Pope Damasus I

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'''Pope Saint Damasus I''' was [[pope]] from 366 to 384.
 
 
Probably born near the city of [[Idanha-a-Nova]] (in [[Lusitania]], [[Hispania]]), in what is present-day [[Portugal]], or near the city of [[Guimarães]] (in what is present-day Portugal), in [[Gallaecia]] (now [[Galicia (Spain)|Galicia, Spain]]) under the [[Western Roman Empire]], his life coincided with the rise of [[Constantine I]] and the reunion and redivision of the Western and [[Eastern Roman Empire]] as well as what is sometimes known as the [[Constantinian shift]] associated with the widespread legitimization of [[Christianity]] and the later  adoption of Christianity as the religion of the Roman state.
 
 
Damasus I is known to have been raised in the service of the church of the martyr [[Saint Lawrence|St. Laurence]] in [[Rome]], and following the death of Pope [[Liberius]], he succeeded to the Papacy amidst factional violence.  A group of Damasus' supporters, previously loyal to the [[Antipope Felix II]], attacked and killed rivals loyal to Liberius' [[deacon]] [[Antipope Ursicinus|Ursinus]], in a [[riot]] that required the intervention of [[Roman Emperors|Emperor]] [[Valentinian I]] to quell.
 
  
Damasus faced accusations of murder and adultery in his early years as pope. The neutrality of these claims have come into question with some suggesting that the accusations were motivated by  the schismatic conflict with the supporters of [[Arianism]]. His personal problems were contrasted with his religious accomplishments, which included restoring the [[Basilica di San Lorenzo fuori le Mura]], appointing the later-Saint [[Jerome]] as his personal secretary, creating (through Jerome) a standard [[Latin]] translation of the [[Bible]], known as the [[Vulgate]], that replaced existing [[Vetus Latina]], and translated from the original [[Hebrew language|Hebrew]] instead of the Greek [[Septuagint]], and presiding over the [[Council of Rome]] in 382, at which, according to [[Roman Catholic]] tradition and the 6th century document ''[[Decretum Gelasianum]]'', the modern Catholic [[Biblical canon|canon of scripture]] was first set down.
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'''Pope Saint Damasus I''' (c. 304 - 384 C.E.) was [[pope]] from 366 to 384. Possibly born in present Spain or Portugal in the [[Western Roman Empire]], he was raised in Rome by devout Christian parents. His life coincided with the rise of [[Constantine I]] and the reunion and later re-division of the Western and [[Eastern Roman Empire]]. As a young man he experienced what is sometimes known as the [[Constantinian shift]] associated with the widespread legitimization of [[Christianity]], together with the bitter division of the [[Arianism|Arian]] controversy.
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Damasus I was raised in the service of the church of the martyr [[Saint Lawrence|St. Laurence]] in [[Rome]]. Following the death of Pope [[Liberius]], he succeeded to the papacy amidst factional violence. Known for his opulent lifestyle, Damasus faced accusations of both [[murder]] and [[adultery]] in his years as pope. However, his personal problems were contrasted with his religious accomplishments. He held fast to Nicene orthodoxy during the time the Arianism had triumphed in the east, and did much to promote the primacy of Rome, as well as the acceptability of Christianity among the Roman elites. He also restored numerous churches and monuments to the martyrs, created through [[Jerome]] the standard [[Latin]] translation of the [[Bible]] known as the [[Vulgate]], and presided over the [[Council of Rome]] in 382. It was during Damasus' papacy that the Nicene Christian faith became the official religion of the Roman state.
  
 
==Early life==
 
==Early life==
<!-- Unsourced image removed: [[Image:Mapagallaecia.JPG|thumb|right|300px|Roman Gallaecia]] —>
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[[Image:San Lorenzo fuori le mura - facade.jpg|thumb|230px|The restored church of ''San Lorenzo fuori le Mura'', where Damasus' father served as priest]]
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Damasus' parents were Antonius, a priest at the Church of San Lorenzo in [[Rome]], and Laurentia. During Damasus' early years, [[Constantine I]] rose to rule first the [[Western Roman Empire]], issuing the [[Edict of Milan]] (313) which provided religious freedom and other privileges for Christians in all parts of the [[Roman Empire]]. Meanwhile the Arian controversy tore the newly empowered Christian church asunder, and a crisis precipitated by Emperor [[Licinius]] in favor of [[paganism]] resulted in a civil war (324) that placed the victorious Constantine firmly in control of a reunited Empire. This led to the establishment of Christian religious supremacy in  [[Constantinople]], now called ''Nova Roma'', bringing new challenges to the authority of the Roman Church. Damasus would have been in his 20s at the time.
  
Damasus' parents were Antonius, a priest at the Church of San Lorenzo in Rome, and Laurentia.  During Damasus' early years, Constantine I rose to rule first the [[Western Roman Empire]], presiding over the [[Edict of Milan]] (313) and winning religious freedom for Christians in all parts of the Roman Empire.  A crisis precipitated by the rejection of religious freedom by [[Licinius]], Emperor of the Eastern Roman Empire, in favor of [[paganism]] resulted in a civil war (324) that placed Constantine firmly in control of a reunited Empire, and led to the establishment of Christian religious supremacy in  [[Constantinople]], called  Nova Roma as well as Rome, bringing new challenges to the authority of the Roman Church. Damasus would have been in his twenties at the time.
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==A stormy rise to the papacy==
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When Pope Liberius was banished by Emperor [[Constantius II]] to [[Beraea]], in 354 for refusing to condemn the orthodox champion [[Athanasius]] of Alexandria, Damasus was arch-[[deacon]] of the Roman church and followed Liberius into exile, though he immediately returned to Rome. During the period before Liberius' return, Damasus had a great share in the government of the church under [[Felix II]], considered by the Roman Church today to be an anti-pope. Liberius was later reinstated by Constantius, and Damasus stood as a leading candidate to succeed him.
  
==Rise in the Church==
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In the [[Roman Catholic Church]] of that era, new bishops of Rome were elected by the [[clergy]] and the people of the diocese in the presence of the other bishops from the surrounding province, which was the manner customarily used in other [[diocese]]s. While this method worked well in a small community of Christians unified by persecution, as the newly privileged Roman congregation grew in size and political power, the acclamation of a new bishop was fraught with division. Rival claimants, as well as a certain class hostility between [[patrician]] and [[plebeian]] candidates, unsettled some episcopal elections. At the same time, fourth century emperors now expected to confirm each new pope.
When Pope Liberius was banished by Emperor [[Constantius II]] to [[Beraea]], in 354, Damasus was arch-[[deacon]] of the Roman church and followed Liberius into exile, though he immediately returned to Rome. During the period before Liberius' return, Damasus had a great share in the government of the church.[http://www.ewtn.com/library/MARY/DAMASUS.htm]
 
  
==The Succession Crisis==
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On the death of Liberius on September 24, 366, one faction supported [[Antipope Ursicinus|Ursinus]] who had served as deacon to Liberius, while the other faction—previously loyal to the [[Felix II]]—supported Damasus. The upper class generally supported the election of Damasus, while the [[deacon]]s and [[laity]] supported Ursinus. The two rival popes were thus elected simultaneously, in separate locations, in an atmosphere of rioting.  
In the early [[Roman Catholic Church|Church]], new Bishops of Rome were elected or chosen by the [[clergy]] and the people of the diocese in the presence of the other bishops in the province, which was the manner customarily used in other [[diocese]]s. While this simple method worked well in a small community of Christians unified by persecution, as the congregation grew in size, the acclamation of a new bishop was fraught with division, and rival claimants and a certain class hostility between [[patrician]] and [[plebeian]] candidates unsettled some episcopal elections. At the same time, [[4th century]] emperors expected to confirm each new pope.
 
  
On the death of Liberius, September 24, 366, one faction supported [[Antipope Ursicinus|Ursinus]] who had served as deacon to Liberius, while the other faction, previously loyal to the [[Antipope Felix II]], supported Damasus. The upper-class partisans of Felix supported the election of Damasus, but the opposing supporters of Liberius, the [[deacon]]s and [[laity]], supported Ursinus; the two were elected simultaneously (Damasus' election was held in [[San Lorenzo in Lucina]]), in an atmosphere of rioting. Supporters already clashed at the beginning of October. Such was the violence and bloodshed that the two prefects ([[praefect]]i) of the city were called in to restore order, and after a first setback, when they were driven to the suburbs and a massacre of 137 was perpetrated in the basilica of Sicininus (as cited in [[Ammianus Marcellinus]]), the prefects banished Ursinus to [[Gaul]]. There was further violence when he returned, which continued after Ursinus was exiled again.
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This dissension climaxed with a riot which led to a three-day massacre and to the rare imperial intervention to uphold public order. Damasus prevailed, but only with the support of the Roman ''prefect''. Once he was securely consecrated bishop of Rome, his men attacked Ursinus and his remaining supporters who were seeking refuge in the Liberian Basilica, resulting in a massacre of 137 supporters of Ursinus. Damasus was also accused of murder before a later ''prefect'', but his influential friends secured the personal intervention of the emperor to rescue him from this humiliation. The reputations of both Damasus and the Roman church in general suffered greatly due to these two unseemly incidents. Armed guards were now employed to protect the new representative of the Prince of Peace. Only 12 years later, at a [[synod]] in 378, was Ursinus condemned and Damasus exonerated and declared the true pope.
  
Church historians, such as [[Jerome]] and [[Rufinus]], championed Damasus. At a [[synod]] in 378 Ursinus was condemned and Damasus exonerated and declared the true pope. The former antipope continued to intrigue against Damasus for the next few years, and unsuccessfully attempted to revive his claim on Damasus's death. Ursicinus was among the [[Arian]] party in [[Milan]], according to [[Ambrose]] (''Epistle'' iv).
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==Accomplishments==
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Despite his controversial election and accusations of immorality, Damasus proved to be a powerful and effective pope who did much to solidify the position of Rome as the center of [[Catholic]] orthodoxy.
  
This dissension climaxed with a riot which led to a three-day massacre and to the rare intervention of Emperor [[Valentinian I]] to uphold public order. Damasus prevailed, but only with the support of the city prefect.  Once he was securely consecrated bishop of Rome, his men attacked Ursinus and his remaining supporters who were seeking refuge in the Liberian basilica, resulting in a massacre of one hundred and thirty seven supporters of Ursinus. Damasus was also accused of murder before a later prefect, but his rich friends secured the personal intervention of the emperor to rescue him from this humiliation.  The reputations of both Damasus and the Roman church in general suffered greatly due to these two unseemly incidents.
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Damasus actively suppressed heresy and promoted the papal primacy. His writings include 24 ''[[anathema]]s'' (condemnations) against various contemporary heresies. In two Roman synods (368 and 369) he condemned [[Apollinarianism]] and [[Macedonianism]]. He retained Rome's commitment to the orthodoxy of the [[Nicene Council]] even when emperors and prominent eastern bishops supported the Arian cause. Damasus also sent legates to the [[First Council of Constantinople]] that was convoked in 381 to address these [[Christian heresy|heresies]].
  
==Allegations of immorality==
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Damasus also contributed greatly to the [[liturgy|liturgical]] and aesthetic enrichment of the Roman churches. He promulgated the use of a standardized Latin language format for the mass, and employed a master calligrapher, [[Dionysius Philocalus]], to adorn the shrines of [[martyr]]s and Roman bishops with epigrams. These ceremonial embellishments and the emphasis on the Roman legacy of [[Saint Peter|Peter]] and [[Paul of Tarsus|Paul]] amounted to declaration to the Roman upper classes that the real glory of Rome was Christian and not pagan. All this, combined with imperial endorsement of the Christian faith, made it more socially acceptable for the upper classes to convert to [[Christianity]].
Many in both [[paganism|Pagan]] and [[Christianity|Christian]] society saw in Damasus a man whose worldly ambitions outweighed his pastoral concerns.  His entertainments were infamous for their lavishness. [[Praetextatus (aristocrat)|Praetextatus]], a wealthy aristocrat and a high priest in the cults of numerous gods, reportedly joked to Damasus, "Make me bishop of Rome and I will become a Christian."  Some of his critics called him "the ladies' ear-tickler."
 
  
According to the [[Catholic Encyclopedia]], "An accusation of adultery was laid against him (378) in the imperial court, but he was exonerated by Emperor [[Gratian]] himself ([[J. D. Mansi]], ''Coll. Conc''., III, 628) and soon after by a Roman [[synod]] of forty-four [[bishop]]s (''[[Liber Pontificalis]]'', ed. Duchesne, s.v.; Mansi, op. cit., III, 419) which also [[excommunicate]]d his accusers."[http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/04613a.htm]
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The reign of the Emperor [[Gratian]] (359-383), nearly coinciding with Damasus' papacy, forms an important epoch in ecclesiastical history, since during that period, [[Orthodox]] [[Christianity]] for the first time became dominant throughout the empire. Under the influence of Saint [[Ambrose]], as well as Damasus, Gratian prohibited [[Paganism|pagan worship]] at [[Rome]]; refused to wear the insignia of the pagan ''[[pontifex maximus]]'' as unbefitting a Christian; removed the [[Altar of Victory]] from the [[Roman Senate|Senate]] at Rome despite protests of the pagan members of the Senate; forbade legacies of real property to the [[Vestal Virgins]]; and abolished other privileges belonging to them and to male pagan pontiffs.
  
==Association with Jerome, defence of the Church against schism==
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The Eastern Church, in the person of St. [[Basil of Cæsarea]], sought the aid and encouragement of Damasus against [[Arianism]], which had triumphed temporarily in the eastern [[Roman Empire]]. However, despite agreeing on the Arian issue, the two could not come to cooperate, due to their disagreement over the [[Meletian Schism]] at Antioch. Patriarch [[Peter II of Alexandria]] was obliged for a while to seek refuge to Rome from the persecuting Arians. He was received by Damasus, who sympathized with him and gave him support. This helped reconcile the relations between the church of Rome and the church of Antioch, who supported the persecuted Church of Alexandria.
[[Image:St Jerome by Rubens dsc01653.jpg|left|thumb|100px|''St. Jerome'', by [[Peter Paul Rubens]], 1625&ndash;1630]]
 
  
Damasus I was active in defending the Roman Church against the threat of [[Schism (religion)|schism]]s. In two Roman synods (368 and 369) he condemned [[Apollinarianism]] and [[Macedonianism]], and sent legates to the [[First Council of Constantinople]] that was convoked in 381 to address these [[Christian heresy|heresies]].
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[[Image:St Jerome by Rubens dsc01653.jpg|thumb|200px|''St. Jerome'', by [[Peter Paul Rubens]], 1625–1630]]
  
[[Jerome's De Viris Illustribus|Damasus]] appointed Church historian [[Jerome]], whom he appointed his confidential secretary.  In Jerome's letter of 409 (letter cxx.10 [http://www.ccel.org/fathers/NPNF2-06/letters/lette123.htm]), he remarks, "A great many years ago when I was helping Damasus, bishop of Rome with his ecclesiastical correspondence, and writing his answers to the questions referred to him by the councils of the east and west <nowiki>[if "east and west" do not betray the passage as an interpolation]</nowiki>  Jerome spent three years (382-385) in Rome in close intercourse with Pope Damasus and the leading Christians. Invited there originally to a [[synod]] of 382 convened to end the [[Schism (religion)|schism]] of [[Antioch]], he made himself indispensable to the pope, and took a prominent place in his councils.
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Damasus lived to welcome the famous edict of [[Theodosius I]], "De fide Catholica" (February, 380), which proclaimed the official religion of the Roman State to be the doctrine which St. [[Peter]] had preached to the Romans, of which Damasus was recognized as the supreme head (Cod. Theod., XVI, 1, 2). In 382, concerned with the growing influence of Constantinople, Damasus called a synod which officially declared Rome's primacy.  
  
Damasus encouraged the highly respected scholar to revise the available [[Old Latin]] versions of the [[Bible]] into a more accurate [[Latin]] on the basis of the Greek [[New Testament]] and the [[Septuagint]], in order to put an end to the marked divergences in the western texts of that period, resulting in the ''[[Vulgate]]''.  Jerome devotes a very brief notice to Damasus in ''De viris illustribus,''  written after Damasus' death: "he had a fine talent for making verses and published many brief works in heroic metre. He died in the reign of the emperor [[Theodosius I|Theodosius]] at the age of almost eighty" (ch. 103).
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Damasus made a particularly significant choice when he appointed the church historian [[Jerome]] to be his confidential secretary. Damasus encouraged the highly respected scholar to revise the available [[Old Latin]] versions of the [[Bible]] into a more accurate [[Latin]] on the basis of the Greek [[New Testament]] and the [[Septuagint]] translation of the [[Hebrew Bible]], in order to put an end to the marked divergences in the western texts of that period. This resulted in the ''[[Vulgate]]'' version of the biblical text, which has been highly influential in the history of western Christianity.
  
==Associates Roman glory with Christianity==
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===Accusation of immorality===
Damasus also contributed greatly to the [[liturgy|liturgical]] and aesthetic enrichment of the city churches. He employed a calligrapher, one [[Dionysius Philocalus]], to adorn the shrines of martyrs and Roman bishops with epigrams.
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However, many in both [[paganism|pagan]] and [[Christianity|Christian]] society saw in Damasus a man whose worldly ambitions outweighed his pastoral concerns. His entertainments were infamous for their lavishness. [[Praetextatus (aristocrat)|Praetextatus]], a wealthy aristocrat and a high priest in the cults of numerous gods, reportedly joked to Damasus, "Make me bishop of Rome and I will become a Christian." Some of his critics called Damasus "the ladies' ear-tickler."
  
These ceremonial embellishments and the emphasis on the Roman legacy of [[Saint Peter|Peter]] and [[Paul of Tarsus|Paul]] amounted to a general claim to the Roman upper classes that the real glory of Rome was Christian and not pagan.  All this made it more socially acceptable for the upper classes to convert to [[Christianity]]. Often, the women of the family were the first to abandon pagan ways, while the men tended to hold on to them longer, being generally more conservative in their idealised views on the greatness of the Empire.
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An accusation of adultery was laid against him (378) in the imperial court, possibly trumped up and certainly supported by his ecclesiastical enemies. He was exonerated by Emperor [[Gratian]] himself, and soon after by a Roman [[synod]] of 44 [[bishop]]s which also [[excommunicate]]d his accusers."
  
==Emperor Gratian==
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==Legacy==
[[Image:Gratian 367 383.jpg|thumb|right|A coin of Gratian. The legend reads D N GRATIANVS P F AVG ''(Dominus Noster Gratianus Pius Felix Augustus)''.]]
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Damasus' legacy was a mixed but significant one. He left a large imprint on the Roman church, maintaining its orthodoxy during the height of the later Arian controversy and greatly promoting Rome's prestige as the "See of Peter," both among the Roman nobility and within the larger Christian world. At the same time, his papacy became infamous for its violent coming to power, its affiliation with the upper classes, and Damasus' own luxurious lifestyle.
  
The reign of [[Gratian]], during Damasus' papacy, forms an important epoch in ecclesiastical history, since during that period (359-383), [[Orthodox]] [[Christianity]], for the first time became dominant throughout the empire. Under the influence of [[Ambrosius]], Gratian prohibited [[Paganism|pagan worship]] at [[Rome]]; refused to wear the insignia of the ''[[pontifex maximus]]'' as unbefitting a Christian; removed the [[Altar of Victory]] from the [[Roman Senate|Senate]] at Rome, despite protests of the pagan members of the Senate, and confiscated its revenues; forbade legacies of real property to the [[Vestals]]; and abolished other privileges belonging to them and to the pontiffs.
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[[Image:CodexBeneventanusFolio5rJeromeLetter.jpg|thumb|150px|Letter of Jerome to Damasus]]
  
==Relations with other churches==
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Damasus was the first pope to refer to Rome as the "apostolic see," and it was he who introduced Latin as the official language of the [[mass]]. He helped to discover many martyrs' tombs—as well as Rome's famous catacombs—and did much to support their restoration and veneration. He built and restored many churches, notably the church named for [[Saint Lawrence|Saint Laurence]], known as [[San Lorenzo fuori le Mura]] ("St. Lawrence outside the walls").
The Eastern Church, in the person of St. Basil of Cæsarea, besought earnestly the aid and encouragement of Damasus against triumphant Arianism; Damasus I, however, cherished some degree of suspicion against the great Cappadocian Doctor. In the matter of the Meletian Schism at Antioch, Damasus, with [[Athanasius]] and [[Pope Peter II of Alexandria|Peter II]] of Alexandria, sympathized with the party of Paulinus as more sincerely representative of Nicene orthodoxy; on the death of Meletius he sought to secure the succession for Paulinus and to exclude [[Flavian]] (Socrates, Hist. Eccl., V, xv). He sustained the appeal of the Christian senators to Emperor [[Gratian]] for the removal of the altar of Victory from the Senate House (Ambrose, Ep. xvii, n. 10), and lived to welcome the famous edict of [[Theodosius I]], "De fide Catholica" (27 Feb., 380), which proclaimed as the religion of the Roman State that doctrine which St. [[Peter]] had preached to the Romans and of which Damasus was supreme head (Cod. Theod., XVI, 1, 2).<ref>http://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Catholic_Encyclopedia_%281913%29/Pope_St._Damasus_I</ref>
 
  
During his papacy [[Pope Peter II of Alexandria|Peter II]] was obliged for a while to seek refuge to [[Rome]] from the persecuting [[Arians]] , he was received by Pope Damasus I; who sympathised with him and gave him support against the Arians.<ref>http://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Catholic_Encyclopedia_%281913%29/Pope_St._Damasus_I</ref> and this reconciled the relations between the [[Church of Rome]] and the [[church of Antioch]] , who supported the [[Church of Alexandria]]
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The letters from Jerome to Damasus—although their authenticity is disputed—have often been adduced as examples of the primacy of the seat of Peter:
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:...Though your greatness terrifies me, your kindness attracts me...My words are spoken to the successor of the fisherman, to the disciple of the cross. As I follow no leader save Christ, so I communicate with none but your blessedness, that is with the chair of Peter. For this, I know, is the rock on which the church is built! This is the house where alone the paschal lamb can be rightly eaten. This is the ark of Noah, and he who is not found in it shall perish when the flood prevails.—Letter of Jerome to Pope Damasus, 376, 2
  
==Devotion to Saint Laurence==
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Although some scholars contend that the above letter is not genuine, it cannot be doubted that Damasus was a great and effective champion of the papacy, whose reign itself was a major factor in establishing the primacy of Rome. This and his sponsorship of the creation of the [[Vulgate]] were his most lasting legacies.
Damasus rebuilt or repaired a church named for [[Saint Lawrence|Saint Laurence]], known as [[San Lorenzo fuori le Mura]] ("St Lawrence outside the walls"), which by the 7th century was a station on the itineraries of the graves of the Roman martyrs.
 
  
Damasus' devotion for the Roman martyr is attested also by the tradition, according to which the pope built a church devoted to Laurence in his own house, [[San Lorenzo in Damaso]].
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==References==
 
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* Coppa, Frank J. 2002. ''The Great Popes Through History: An Encyclopedia''. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press. ISBN 9780313324185.
==Letters of Jerome to Damasus==
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* Eno, Robert B. 1990. ''The Rise of the Papacy''.  Wilmington, DE: M. Glazier. ISBN 9780894538025.
The alleged letters from Jerome to Damasus have sometimes been adduced as examples of the primacy of the seat of Peter:
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* Richards, Jeffrey. 1979. ''The Popes and the Papacy in the Early Middle Ages, 476-752''. London, UK: Routledge & Kegan Paul. ISBN 9780710000989.
:…Yet, though your greatness terrifies me, your kindness attracts me. From the priest I demand the safe-keeping of the victim, from the shepherd the protection due to the sheep. Away with all that is overweening; let the state of Roman majesty withdraw. My words are spoken to the successor of the fisherman, to the disciple of the cross. As I follow no leader save Christ, so I communicate with none but your blessedness, that is with the chair of Peter. For this, I know, is the rock on which the church is built! This is the house where alone the paschal lamb can be rightly eaten. This is the ark of Noah, and he who is not found in it shall perish when the flood prevails. But since by reason of my sins I have betaken myself to this desert which lies between Syria and the uncivilized waste, I cannot, owing to the great distance between us, always ask of your sanctity the holy thing of the Lord. Consequently I here follow the Egyptian confessors who share your faith, and anchor my frail craft under the shadow of their great argosies. I know nothing of Vitalis; I reject Meletius; I have nothing to do with Paulinus. He that gathers not with you scatters; he that is not of Christ is of Antichrist.
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* Shotwell, James Thomson, and Louise Ropes Loomis. 1991. ''The See of Peter.'' New York, NY: Columbia University Press. ISBN 9780231096355.
Letter of Jerome to Pope Damasus, 376, 2
 
 
 
Some scholars disagree that this was a genuine letter from Jerome.<ref>
 
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pseudo-Isidore</ref>
 
 
 
== Footnotes ==
 
{{reflist}}
 
  
 
==External links==
 
==External links==
* {{1913C.E.|Pope St. Damasus I}}
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All links retrieved June 23, 2022.
*[http://www.bartleby.com/65/da/DamasusI.html Biography at Project Bartleby]
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*[http://www.documentacatholicaomnia.eu/01_01_0366-0383-_Damasus_I,_Sanctus.html ''Opera Omnia'' by Migne Patrologia] {{la icon}}. ''www.documentacatholicaomnia.eu''.
*[http://www.ewtn.com/library/MARY/DAMASUS.htm Patron Saint Index]
 
*[http://www.documentacatholicaomnia.eu/01_01_0366-0383-_Damasus_I,_Sanctus.html ''Opera Omnia'' by Migne Patrologia] {{la icon}}
 
 
 
==References==
 
*''"The Pelican History of the Church - 1: The Early Church"'' by Henry Chadwick
 
*''"A History of the Christian Church"'' by Williston Walker
 
  
 
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Revision as of 00:16, 24 June 2022

Damasus I
Saintdamasus.png
Birth name Damasus
Papacy began 366
Papacy ended 384
Predecessor Liberius
Successor Siricius
Born ca. 305
Idanha-a-Nova, Lusitania, Hispania (now Portugal) or Gallaecia, (now Galicia, Spain)
Died 384
Rome, Italy
Other popes named Damasus

Pope Saint Damasus I (c. 304 - 384 C.E.) was pope from 366 to 384. Possibly born in present Spain or Portugal in the Western Roman Empire, he was raised in Rome by devout Christian parents. His life coincided with the rise of Constantine I and the reunion and later re-division of the Western and Eastern Roman Empire. As a young man he experienced what is sometimes known as the Constantinian shift associated with the widespread legitimization of Christianity, together with the bitter division of the Arian controversy.

Damasus I was raised in the service of the church of the martyr St. Laurence in Rome. Following the death of Pope Liberius, he succeeded to the papacy amidst factional violence. Known for his opulent lifestyle, Damasus faced accusations of both murder and adultery in his years as pope. However, his personal problems were contrasted with his religious accomplishments. He held fast to Nicene orthodoxy during the time the Arianism had triumphed in the east, and did much to promote the primacy of Rome, as well as the acceptability of Christianity among the Roman elites. He also restored numerous churches and monuments to the martyrs, created through Jerome the standard Latin translation of the Bible known as the Vulgate, and presided over the Council of Rome in 382. It was during Damasus' papacy that the Nicene Christian faith became the official religion of the Roman state.

Early life

The restored church of San Lorenzo fuori le Mura, where Damasus' father served as priest

Damasus' parents were Antonius, a priest at the Church of San Lorenzo in Rome, and Laurentia. During Damasus' early years, Constantine I rose to rule first the Western Roman Empire, issuing the Edict of Milan (313) which provided religious freedom and other privileges for Christians in all parts of the Roman Empire. Meanwhile the Arian controversy tore the newly empowered Christian church asunder, and a crisis precipitated by Emperor Licinius in favor of paganism resulted in a civil war (324) that placed the victorious Constantine firmly in control of a reunited Empire. This led to the establishment of Christian religious supremacy in Constantinople, now called Nova Roma, bringing new challenges to the authority of the Roman Church. Damasus would have been in his 20s at the time.

A stormy rise to the papacy

When Pope Liberius was banished by Emperor Constantius II to Beraea, in 354 for refusing to condemn the orthodox champion Athanasius of Alexandria, Damasus was arch-deacon of the Roman church and followed Liberius into exile, though he immediately returned to Rome. During the period before Liberius' return, Damasus had a great share in the government of the church under Felix II, considered by the Roman Church today to be an anti-pope. Liberius was later reinstated by Constantius, and Damasus stood as a leading candidate to succeed him.

In the Roman Catholic Church of that era, new bishops of Rome were elected by the clergy and the people of the diocese in the presence of the other bishops from the surrounding province, which was the manner customarily used in other dioceses. While this method worked well in a small community of Christians unified by persecution, as the newly privileged Roman congregation grew in size and political power, the acclamation of a new bishop was fraught with division. Rival claimants, as well as a certain class hostility between patrician and plebeian candidates, unsettled some episcopal elections. At the same time, fourth century emperors now expected to confirm each new pope.

On the death of Liberius on September 24, 366, one faction supported Ursinus who had served as deacon to Liberius, while the other faction—previously loyal to the Felix II—supported Damasus. The upper class generally supported the election of Damasus, while the deacons and laity supported Ursinus. The two rival popes were thus elected simultaneously, in separate locations, in an atmosphere of rioting.

This dissension climaxed with a riot which led to a three-day massacre and to the rare imperial intervention to uphold public order. Damasus prevailed, but only with the support of the Roman prefect. Once he was securely consecrated bishop of Rome, his men attacked Ursinus and his remaining supporters who were seeking refuge in the Liberian Basilica, resulting in a massacre of 137 supporters of Ursinus. Damasus was also accused of murder before a later prefect, but his influential friends secured the personal intervention of the emperor to rescue him from this humiliation. The reputations of both Damasus and the Roman church in general suffered greatly due to these two unseemly incidents. Armed guards were now employed to protect the new representative of the Prince of Peace. Only 12 years later, at a synod in 378, was Ursinus condemned and Damasus exonerated and declared the true pope.

Accomplishments

Despite his controversial election and accusations of immorality, Damasus proved to be a powerful and effective pope who did much to solidify the position of Rome as the center of Catholic orthodoxy.

Damasus actively suppressed heresy and promoted the papal primacy. His writings include 24 anathemas (condemnations) against various contemporary heresies. In two Roman synods (368 and 369) he condemned Apollinarianism and Macedonianism. He retained Rome's commitment to the orthodoxy of the Nicene Council even when emperors and prominent eastern bishops supported the Arian cause. Damasus also sent legates to the First Council of Constantinople that was convoked in 381 to address these heresies.

Damasus also contributed greatly to the liturgical and aesthetic enrichment of the Roman churches. He promulgated the use of a standardized Latin language format for the mass, and employed a master calligrapher, Dionysius Philocalus, to adorn the shrines of martyrs and Roman bishops with epigrams. These ceremonial embellishments and the emphasis on the Roman legacy of Peter and Paul amounted to declaration to the Roman upper classes that the real glory of Rome was Christian and not pagan. All this, combined with imperial endorsement of the Christian faith, made it more socially acceptable for the upper classes to convert to Christianity.

The reign of the Emperor Gratian (359-383), nearly coinciding with Damasus' papacy, forms an important epoch in ecclesiastical history, since during that period, Orthodox Christianity for the first time became dominant throughout the empire. Under the influence of Saint Ambrose, as well as Damasus, Gratian prohibited pagan worship at Rome; refused to wear the insignia of the pagan pontifex maximus as unbefitting a Christian; removed the Altar of Victory from the Senate at Rome despite protests of the pagan members of the Senate; forbade legacies of real property to the Vestal Virgins; and abolished other privileges belonging to them and to male pagan pontiffs.

The Eastern Church, in the person of St. Basil of Cæsarea, sought the aid and encouragement of Damasus against Arianism, which had triumphed temporarily in the eastern Roman Empire. However, despite agreeing on the Arian issue, the two could not come to cooperate, due to their disagreement over the Meletian Schism at Antioch. Patriarch Peter II of Alexandria was obliged for a while to seek refuge to Rome from the persecuting Arians. He was received by Damasus, who sympathized with him and gave him support. This helped reconcile the relations between the church of Rome and the church of Antioch, who supported the persecuted Church of Alexandria.

St. Jerome, by Peter Paul Rubens, 1625–1630

Damasus lived to welcome the famous edict of Theodosius I, "De fide Catholica" (February, 380), which proclaimed the official religion of the Roman State to be the doctrine which St. Peter had preached to the Romans, of which Damasus was recognized as the supreme head (Cod. Theod., XVI, 1, 2). In 382, concerned with the growing influence of Constantinople, Damasus called a synod which officially declared Rome's primacy.

Damasus made a particularly significant choice when he appointed the church historian Jerome to be his confidential secretary. Damasus encouraged the highly respected scholar to revise the available Old Latin versions of the Bible into a more accurate Latin on the basis of the Greek New Testament and the Septuagint translation of the Hebrew Bible, in order to put an end to the marked divergences in the western texts of that period. This resulted in the Vulgate version of the biblical text, which has been highly influential in the history of western Christianity.

Accusation of immorality

However, many in both pagan and Christian society saw in Damasus a man whose worldly ambitions outweighed his pastoral concerns. His entertainments were infamous for their lavishness. Praetextatus, a wealthy aristocrat and a high priest in the cults of numerous gods, reportedly joked to Damasus, "Make me bishop of Rome and I will become a Christian." Some of his critics called Damasus "the ladies' ear-tickler."

An accusation of adultery was laid against him (378) in the imperial court, possibly trumped up and certainly supported by his ecclesiastical enemies. He was exonerated by Emperor Gratian himself, and soon after by a Roman synod of 44 bishops which also excommunicated his accusers."

Legacy

Damasus' legacy was a mixed but significant one. He left a large imprint on the Roman church, maintaining its orthodoxy during the height of the later Arian controversy and greatly promoting Rome's prestige as the "See of Peter," both among the Roman nobility and within the larger Christian world. At the same time, his papacy became infamous for its violent coming to power, its affiliation with the upper classes, and Damasus' own luxurious lifestyle.

Letter of Jerome to Damasus

Damasus was the first pope to refer to Rome as the "apostolic see," and it was he who introduced Latin as the official language of the mass. He helped to discover many martyrs' tombs—as well as Rome's famous catacombs—and did much to support their restoration and veneration. He built and restored many churches, notably the church named for Saint Laurence, known as San Lorenzo fuori le Mura ("St. Lawrence outside the walls").

The letters from Jerome to Damasus—although their authenticity is disputed—have often been adduced as examples of the primacy of the seat of Peter:

...Though your greatness terrifies me, your kindness attracts me...My words are spoken to the successor of the fisherman, to the disciple of the cross. As I follow no leader save Christ, so I communicate with none but your blessedness, that is with the chair of Peter. For this, I know, is the rock on which the church is built! This is the house where alone the paschal lamb can be rightly eaten. This is the ark of Noah, and he who is not found in it shall perish when the flood prevails.—Letter of Jerome to Pope Damasus, 376, 2

Although some scholars contend that the above letter is not genuine, it cannot be doubted that Damasus was a great and effective champion of the papacy, whose reign itself was a major factor in establishing the primacy of Rome. This and his sponsorship of the creation of the Vulgate were his most lasting legacies.

References
ISBN links support NWE through referral fees

  • Coppa, Frank J. 2002. The Great Popes Through History: An Encyclopedia. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press. ISBN 9780313324185.
  • Eno, Robert B. 1990. The Rise of the Papacy. Wilmington, DE: M. Glazier. ISBN 9780894538025.
  • Richards, Jeffrey. 1979. The Popes and the Papacy in the Early Middle Ages, 476-752. London, UK: Routledge & Kegan Paul. ISBN 9780710000989.
  • Shotwell, James Thomson, and Louise Ropes Loomis. 1991. The See of Peter. New York, NY: Columbia University Press. ISBN 9780231096355.

External links

All links retrieved June 23, 2022.


Roman Catholic Popes
Preceded by:
Liberius
Bishop of Rome Pope
366–383
Succeeded by: Siricius


Preceded by:
Valentinian II
Pontifex Maximus of Rome
366-383
Succeeded by:
Siricius

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