Difference between revisions of "Pope Hilarius" - New World Encyclopedia

Hilarius
Hilarius
Birth name	Hilarius or Hilarus
Papacy began	November 17 (?), 461
Papacy ended	February 28 (?), 468
Predecessor	Leo I
Successor	Simplicius
Born	???; Sardinia, Italy
Died	February 28 (?), 468; Rome, Italy

Revision as of 15:55, 7 April 2008

Styles of Pope Hilarius

Reference style	His Holiness
Spoken style	Your Holiness
Religious style	Holy Father
Posthumous style	Saint

Pope Saint Hilarius (also Hilarus, Hilary) was the bishop of Rome from 461 to February 28, 468). Earlier he was Pope Leo I's envoy to the synod of Ephesus in 449, known as the "robber synod." There, he opposed the deposition of Patriarch Flavian of Constantinople and wrote in condemnation of Eutychianism, a heresy which taught that Christ's divinity overshadowed his human aspect. Hilarius then fled from Ephesus to Rome. He was elected bishop of Rome probably November 17, 461, and was consecrated November 19.

As pope, he promoted the authority of Rome both within in Christian church and vis a vis the imperial power in Constantinople. He left several letters dealing with church administrative matters and discipline, and was responsible for a major change in the liturgy of the mass. In 465, he presided over the oldest Roman synod whose records are still extant. Hilarius died on February 28, 468. Honored as a saint in the western church, his feast day is celebrated on 17 November or 28 February.

research, do not publish=

Dictionary of Christian Biography and Literature to the End of the Sixth Century C.E., with an Account of the Principal Sects and Heresies. http://www.ccel.org/ccel/wace/biodict.html?term=Hilarius,%20bp.%20of%20Rome

Early career

Hilarius was a native of Sardinia and served as archdeacon of Rome. When still a deacon, he was sent as a legates of pope Leo I to the synod at Ephesus in 449, which had been called as an ecumenical council under Patriarch Dioscorus of Alexandria. Patriarch Flavian of Constantinople, had earlier presided over synod which condemned the Alexandrian monk Euthyches on charges of Monophysitism. Leo I intended that his dogmatic letter supporting Flavian should be read at the council and accepted by it as a rule of faith. Dioscorus, however, did not to have it read. Instead, a letter of the Emperor Theodosius II was proclaimed. Eutyches then was introduced, and declared that he held the Nicene Creed, to which nothing could be added. He claimed that he had been condemned by Flavian for a mere slip of the tongue. However, his affirmation that Christ held “two natures before, one after the incarnation,” confirmed to many that he was indeed a heretic who denied Christ's humanity.

Dioscorus, however, supported Eutyches. He and the majority of the delegates anathematized Flavian and declared him to be deposed. The preserved proceedings of the council indicate that Hilarius, in his pope's name, protested the deposition of the Flavian. Reportedly, Flavian was physically attacked by his opponents so violently that he died three days later in his place of exile. Eutyches was exonerated of the charges of heresy, and Anatolius, a partisan of Dioscurus, was appointed to succeed him as patriarch of Constantinople. Fearing for his own life, Hilarius escaped and traveled by back rounds from Ephesus to Rome. The Second Council of Ephesus was immediately repudiated in the west and later in the east as well. It came to be called the Robber Synod by its critics.

In a letter to the Empress Pulcheria, collected among the letters of Leo I, Hilarus apologizes for not delivering to her a letter of Leo I after the synod, explaining that he had been hindered by Dioscurus. In Rome, he was made archdeacon and became pope on November 19 461, succeeding Leo I, who had died nine days earlier.

Hillarius's papacy

As Pope, Hilarius successfully asserted the authority of the papacy over the churches of Gaul and Spain and made significant reforms tot he Roman liturgy. He continued the policy of his predecessor Leo, who in his contest with another Hilary, bishop of Arles for supremacy in Gaul, had obtained from Emperor Valentinian III a famous rescript (445) confirming the supremacy of the bishop of Rome. Hilarius strengthened papal control of local episcopal discipline. Hilarius objected to the appointment of a certain Hermes, a former archdeacon, bishop of Narbonne, in today's France, without the express sanction of Pope Leo. Hilarius convoked a synod in 462, which confirmed Hermes as titular bishop, thus establishing a precedent in canon law in favor of papal veto over the nomination of bishops. Hilarius also issued and encyclical instructing that although a synod was to be convened yearly by the Bishop of Arles, all important matters were to be submitted to the Apostolic See in Rome. Moreover, Hilarius dictated that no bishop could leave his diocese without a written permission from his metropolitan, with a right of appeal to the Bishop of Arles. Church property, he decided, could not be sold to other owners until a synod had examined the cause of sale. Hilarius also ruled that the Gallican bishops could decide for themselves regarding the disposition of certain parishes claimed by the bishop of Arles as belonging to his jurisdiction,

Shortly after this the pope found himself involved in another diocesan quarrel. In 463 Mamertus of Vienne had consecrated a Bishop of Die, although this Church, by a decree of Leo I, belonged to the metropolitan Diocese of Arles. When Hilarus heard of it he deputed Leontius of Arles to summon a great synod of the bishops of several provinces to investigate the matter. The synod took place and, on the strength of the report given him by Bishop Antonius, he issued an edict dated 25 February, 464, in which Bishop Veranus was commissioned to warn Mamertus that, if in the future he did not refrain from irregular ordinations, his faculties would be withdrawn. Consequently the consecration of the Bishop of Die must be sanctioned by Leontius of Arles. Thus the primatial privileges of the See of Arles were upheld as Leo I had defined them. At the same time the bishops were admonished not to overstep their boundaries, and to assemble in a yearly synod presided over by the Bishop of Arles. The metropolitan rights of the See of Embrun also over the dioceses of the Maritime Alps were protected against the encroachments of a certain Bishop Auxanius, particularly in connection with the two Churches of Nice and Cimiez.

He gave decisions to the churches of Hispania, which tended to operate outside the papal orbit in the 5th century. Silvanus, Bishop of Calahorra, had violated the church laws by his episcopal ordinations, and the pope was asked for his decision. Before an answer came to their petition, the same bishops had recourse to the Holy See for an entirely different matter. Before his death Nundinarius, Bishop of Barcelona, expressed a wish that Irenaeus might be chosen his successor, and he had himself made Irenaeus bishop of another see. The request was granted, a Synod of Tarragona confirming the nomination of Irenaeus, after which the bishops sought the pope's approval. The Roman synod of 19 November 465, held in the basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore, which settled the matters, is the oldest Roman synod whose original records have survived.

In Rome Hilarus worked zealously to counter the new emperor's edict of toleration for schismatic sects (467), inspired, according to a letter of Pope Gelasius I by a favourite of Emperor Anthemius named Philotheus, who espoused the Macedonian heresy. On one of the emperor's visits to St Peter's, the pope openly called him to account for his favourite's conduct, exhorting him by the grave of St Peter to promise that he would allow no schismatical assemblies in Rome.

His most important legacy, however, was the institution, in 467, of the new extremus mass, a complete revamping of catholic liturgy meant to modernize the church rituals, considered too obscure for the new generation of converts and schismatics. His adoption of stand up comedy as a means of homily was considered revolutionary, a "masterstroke of papal wit" according to Aquinas. For this, Pope Hilarius came to be known as the funniest of all popes. From his name, Americans get the English word hilarious and its sister, hilarity. Later authors would describe his humor as a "beacon of light during an otherwise dark time," and attribute to the papal skits the conversion of many barbarians and heretics. His "men do this; women do that" joke has been passed down from comedian to comedian all the way to the present day (he was thanked in the credits of Last Comic Standing). He is also the source of the famous joke that ends in "... when I woke up, my pillow was gone!" ^{[citation needed]}

Pope Saint Hilarius

Pope
Venerated in	Roman Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodox Church, Eastern Catholic Churches, Oriental Orthodox Church
Feast	17 November or 28 February

Hilarus erected several churches and other buildings in Rome, for which Liber Pontificalis the main source for information about Hilarius praises him: two oratories in the baptistery of the Lateran, one in honour of St. John the Baptist, the other of St. John the Apostle, to whom he attributed his safe escape from the Council of Ephesus, are due to him, thus satisfying the question to which Saints John the Lateran had been dedicated. He also erected a chapel of the Holy Cross in the baptistery, convents, two public baths, and libraries near the Basilica of St. Lawrence outside the Walls, in which church he was buried. His feast day is celebrated on 17 November or 28 February.

External links

Catholic Encyclopedia: Pope Saint Hilarius
Henry Wace, Biographical Dictionary
Opera Omnia by Migne Patrologia Latina with analytical indexes

Roman Catholic Popes
Preceded by: Leo I (the Great)	Bishop of Rome 461–468	Succeeded by: Simplicius

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@@ Line 18: / Line 18: @@
 relstyle=Holy Father|
 deathstyle=[[Saint]]|}}
+'''Pope Saint Hilarius''' (also '''Hilarus''', '''Hilary''') was the [[bishop of Rome]] from 461 to February 28, 468). Earlier he was [[Pope Leo I]]'s envoy to the synod of Ephesus in 449, known as the "robber synod."  There, he opposed the deposition of Patriarch [[Flavian of Constantinople]] and wrote in condemnation of [[Eutychianism]], a heresy which taught that Christ's divinity overshadowed his human aspect. Hilarius then fled from Ephesus to Rome. He was elected [[bishop of Rome]] probably November 17, 461, and was consecrated November 19.
-'''Pope Saint Hilarius''' (also '''Hilarus''', '''Hilary''') was [[Pope]] of the [[Roman Catholic Church]] from 461 to February 28, 468). He was [[Canonization|canonized]] as a saint after his death. Before becoming pope, he was [[Pope Leo I]]'s envoy to the synod of Ephesus in 449, known as the "robber synod."  There, he opposed the deposition of Patriarch [[Flavian of Constantinople]] and wrote in condemnation of [[Eutychianism]], a heresy which taught that Christ's divinity overshadowed his human aspect. He then fled from Ephesus to Rome. Hilarius was elected [[bishop of Rome]] probably November 17, 461, and was consecrated November 19. As pope, he promoted the authority of Rome both within in Christian church and vis a vis the imperial power in Constantinople. He left several letters dealing with church administrative matters and discipline, and was responsible for a major change in the liturgy of the [[mass]]. In 465, he presided over the oldest Roman synod whose records are still extant. Hilarius died on February 28, 468. Honored as a saint in the western church, his feast day is celebrated on 17 November or 28 February.
+As pope, he promoted the authority of Rome both within in Christian church and vis a vis the imperial power in Constantinople. He left several letters dealing with church administrative matters and discipline, and was responsible for a major change in the liturgy of the [[mass]]. In 465, he presided over the oldest Roman synod whose records are still extant. Hilarius died on February 28, 468. Honored as a saint in the western church, his feast day is celebrated on 17 November or 28 February.
 ==research, do not publish===
@@ Line 25: / Line 26: @@
 http://www.ccel.org/ccel/wace/biodict.html?term=Hilarius,%20bp.%20of%20Rome
+==Early career==
+Hilarius  was a native of Sardinia and served as archdeacon of Rome. When still a deacon, he was sent as a  legates of pope Leo I to the synod at [[Ephesus]] in 449, which had been called as an [[ecumenical council]] under  [[Pope Dioscorus of Alexandria|Patriarch Dioscorus of Alexandria]].  Patriarch Flavian of Constantinople, had earlier presided over synod which condemned the Alexandrian monk [[Euthyches]] on charges of [[Monophysitism]]. Leo I intended that his dogmatic letter supporting Flavian should be read at the council and accepted by it as a rule of faith. Dioscorus, however, did not to have it read. Instead, a letter of the Emperor [[Theodosius II]] was proclaimed. Eutyches then was introduced, and declared that he held the [[Nicene Creed]], to which nothing could be added. He claimed that he had been condemned by Flavian for a mere slip of the tongue. However, his affirmation that Christ held “two natures before, one after the incarnation,” confirmed to many that he was indeed a heretic who denied Christ's humanity.
-His predecessor Leo, during his struggle with St. Hilary of Arles for supremacy in Gaul, had obtained from Valentinian III. a famous rescript (445) confirming such supremacy to the fullest extent both in Gaul and elsewhere [LEO]; and to such extent it was accordingly claimed by Hilarius. Soon after his accession he wrote (Jan. 25, 462) to Leontius, bp. of Arles and exarch of the provinces of Narbonensian Gaul, announcing the event and referring to the deference due to the Roman see. In the same year he wrote a second letter to Leontius, who had deferentially congratulated the pope on his accession, and had begged him to continue the favour shewn to the see of Arles against opponents of its jurisdiction. The pope, in his reply, commends his correspondent's deference to St. Peter and desires that the discipline of the Roman church should prevail in all churches. Rusticus, metropolitan of Narbonne, had nominated his archdeacon Hermes as his successor, but had failed to obtain Leo's approval. On the death of Rusticus, Hermes had been accepted by the clergy and people of Narbonne as their metropolitan bishop. On this, Frederic, king of the West Goths, an Arian, wrote to acquaint the pope with the "wicked usurpation" and "execrable presumption" of Hermes. Accordingly Hilarius wrote a third letter to Leontius, in which he adopts the language of Frederic, and requires Leontius to send to Rome a statement of the affair, signed by himself and other bishops (Hil. Ep. vii. Labbe). The matter was now brought before a synod at Rome (462), and Hermes was declared degraded from the rank of metropolitan, but allowed to retain his see. Hilarius notified this decision in a letter dated Dec. 3, 462, to the bishops of the provinces of Vienne, Lyons, Narbonensis prima and secunda, and the Pennine Alps, which letter also contained regulations for the discipline of the church in Gaul (Hil. Ep. viii. Labbe). In 463 Hilarius again interposed in the affairs of the church in Gaul; and on this occasion not only Leontius of Arles but also Mamertus, metropolitan of Vienne, fell under his displeasure. The city Diae Vocontiorum (Die in Dauphine) had been assigned by pope Leo to the jurisdiction of Arles; but Mamertus had, notwithstanding, ordained a bp. of that see. Hilarius, again deriving his information from an Arian prince, Gundriac the Burgundian king, wrote a severe letter to Leontius, censuring him for not having apprized the holy see, and charging him to investigate the matter in a synod and then send to Rome a synodal letter giving a true account of it. Mamertus seems to have continued to assert his claim to jurisdiction in spite of the pope; for in Feb. 464 we find two more letters from Hilarius, a general one to the Gallican bishops, and another to various bishops addressed by name, in the former of which he accuses Mamertus of presumption and prevarication, threatens to deprive him of his metropolitan rank and disallows the bishops whom he had ordained till confirmed by Leontius. The second letter is noteworthy in that the pope rests his claim to supremacy over Gaul on imperial as well as ecclesiastical law; alluding probably to the rescript of Valentinian III. "He [i.e. Mamertus] could not abrogate any portion of the right appointed to our brother Leontius by my predecessor of holy memory; since it has been decreed by the law of Christian princes that whatsoever the prelate of the apostolic see may, on his own judgment, have pronounced to churches and their rulers . . . is to be tenaciously observed; nor can those things ever be upset which shall be supported by both ecclesiastical and royal injunction" (Hil. Epp. ix. x. xi. Labbe). Baronius finds it needful to account for St. Leo and St. Hilarius having so bitterly inveighed against St. Hilary and St. Mamertus by saying that popes may be deceived on matters of fact, and, under the prepossession of false accusations, persecute the innocent (Baron. ad ann. 464).
+Dioscorus, however, supported Eutyches. He and the majority of the delegates [[anathema|anathematized]] Flavian and declared him to be deposed. The preserved proceedings of the council indicate that Hilarius, in his pope's name, protested the deposition of the Flavian. Reportedly, Flavian was physically attacked by his opponents so violently that he died three days later in his place of exile. Eutyches was exonerated of the charges of heresy, and Anatolius, a partisan of Dioscurus, was appointed to succeed him as patriarch of Constantinople. Fearing for his own life, Hilarius escaped and traveled by back rounds from Ephesus to Rome. The [[Second Council of Ephesus]] was immediately repudiated in the west and later in the east as well. It came to be called the [[Robber Synod]] by its critics.
-In 465 Hilary exercised over the Spanish church the authority already brought to bear on that of Gaul, but this time on appeal. Two questions came before him. First, Silvanus, bp. of Calchorra, had been guilty of offences against the canons; and his metropolitan, Ascanius of Tarragona, had in 464 sent a synodal letter on the subject to the pope, requesting directions (Inter Hilar. Epp., Ep. ii. Labbe). Secondly, Nundinarius, bp. of Barcelona, had nominated his successor, and after his death the nomination was confirmed by the metropolitan Ascanius and his suffragans. But they wrote to the pope desiring his concurrence and acknowledging the primacy of St. Peter's see. Both these letters were considered in a synod at Rome. On the second case it was decided that Irenaeus, the nominated bishop, should quit the see of Barcelona and return to his former one, while the Spanish bishops were ordered to condone the uncanonical acts of Silvanus (Hil. Epp. i. ii. iii. and Concil. Rom. xlviii. Labbe).
-In 467 the new emperor Anthemius was induced by one Philotheus a Macedonian heretic whom he had brought with him, to issue a general edict of toleration for heretics. This was, however, revoked before coming into effect, and pope Gelasius (Ep. ad Episc. Dardan.) says that this was due to Hilarius having in the church of St. Peter remonstrated with the emperor and induced him to promise on oath that he would allow no schismatical assemblies in Rome. In the same year Hilarius died. He appears in the Roman Calendar as a saint and confessor. In remembrance of his deliverance at Ephesus from the trials that procured him the title of confessor, he built, after he became pope, in the baptistery of Constantine near the Lateran, two chapels dedicated to St. John Baptist and St. John the Evangelist, to the latter of whom he attributed his deliverance. The chapel to the Evangelist bore the inscription, "Liberatori suo Johanni Evangelistae, Hilarus famulus Christi" (Bolland. citing Caesar Rasponus).
-The extant writings of Hilarius are his letters referred to above. Anastasius Bibliothecarius mentions his decreta sent to various parts, confirming the synods of Nice, Ephesus, and Chalcedon, condemning Eutyches, Nestorius, and all heretics, and confirming the domination and primacy of the holy Catholic and apostolic see (Concil. Rom. u.s.; Thiel. Epp. Pontiff. Rom. i.).
-==Early career==
-Hilarius  was a native of Sardinia and served as archdeacon of Rome. When still a deacon, he was sent as a  legates of pope Leo I to the synod at Ephesus in 449, which had been called to deal with the teachings of Eutychus, who held that Christs divinity subsumed his human nature. The preserved proceedings of the council indicate that he protested the deposition of the Archbishop Flavian of Constantinople, who had refused to accept Eutyches. Reported, Flavian was physically attacked  by his opponents so violently that he soon died. Fearing for his life, Hilarius escaped and traveled by back rounds from  Ephesus to Rome.
-In a letter to the Empress Pulcheria, collected among the letters of Leo I, Hilarus apologizes for not delivering to her the pope's letter after the synod, explaining that he had been hindered by Bishop Dioscurus of Alexandria, a primary supporter of Eutyches. In Rome, he was made archdeacon and became pope on November 19 461, succeeding Leo I, who had died nine days earlier.
+In a letter to the Empress Pulcheria, collected among the letters of Leo I, Hilarus apologizes for not delivering to her a letter of Leo I after the synod, explaining that he had been hindered by Dioscurus. In Rome, he was made archdeacon and became pope on November 19 461, succeeding Leo I, who had died nine days earlier.
 ==Hillarius's papacy==