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'Pope Saint Gregory I' or 'Gregory the Great' (c.
540 –
March 12,
604) was
pope from
September 3,
590 until his death.
He is also known as 'Gregory Dialogus' (''the Dialogist'') in
Eastern Orthodoxy because of the ''
Dialogues'' he wrote. He was the first of the Popes from a monastic background. Gregory is a
Doctor of the Church and one of the four great Latin Fathers of the Church (the others being
Ambrose,
Augustine, and
Jerome). Of all popes, Gregory I had the most influence on the
early medieval church.
[1] He was one of the last Popes not to have changed his name on his accession for a long time.
Biography
Early life
The exact date of Gregory's birth is uncertain, but is usually estimated to be around the year
540. He was born into a wealthy noble Roman family, in a period, however, when the city of
Rome was facing a serious decline in population, wealth, and influence. His family seems to have been devout. Gregory's great-great grandfather had been Pope
Felix III. Gregory's father, Gordianus, worked for the
Roman Church and his father's three sisters were
nuns. Gregory's mother Silvia herself is a saint. While his father lived, Gregory took part in Roman political life and at one point was prefect of the city. However, on his father's death, he converted his family home, located on a hill just opposite the
Circus Maximus, into a monastery dedicated to the apostle, St. Andrew. Gregory himself entered as a monk.
Eventually, Pope
Pelagius II ordained him a deacon and solicited his help in trying to heal the schism of the
Three Chapters in
northern Italy. In
579, Pelagius chose Gregory as his ''apocrisiarius'' or ambassador to the imperial court in
Constantinople.
Confrontation with Eutychius
In Constantinople, Gregory gained attention by starting a
controversy with
Patriarch Eutychius of Constantinople, who had published a treatise on the corporeality of the imminent general
resurrection, in which bodies would be incorporeal, to which Gregory contrasted the corporeality of the risen
Christ. The heat of argument drew the emperor in as judge. Eutychius' treatise was condemned, and it suffered the normal fate of all heterodox texts, of being
publicly burnt. On his return to Rome Gregory acted as first secretary to Pelagius, and was elected Pope to succeed him.
Gregory as Pope
When he became Pope in
590, among his first acts were writing a series of letters disavowing any ambition to the throne of Peter and praising the contemplative life of the Black monks. At that time the
See had not exerted effective leadership in the West since the pontificate of
Gelasius. The episcopacy in
Gaul was drawn from the families of the great territorial families, and identified with them: the parochial horizon of Gregory's contemporary
Gregory of Tours may be considered typical; in
Visigothic Spain the
bishops had little contact with Rome; in
Italy the papacy was beset by the violent
Lombard dukes and the rivalry of the Jews in the
Exarchate of Ravenna and in the south. The scholarship and culture of
Celtic Christianity had developed utterly unconnected with Rome, and it was from
Ireland that
Britain and
Germany were likely to become
Christianized, or so it seemed.
Lombards
Gregory's action in appointing governors to cities, providing munitions of war, giving instructions to generals, sending ambassadors to the Lombard king, and even negotiating a peace without consulting the Emperor's legate,
Romanus, Exarch of Ravenna, mark the decisive acts that revealed the papacy as an independent temporal power. Gregory's childhood in the disasters of the
Gothic War, his secular ''
cursus honorum'', his sojourn in Constantinople, and doubtless his personal assessment of the Exarch, convinced him that no help from the East was to be expected in the confrontations with the
Lombards that began his pontificate. Within days of Gregory's consecration, the death of
Authari, King of the Lombards, spawned the familiar violence of a Lombard succession. Authari's Queen, the famous
Theodelinda, married
Agilulf, Lombard ''dux'' in
Turin, while the independent dukes
Ariulf of Spoleto and
Arechis I of Benevento, threatened papal and imperial territories in the south.
Gregory expressed the difficulty and danger of his position in some of the earliest letters (''Epistles'' I, iii, viii, xxx); but no actual hostilities began until the summer of
592, when a threatening letter from Ariulf of Spoleto was followed by the appearance of the Lombard before the walls of Rome. At the same time Arichis of Benevento advanced on
Naples, which happened at the moment to have neither bishop nor any officer of high rank in command of the
garrison. Gregory at once took the unprecedented step of appointing a
tribune on his own authority to take command of the city (''Epistles'' II, xxxiv), and of arranging a separate peace with the Lombards (''Epistles'' II, xlv)
Gregory's independent action had the effect of rousing Romanus the exarch, who gathered his troops, attacked and regained
Perugia, and then marched to Rome, where he was received with imperial honors. The next spring, however, he left the city and took its garrison with him. The exarch's campaign had roused Agilulf who marched on Rome, arriving there probably some time in June, 593. The terror of the moment is reflected in Gregory's
homilies on the
prophet Ezekiel, which were delivered at this time. The siege of the city was soon abandoned, however, and Agilulf retired; Gregory's confrontation with Agilulf on the steps of the
Basilica of Saint Peter outside the walls of Rome, a favored subject of history painters, was the invention of a chronicler, however. In a letter (V, xxxix) Gregory refers to himself as "the paymaster of the Lombards", and apparently silver was the chief inducement to raise the siege.
The Pope's urgent need now was to secure a lasting peace with the Lombards, which could only be achieved by a proper arrangement between the imperial authorities and the Lombard chiefs, with the Catholic Theodelinda as go-between. A year was passed in fruitless negotiations, when Gregory began once again to mediate a private treaty even without the consent of the Exarch Romanus. This threat was speedily reported to Constantinople and the
Emperor Maurice responded with a violent letter, now lost, received in June
595. Luckily, Gregory's scathing reply has been preserved (''Epistles'' V, xxxvi). Still, Gregory seems to have realized that independent action could not secure what he wished, and we hear no more about a separate peace.
Gregory's relations with the Exarch Romanus continued more and more strained until the latter's death in the year
596 or early in
597. The new exarch,
Callinicus, was a skilled
diplomat and official peace negotiations were pushed on; the peace agreement signed in
599, to Gregory's great joy, lasted only two years: in
601 the war broke out again through an aggressive act on the part of Callinicus, who was recalled two years later. His successor,
Smaragdus, again made a peace with the Lombards which endured until after Gregory's death.
Legacy
''Servus servorum Dei''
Pope Gregory I
In line with his predecessors such as Dionysius, Damasus, and Leo the Great, Gregory asserted the primacy of the office of the bishop of Rome. Although he did not employ the term "Pope", summed up the responsibilities of the papacy in his official appellation, as "servant of the servants of God". As
Benedict of Nursia had justified the absolute authority of the abbot over the souls in his charge, so Gregory expressed the
hieratic principle that he was responsible directly to
God for his
ministry.
Gregory's pontificate saw the development of the notion of private
penance as parallel to institution of public penance. He explicitly taught a doctrine of
Purgatory where a soul destined to undergo purification after death because of certain sins, could begin its purification in this earthly life, through
good works,
obedience and Christian conduct, making the travails to come lighter and shorter.
Gregory's relations with the Emperor in the East were a cautious diplomatic stand-off. He concentrated his energies in the West, where many of his letters are concerned with the management of papal estates. His relations with the Merovingian kings, encapsulated in his deferential correspondence with
Childebert II, laid the foundations for the papal alliance with the
Franks that would transform the Germanic kingship into an agency for the Christianization of the heart of Europe — consequences that remained in the future.
More immediately Gregory undertook the conversion of the
Anglo-Saxon kingdoms, where inaction might have encouraged the Celtic missionaries already active in the north of Britain. Sending
Augustine of Canterbury to convert the
Kingdom of Kent was prepared by the marriage of the king to a Merovingian princess who had brought her
chaplains with her. By the time of Gregory's death, the conversion of the king and the Kentish nobles and the establishment of a Christian toehold at
Canterbury were established.
Gregory's chief acts as Pope include his long letter issued in the matter of the
schism of the Three Chapters of the bishops of
Venetia and
Istria. He is also known in the East as a tireless worker for communication and understanding between East and West. He is also credited with increasing the power of the papacy.
According to the ''
Catholic Encyclopedia'', he was
declared a saint immediately after his death by "popular acclamation".
Liturgical reforms
In letters, Gregory remarks that he moved the ''Pater Noster'' (Our Father) to immediately after the
Roman Canon and immediately before the Fraction. This position is still maintained today in the Roman Liturgy. The pre-Gregorian position is evident in the Ambrosian Rite. Gregory added material to the ''Hanc Igitur'' of the Roman Canon and established the nine ''Kyrie'' at the beginning of
Mass. He also reduced the role of deacons in the Roman Liturgy.
Sacramentaries directly influenced by Gregorian reforms are referred to as Sacrementaria Gregoriana. With the appearance of these sacramentaries, the Western liturgy begins to show a characteristic that distinguishes it from Eastern liturgical traditions. In contrast to the invariable Eastern liturgical texts, Roman and other Western liturgies since this era have prayers that change to reflect the feast or liturgical season; These variations are visible in the collects and prefaces as well as in the Roman Canon itself.
A system of writing down reminders of chant melodies was probably devised by monks around 800 to aid in unifying the church service throughout the Frankish empire. Charlemagne brought cantors from the Papal chapel in Rome to instruct his clerics in the “authentic” liturgy. A program of propaganda spread the idea that the chant used in Rome came directly from Gregory the Great, who had died two centuries earlier and was universally venerated. Pictures were made to depict the dove of the Holy Spirit perched on Gregory's shoulder, singing God's authentic form of chant into his ear. This gave rise to calling the music "
Gregorian chant". A more accurate term is
plainsong or plainchant.
Feast Day
The liturgical calendar of
Roman Catholic Church, revised in 1969, celebrates September 3rd as the memorial of St. Gregory the Great. The previous calendar, and one still used when the traditional liturgy is celebrated, celebrates March 12. The reason for the transfer to the date of his episcopal consecration rather than his death was to transfer the celebration outside of
Lent. The Eastern Catholic Church and Orthodox Church continue to commeorate St. Gregory on March 12th. Gregory is also honored outside the Catholic Church, including commemoration by the
Evangelical Lutheran Church in America on March 12.
Works
Gregory is the only Pope between the
fifth and the
eleventh centuries whose correspondence and writings have survived enough to form a comprehensive ''corpus''. "His character strikes us as an ambiguous and enigmatic one,"
Norman F. Cantor observed (Cantor, 1993, p. 157). "On the one hand he was an able and determined administrator, a skilled and clever diplomat, a leader of the greatest sophistication and vision; but on the other hand, he appears in his writings as a superstitious and credulous
monk, hostile to learning, crudely limited as a
theologian, and excessively devoted to saints,
miracles, and
relics".
★ Sermons (forty on the
Gospels are recognized as authentic, twenty-two on
Ezekiel, two on the ''
Song of Songs'')
★ ''Dialogues'', a collection of often fanciful narratives including a popular life of
Saint Benedict
★ ''
Commentary on Job'', frequently known even in English-language histories by its Latin title, ''
Magna Moralia''
★ ''
The Rule for Pastors'', in which he contrasted the role of bishops as pastors of their flock with their position as nobles of the church: the definitive statement of the nature of the episcopal office
★ Some 850 letters have survived from his Papal ''Register'' of letters. This collection serves as an invaluable
primary source for these years.
★ In the
Eastern Orthodox Church, Gregory is credited with devising the
Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts. It is celebrated on certain nights during
Great Lent in the Eastern Orthodox Church.
Mary Magdalene as prostitute
In a sermon whose text is given in
Patrologia Latina, 76:1238‑1246, Gregory stated that he believed "that the woman Luke called a sinner and John called Mary was the Mary out of whom Mark declared that seven demons were cast" ("Hanc vero quam Lucas peccatricem mulierem, Joannes Mariam nominat, illam else Mariam credimus de qua Marcus septem damonia ejecta fuisse testatur"), thus identifying the sinner of , the Mary of and ( (the sister of Lazarus and Martha of Bethany), and the Mary Magdalene of from whom Jesus had cast out seven demons.
While most Western writers shared this view, it was seen not a Church teaching, but as an opinion the pros and cons of which were discussed (see, for instance, the 1910 article on St. Mary Magdalen in
Catholic Encyclopedia). So there is no foundation for the statement, "The Church denied that she (Mary Magdalene) was a prostitute in 1969", that has in fact been made.
Iconography
In art Gregory is usually shown in full pontifical robes with the tiara and double cross, despite his actual habit of dress. Earlier depictions are more likely to show a monastic tonsure and plainer dress. It is recorded that he permitted his depiction with a square
halo, then used for the living.
[2] A dove is his
attribute, from the well-known story recorded by his friend
Peter the Deacon (Vita, xxviii), who tells that when the pope was dictating his homilies on
Ezechiel a curtain was drawn between his secretary and himself. As, however, the pope remained silent for long periods at a time, the servant made a hole in the curtain and, looking through, beheld a dove seated upon Gregory's head with its beak between his lips. When the dove withdrew its beak the pope spoke and the secretary took down his words; but when he became silent the servant again applied his eye to the hole and saw the dove had replaced its beak between his lips.
[3]
This scene is shown as a version of the traditional
Evangelist portrait (where the Evangelists' symbols are also sometimes shown dictating) from the tenth century onwards.
[4]
Usually the dove is shown whispering in Gregory's ear for a clearer composition. The example (''above right'') is from the studio of
Carlo Saraceni or by a close follower, ca 1610. From the Giustiniani collection, the painting is conserved in the Galleria Nazionale d'Arte Antica, Rome
[2].
Alms
Gregory was famous for his charity works. He had a hospital built next to his house on the
Caelian Hill to host poor people for dinner, at his expense. He also built a monastery and several oratories on the site. Today, the namesake church of
San Gregorio al Celio (largely rebuilt from the original edifices during the 17th-18th centuries) remembers his work. One of the three oratories annexed, the oratory of St. Silvia, is said to lie over the tomb of Gregory's mother.
A traditional procession is held on the feast of Saint Gregory, the first Wednesday after
Easter in
Żejtun Malta.
Famous quotes
★ ''Non Angli, sed Angeli.''("They are not
Angles, but
Angels.") said by Gregory when he first encountered blue-eyed, blond-haired English boys at a slave market, sparking his dispatching of
St. Augustine to England to convert the English, according to
Bede.
★ Gregory himself wanted to go to England as a missionary. However, one day while praying about this and reading Sacred Scripture a locust landed upon his text. He shouted out ''locusta'', Latin for locust, but reflecting on it he saw it as a sign from Heaven since the similar sounding ''loco sta'' means "stay in place (i.e. in Rome)."
★ ''Pro cuius amore in eius eloquio nec mihi parco'' (''For the love of it'' (referring back to ''uerbi'' = the Word = the Gospel, cf. Cod. Sang. 211 p. 193 col. 1, line 5), ''I do not spare myself from communicating it.'' (i.e. the Word = the Gospel), 'Homilies on Ezekiel', Bk 1.11.6 (cf. Cod. Sang. 211 p. 193 col. 2, lines 1-3).
References
1. Pope St. Gregory I http://historymedren.about.com/library/who/blwwgreg1.htm
2. http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/11080b.htm
3. Catholic Encyclopedia article - see links
4. An early example is the dedication miniature from the a eleventh century manuscript of St. Gregory's Moralia in Job (Bamberg, Staatsbibliothek, MS Msc. Bibl. 84). The miniature shows the scribe, Bebo of Seeon Abbey, presenting the manuscript to the Holy Roman Emperor, Henry II. In the upper left the author is seen writing the text under divine inspiration.[1]
Bibliography
The early ''vita'' of Gregory was written by
John the Deacon.
★ Norman F. Cantor. ''The Civilization of the Middles Ages'' New York: Harper, 1993.
★ Cavadini, John, ed., ''Gregory the Great: A Symposium''. Notre Dame: University of Notre Dame Press, 1995.
★ Dudden, Frederick H., ''Gregory the Great''. Longmans, Green, and Co., London, 1905.
★ Markus, R.A.. ''Gregory the Great and His World''. Cambridge: University Press, 1997. ISBN 0-521-58608-9
★ Leyser, Conrad. ''Authority and Asceticism from Augustine to Gregory the Great''. Clarendon Press, Oxford: 2000.
★ Richards, Jeffrey, ''Consul of God''. Routelege & Keatland Paul, London: 1980.
★ Straw, Carole E., ''Gregory the Great: Perfection in Imperfection''. University of California Press, Berkeley: 1988
External links
★
Article about Saint Pope Gregory I and select bibliography on the website of the Monastery of Christ in the Desert
★
''Catholic Encyclopedia'': Saint Pope Gregory I (contributed by C. Roger Hudleston)
★
"Pope Gregory the Great and the 'Universal Bishop' Controversy"
★
Gregory the Great, 'Homiliae in Ezechielem I-XXII' (online photographic images of St Gregory's 'Homilies on Ezekiel' in
Codex 211 of the Stiftsbibliothek of St Gallen ('Cod. Sang. 211') which is a copy made about 850-872)
★
St. Benedict's Abbey - Benedictine Brothers and Fathers in America's Heartland
★
The Holy Rule of St. Benedict - Online translation by Rev. Boniface Verheyen, OSB, of St. Benedict's Abbey
★
Benedictine College - Dynamically Catholic, Benedictine, Liberal Arts, and Residential
★
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