. IV, 1866
- ^ a b c d e Kirsch, Johann Peter (1910). Catholic Encyclopedia. Vol. 9. New York: Robert Appleton Company. . In Herbermann, Charles (ed.).
- ^ a b Lives of the Saints, John J. Crawley & Co., Inc.
- ^ Asimov, Isaac (1967) The Roman Empire, Houghton Mifflin: Boston, p. 236
- ISBN 9780199568987), p. 24
- ^ Bright, W (1911). "Dioscorus (1), patriarch of Alexandria". In Wace, Henry (ed.). Dictionary of Christian Biography (Christian Classics Ethereal Library, online ed.). London: John Murray. p. 266. Retrieved 2 August 2021.
We find him, [Dioscorus] ... in correspondence with pope Leo the Great, who gave directions, as from the see of St. Peter, to the new successor of St. Mark; writing, on June 21, 445, that "it would be shocking (nefas) to believe that St. Mark formed his rules for Alexandria otherwise than on the Petrine model" (Ep. 11)
This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain. - ^ Letter XIV, Leo to Anastasius, (Charles Lett Feltoe, tr.), Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, Second Series, Vol. 12. Edited by (Philip Schaff and Henry Wace, eds.) Buffalo, NY: Christian Literature Publishing Co., 1895
- ^ "Philip Schaff: NPNF2-14. The Seven Ecumenical Councils". Christian Classics Ethereal Library. Retrieved 2023-01-03.
- ^ "Extracts from the Acts: Session II (cont.)", The Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, 2nd series, Vol XIV edition by H.R. Percival. Medieval Sourcebook, Fordham University
- ^ "Acts of the Council, Session II (continued)". Archived from the original on 2013-11-04. Retrieved 2011-06-09.
- ISBN 978-0-631-23188-2.
- ^ "Extract from the Acts of the Council". Archived from the original on 2013-09-28. Retrieved 2008-10-10.
- ^ PL 54, 221, C 226
- ^ Sermons, 9, PL54, 227, CF, and 205 BC
- ^ ""Pope: Leo the Great Defended the Primacy of Rome", Zenit, March 5, 2008". Archived from the original on September 16, 2017. Retrieved September 16, 2017.
- ^ Medieval Sourcebook: Leo I and Attila
- OCLC 891001451.
- ^ Paul the Deacon, Historia Romana 14.12
- ^ J. B. Bury, History of the Later Roman Empire, Macmillan 1923, p. 295-6.
- ISBN 978-1-135-28408-4.
- ^ [1] Philip Schaff (1819–1893), ed., Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers. Series 2. Vol. 12. Leo the Great, Gregory the Great, Charles Lett Feltoe, trans. (Edinburgh: T and T Clark. Reprinted by Wm. B. Eerdmans, Grand Rapids, Michigan). Another translation is available at William Bright, trans. and comm., Select Sermons of S. Leo the Great on the Incarnation, with his 28th Epistle, Called the "Tome", 2nd ed., rev. and enl. (London: J. Masters, 1886), p.1, online at [2] and [3]
- ^ ISBN 978-0-7864-1527-4. Retrieved 5 March 2024.
- ^ a b Pope Benedict XVI, "Saint Leo the Great", General Audience, 5 March 2008, Libreria Editrice Vaticana
- ^ St. Leo the Great, pope and doctor of the church vaticannews.va
- ^ Calendarium Romanum (Libreria Editrice Vaticana), p. 107
- ^ "The Calendar". The Church of England. Retrieved 2021-03-27.
- ISBN 978-1-64065-235-4.
- ^ Breviarium Romanum, Pars Hiemalis (Editio XX iuxta typicam ed.). Ratisbonae: Pustet. 1950. p. 297.
- ^ Liturgia Horarum iuxta ritum Romanum: Editio typica altera: I: Tempus Adventus, tempus Nativitatis. Libreria Editrice Vaticana. 1985. p. 349.
- ^ a b "ЛЕВ I РИМСКИЙ - Древо". drevo-info.ru (in Russian). Retrieved 2023-04-01.
- ^ "LEONE I, santo in "Enciclopedia dei Papi"". www.treccani.it (in Italian). Retrieved 2023-04-01.
- ^ "LEONE I, santo in "Enciclopedia dei Papi"". www.treccani.it (in Italian). Retrieved 2023-04-01.
- ^ "Calendário Litúrgico — Diocese of Solsona (2020)". www.gcatholic.org. Retrieved 2023-04-01.
- ^ "Leo I. "der Große" - Ökumenisches Heiligenlexikon". www.heiligenlexikon.de (in German). Retrieved 2023-04-01.
Bibliography
- ISBN 978-0-88-141056-3.
- Louise Ropes Loomis, (2006) The Book of Popes (Liber Pontificalis). Merchantville, NJ: Evolution Publishing. ISBN 1-889758-86-8(Reprint of the 1916 edition. English translation with scholarly footnotes, and illustrations).
- John Given, (2014) The Fragmentary History of Priscus: Attila, the Huns and the Roman Empire. Merchantville, NJ: Evolution Publishing. ISBN 1-935228-14-5.
- Basil Studer: Art."Leo the Great", in: A. DiBerardino: "Patrology IV", Westminster ML 1994, pp. 589–612, ISBN 978-0870611278
- Alois Grillmeier: "Christ in Christian Tradition", vols. 1 and 2/1, Westminster ML 1988/1987 (2nd revised edition), ISBN 978-0664221607(Vol. 2, pt. 1).
- T. Jalland, The Life and Times of St. Leo the Great, London 1941.
- Hans Feichtinger: Die Gegenwart Christi in der Kirche bei Leo dem Großen, Frankfurt 2007, ISBN 978-3-631-56178-2.
- 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 synaxarion
- Opera Omnia by Migne Patrologia Latina with analytical indexes
- Hans Feichtinger: Die Gegenwart Christi in der Kirche bei Leo dem Großen, Frankfurt am Main u.a. 2007, ISBN 978-3-631-56178-2.
- Basil Studer: Art.Leo the Great, in A. DiBerardino: Patrology IV, Westminster ML 1994, S. 589–612.
- Alois Grillmeier: Jesus der Christus im Glauben der Kirche, Bd. 1 (Freiburg u.a. 1990), S. 734–750; Bd. 2/1 (Freiburg 1991), S. 131–200.
- Ekkart Sauser (1992). "Pope Leo I". In Bautz, Traugott (ed.). Biographisch-Bibliographisches Kirchenlexikon (BBKL) (in German). Vol. 4. Herzberg: Bautz. cols. 1425–1435. ISBN 3-88309-038-7.
- ISBN 3-7608-8905-0.
External links
- St Leo of Rome Orthodox Synaxarion (18 February)
- Colonnade Statue in St Peter's Square
- Works by or about Pope Leo I at Internet Archive
- Works by Pope Leo I at LibriVox (public domain audiobooks)
- Literature by and about Pope Leo I in the German National Library catalogue
- Works by and about Pope Leo I in the Deutsche Digitale Bibliothek (German Digital Library)
- "Leo I "the Great"" in the Ecumenical Lexicon of Saints
- Collected works by Migne Patrologia Latina (in Latin)