Difference between revisions of "Celestine I" - New World Encyclopedia
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| − | + | '''Pope Saint Celestine I''' was [[pope]] from 422 to April 6, 432. He was a [[Ancient Rome|Roman]] and is supposed to have been a near relative of the [[Roman Emperor]] [[Valentinian III]]. Nothing is known of his early history except that his father's name was Priscus. He is said to have lived for a time at [[Milan, Italy|Milan]] with St. [[Ambrose]]. The first notice, however, concerning him that is known is in a document of [[Pope Innocent I]], in the year 416, where he is spoken of as Celestine the Deacon. | |
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| − | '''Pope Saint Celestine I''' was [[pope]] from 422 to April 6, 432. | ||
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| − | He was a [[Ancient Rome|Roman]] and is supposed to have been a near relative of the [[Roman Emperor]] [[Valentinian III]]. Nothing is known of his early history except that his father's name was Priscus. He is said to have lived for a time at [[Milan, Italy|Milan]] with St. [[Ambrose]]. The first notice, however, concerning him that is known is in a document of [[Pope Innocent I]], in the year 416, where he is spoken of as Celestine the Deacon. | ||
Various portions of the [[liturgy]] are attributed to him, but without any certainty on the subject. Though he did not attend personally, he sent delegates to the [[Council of Ephesus]] in which the [[Nestorians]] were condemned, in 431. Four letters written by him on that occasion, all dated March 15, 431, together with a few others, to the [[Africa]]n bishops, to those of [[Illyria]], of [[Thessalonica]], and of [[Narbonne]], are extant in retranslations from the [[Greek language|Greek]], the [[Latin]] originals having been lost. | Various portions of the [[liturgy]] are attributed to him, but without any certainty on the subject. Though he did not attend personally, he sent delegates to the [[Council of Ephesus]] in which the [[Nestorians]] were condemned, in 431. Four letters written by him on that occasion, all dated March 15, 431, together with a few others, to the [[Africa]]n bishops, to those of [[Illyria]], of [[Thessalonica]], and of [[Narbonne]], are extant in retranslations from the [[Greek language|Greek]], the [[Latin]] originals having been lost. | ||
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In art, Saint Celestine is a pope with a dove, dragon, and flame. | In art, Saint Celestine is a pope with a dove, dragon, and flame. | ||
| + | ==Biography== | ||
| + | Little is known of Celestine's early history except that he was a Roman and that his father's name was Priscus. He is said to have lived for a time at Milan with [[Saint Ambrose]]. In a document of Pope [[Innocent I]] date 416, Celestine is referred to as "the Deacon." In 418 Saint Augustine wrote to him (Epist., 192) in very reverential language, calling him "My Venerable Lord and Highly Esteemed and Holy Brother." | ||
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| + | Celestine succeeded Boniface I as pope September 10, 422 (some reckonings make it November 3). Boniface's own election had been a contested one, which had thrown the city into tumult when the archdeacon Eulalius had been ordained by the lower clergy prior to Boniface's election and the emperor initially recognized the "anti-pope." It is not known whether Celestine's own position as deacon may have been a factor in his acceptability, but he was elected without any opposition, and even Eulalius and his many ardent supporters did not attempt to reassert themselves. | ||
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| + | Shortly after his elevation, Austine again wrote to Celestine, this time asking for his help in dealing with Bishop Antony of Fessula in Africa, whom Augustine admits to unwisely recommending to the people of that town and was later found to be tempted by greed. "I am so racked with anxiety and grief," Augustine wrote of the matter, "that I think of retiring from the responsibilities of the episcopal office, and abandoning myself to demonstrations of sorrow corresponding to the greatness of my error." A strong friendship seems to have existed between Celestine and Augustine. After the death of the Augustine in 430, Celestine wrote a long letter to the bishops of Gaul on the sanctity, learning, and zeal of the great African bishop who had so forcefully led the intellectual assault against the teachings of Pelagius and his followers. Celestine forbade all attacks upon Augustine's memory on the part of the [[Semipelagianism|Semipelagians]], who under the leadership of the famous ascetic, [[John Cassian]], were then beginning to gain influence. | ||
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| + | The theological climate of Celestine's papacy was a stormy one. The [[Manichæans]], [[Donatists]], [[Noviatianists]], and [[Pelagians]] were all accused of "troubling the peace of the Church." Meanwhile, the while "barbarian" forces, many of whom were [[Arianism|Arian Christians]], were beginning make inroads into the heart of the empire. Celestine's firm but gentle character was a major asset in his ability to guide the papacy through these troubled waters. He received important aid in his struggle against the Manichæans from the young Emperor [[Valentinian III]]'s mother Placidia, who—in the name of her youthful son—banished the Manichæans and other heretics from Rome. Celestine also moved forcefully against the Pelagians, banishing Coelestius, the companion and chief disciple of Pelagius, from Italy. He supported the further condemnation of the sect at the [[Council of Ephesus]], while through his instrumentality St. Germanus of Auxerre and St. Lupus of Troyes, who had been sent to Britain in 429, the native land of Pelagius, by the Gallic bishops, succeeded in extirpating the error from its native soil. | ||
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| + | A firm upholder of the ancient canons, we find Celestine writing to the bishops of Illyria, bidding them observe the canons and their old allegiance to the Bishop of Thessalonica, the papal vicar, without whom they are not to consecrate any bishop or hold any council. He also writes to the Bishops of Vienne and Narbonne, whom he warns to keep the ancient canons, and, in accordance with the warning of his predecessor, to resist the pretensions of the See of Arles. Moreover they must not refuse to admit to penance those who desire it at the moment of death; bishops, too, must not dress as monks, and severe action is to be taken against a certain Daniel, a monk from the Orient who had been the cause of serious disorders in the Church of Gaul. To the Bishops of Apulia and Calabria he writes that the clergy must not remain ignorant of the canons, neither are the laity to be advanced to the episcopate over the heads of the clergy, nor is the popular will, no matter how strong, to be humoured in this matter — populus docendus non sequendus. Moreover he threatens severe penalties for future transgressors. In upholding the rights of the Roman Church to hear and decide appeals from all quarters, he came for a time into conflict with the great Church of Africa (see Apiarius). The African bishops, however, through manifesting some warmth, never called into question the Divine supremacy of the Holy See, their very language and actions expressed its fullest recognition; their complaints were directed rather against the sometimes indiscreet use of the papal prerogative. The last years of the pontificate of Celestine were taken up with the struggle in the East over the heresy of Nestorius (see Nestorius; Cyril of Alexandria; Ephesus, Council of). Nestorius who had become Bishop of Constantinople in 428 at first gave great satisfaction, as we learn from a letter addressed to him by Celestine. He soon aroused suspicions of his orthodoxy by receiving kindly the Pelagians banished from Rome by the pope, and shortly after, rumours of his heretical teaching concerning the twofold personality of Christ reaching Rome, Celestine commissioned Cyril, Bishop of Alexandria, to investigate and make a report. Cyril having found Nestorius openly professing his heresy sent a full account to Celestine, who in a Roman synod (430), having solemnly condemned the errors of Nestorius, now ordered Cyril in his name to proceed against Nestorius, who was to be excommunicated and deposed unless within ten days he should have made in writing a solemn retractation of his errors. In letters written the same day to Nestorius, to the clergy and people of Constantinople, and to John of Antioch, Juvenal of Jerusalem, Rufus of Thessalonica, and Flavian of Philippi, Celestine announces the sentence passed upon Nestorius and the commission given to Cyril to execute it. At the same time he restored all who had been excommunicated or deprived by Nestorius. Cyril forwarded the papal sentence and his own anathema to Nestorius. The emperor now summoned a general council to meet at Ephesus. To this council Celestine sent as legates, Arcadius, and Projectus, bishops, and Philippus, a priest, who were to act in conjunction with Cyril. However, they were not to mix in discussion but were to judge the opinions of the others. Celestine in all his letters assumes his own decision as final, Cyril and the council, "compelled by the sacred canons and the letters of Our Most Holy Father, Celestine, Bishop of the Roman Church." | ||
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| + | The last official act of Celestine, the sending of St. Patrick to Ireland, perhaps surpasses all the rest in its far-reaching consequences for good. He had already sent (431) Palladius as bishop to the "Scots [i.e. Irish] believing in Christ." But Palladius son abandoned Ireland and died the year following in Britain. St. Patrick, who had previously been refused, now received the long-coveted commission only a few days before the death of Celestine, who thus becomes a sharer in the conversion of the race that in the next few centuries was to accomplish such vast works by its countless missionaries and scholars in the conversion and civilization of the barbarian world. In the local affairs of the Roman Church, Celestine manifested great zeal. He restored and embellished the church of Santa Maria in Trastevere, which had suffered from the Gothic pillage of Rome, also the church of St. Sabina, besides decorating the Cemetery of St. Priscilla with paintings of the Council Ephesus. The precise date of his death is uncertain. His feast is kept in the Latin Church on 6 April, the day on which his body was placed in the Catacombs of St. Priscilla whence it was transferred in 820 by Pope St. Paschal I to the church of Sta Prassede, though the cathedral of Mantua likewise claims his relics. In the Greek Church where he is highly honoured for his condemnation of Nestorius, his feast falls on 8 April. | ||
| + | |||
| + | The extant writings of St. Celestine consist of sixteen letters, the contents of many of which have been indicated above, and a fragment of a discourse on Nestorianism delivered in the Roman Synod of 430. The "Capitula Coelestini", the ten decisions on the subject of grace which have played such a part in the history of Augustinianism, are no longer attributed to his authorship. For centuries they were affixed as an integral part to his letter to the Bishops of Gaul, but at present are considered as most probably the work of St. Prosper of Aquitaine. Anastasius Bibliothecarius attributes to him several other constitutions but with little authority. Doubtful also is the statement of the "Liber Pontificalis" that Celestine added the Introit to the Mass. | ||
==External links== | ==External links== | ||
Revision as of 15:38, 12 May 2008
| Celestine I | |
|---|---|
| |
| Birth name | Celestine |
| Papacy began | 422 |
| Papacy ended | April 6, 432 |
| Predecessor | Boniface I |
| Successor | Sixtus III |
| Born | ??? Rome, Italy |
| Died | April 6 432 Rome, Italy |
| Other popes named Celestine | |
Pope Saint Celestine I was pope from 422 to April 6, 432. He was a Roman and is supposed to have been a near relative of the Roman Emperor Valentinian III. Nothing is known of his early history except that his father's name was Priscus. He is said to have lived for a time at Milan with St. Ambrose. The first notice, however, concerning him that is known is in a document of Pope Innocent I, in the year 416, where he is spoken of as Celestine the Deacon.
Various portions of the liturgy are attributed to him, but without any certainty on the subject. Though he did not attend personally, he sent delegates to the Council of Ephesus in which the Nestorians were condemned, in 431. Four letters written by him on that occasion, all dated March 15, 431, together with a few others, to the African bishops, to those of Illyria, of Thessalonica, and of Narbonne, are extant in retranslations from the Greek, the Latin originals having been lost.
He actively persecuted the Pelagians, and was zealous for orthodoxy. He sent Palladius to Ireland to serve as a bishop in 431. Patricius (Saint Patrick) continued this missionary work. Celestine raged against the Novatians in Rome, imprisoning their bishop, and forbidding their worship. He was zealous in refusing to tolerate the smallest innovation on the constitutions of his predecessors, and is recognized by the church as a saint.
He died on April 6, 432. He was buried in the cemetery of St. Priscilla in the Via Salaria, but his body, subsequently moved, lies now in the Basilica di Santa Prassede.
In art, Saint Celestine is a pope with a dove, dragon, and flame.
Biography
Little is known of Celestine's early history except that he was a Roman and that his father's name was Priscus. He is said to have lived for a time at Milan with Saint Ambrose. In a document of Pope Innocent I date 416, Celestine is referred to as "the Deacon." In 418 Saint Augustine wrote to him (Epist., 192) in very reverential language, calling him "My Venerable Lord and Highly Esteemed and Holy Brother."
Celestine succeeded Boniface I as pope September 10, 422 (some reckonings make it November 3). Boniface's own election had been a contested one, which had thrown the city into tumult when the archdeacon Eulalius had been ordained by the lower clergy prior to Boniface's election and the emperor initially recognized the "anti-pope." It is not known whether Celestine's own position as deacon may have been a factor in his acceptability, but he was elected without any opposition, and even Eulalius and his many ardent supporters did not attempt to reassert themselves.
Shortly after his elevation, Austine again wrote to Celestine, this time asking for his help in dealing with Bishop Antony of Fessula in Africa, whom Augustine admits to unwisely recommending to the people of that town and was later found to be tempted by greed. "I am so racked with anxiety and grief," Augustine wrote of the matter, "that I think of retiring from the responsibilities of the episcopal office, and abandoning myself to demonstrations of sorrow corresponding to the greatness of my error." A strong friendship seems to have existed between Celestine and Augustine. After the death of the Augustine in 430, Celestine wrote a long letter to the bishops of Gaul on the sanctity, learning, and zeal of the great African bishop who had so forcefully led the intellectual assault against the teachings of Pelagius and his followers. Celestine forbade all attacks upon Augustine's memory on the part of the Semipelagians, who under the leadership of the famous ascetic, John Cassian, were then beginning to gain influence.
The theological climate of Celestine's papacy was a stormy one. The Manichæans, Donatists, Noviatianists, and Pelagians were all accused of "troubling the peace of the Church." Meanwhile, the while "barbarian" forces, many of whom were Arian Christians, were beginning make inroads into the heart of the empire. Celestine's firm but gentle character was a major asset in his ability to guide the papacy through these troubled waters. He received important aid in his struggle against the Manichæans from the young Emperor Valentinian III's mother Placidia, who—in the name of her youthful son—banished the Manichæans and other heretics from Rome. Celestine also moved forcefully against the Pelagians, banishing Coelestius, the companion and chief disciple of Pelagius, from Italy. He supported the further condemnation of the sect at the Council of Ephesus, while through his instrumentality St. Germanus of Auxerre and St. Lupus of Troyes, who had been sent to Britain in 429, the native land of Pelagius, by the Gallic bishops, succeeded in extirpating the error from its native soil.
A firm upholder of the ancient canons, we find Celestine writing to the bishops of Illyria, bidding them observe the canons and their old allegiance to the Bishop of Thessalonica, the papal vicar, without whom they are not to consecrate any bishop or hold any council. He also writes to the Bishops of Vienne and Narbonne, whom he warns to keep the ancient canons, and, in accordance with the warning of his predecessor, to resist the pretensions of the See of Arles. Moreover they must not refuse to admit to penance those who desire it at the moment of death; bishops, too, must not dress as monks, and severe action is to be taken against a certain Daniel, a monk from the Orient who had been the cause of serious disorders in the Church of Gaul. To the Bishops of Apulia and Calabria he writes that the clergy must not remain ignorant of the canons, neither are the laity to be advanced to the episcopate over the heads of the clergy, nor is the popular will, no matter how strong, to be humoured in this matter — populus docendus non sequendus. Moreover he threatens severe penalties for future transgressors. In upholding the rights of the Roman Church to hear and decide appeals from all quarters, he came for a time into conflict with the great Church of Africa (see Apiarius). The African bishops, however, through manifesting some warmth, never called into question the Divine supremacy of the Holy See, their very language and actions expressed its fullest recognition; their complaints were directed rather against the sometimes indiscreet use of the papal prerogative. The last years of the pontificate of Celestine were taken up with the struggle in the East over the heresy of Nestorius (see Nestorius; Cyril of Alexandria; Ephesus, Council of). Nestorius who had become Bishop of Constantinople in 428 at first gave great satisfaction, as we learn from a letter addressed to him by Celestine. He soon aroused suspicions of his orthodoxy by receiving kindly the Pelagians banished from Rome by the pope, and shortly after, rumours of his heretical teaching concerning the twofold personality of Christ reaching Rome, Celestine commissioned Cyril, Bishop of Alexandria, to investigate and make a report. Cyril having found Nestorius openly professing his heresy sent a full account to Celestine, who in a Roman synod (430), having solemnly condemned the errors of Nestorius, now ordered Cyril in his name to proceed against Nestorius, who was to be excommunicated and deposed unless within ten days he should have made in writing a solemn retractation of his errors. In letters written the same day to Nestorius, to the clergy and people of Constantinople, and to John of Antioch, Juvenal of Jerusalem, Rufus of Thessalonica, and Flavian of Philippi, Celestine announces the sentence passed upon Nestorius and the commission given to Cyril to execute it. At the same time he restored all who had been excommunicated or deprived by Nestorius. Cyril forwarded the papal sentence and his own anathema to Nestorius. The emperor now summoned a general council to meet at Ephesus. To this council Celestine sent as legates, Arcadius, and Projectus, bishops, and Philippus, a priest, who were to act in conjunction with Cyril. However, they were not to mix in discussion but were to judge the opinions of the others. Celestine in all his letters assumes his own decision as final, Cyril and the council, "compelled by the sacred canons and the letters of Our Most Holy Father, Celestine, Bishop of the Roman Church."
The last official act of Celestine, the sending of St. Patrick to Ireland, perhaps surpasses all the rest in its far-reaching consequences for good. He had already sent (431) Palladius as bishop to the "Scots [i.e. Irish] believing in Christ." But Palladius son abandoned Ireland and died the year following in Britain. St. Patrick, who had previously been refused, now received the long-coveted commission only a few days before the death of Celestine, who thus becomes a sharer in the conversion of the race that in the next few centuries was to accomplish such vast works by its countless missionaries and scholars in the conversion and civilization of the barbarian world. In the local affairs of the Roman Church, Celestine manifested great zeal. He restored and embellished the church of Santa Maria in Trastevere, which had suffered from the Gothic pillage of Rome, also the church of St. Sabina, besides decorating the Cemetery of St. Priscilla with paintings of the Council Ephesus. The precise date of his death is uncertain. His feast is kept in the Latin Church on 6 April, the day on which his body was placed in the Catacombs of St. Priscilla whence it was transferred in 820 by Pope St. Paschal I to the church of Sta Prassede, though the cathedral of Mantua likewise claims his relics. In the Greek Church where he is highly honoured for his condemnation of Nestorius, his feast falls on 8 April.
The extant writings of St. Celestine consist of sixteen letters, the contents of many of which have been indicated above, and a fragment of a discourse on Nestorianism delivered in the Roman Synod of 430. The "Capitula Coelestini", the ten decisions on the subject of grace which have played such a part in the history of Augustinianism, are no longer attributed to his authorship. For centuries they were affixed as an integral part to his letter to the Bishops of Gaul, but at present are considered as most probably the work of St. Prosper of Aquitaine. Anastasius Bibliothecarius attributes to him several other constitutions but with little authority. Doubtful also is the statement of the "Liber Pontificalis" that Celestine added the Introit to the Mass.
External links
| Roman Catholic Popes | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by: Boniface I |
Bishop of Rome 422–432 |
Succeeded by: Sixtus III |
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