Pope Zosimus
| Zosimus | |
|---|---|
| |
| Birth name | Zosimus |
| Papacy began | March 18, 417 |
| Papacy ended | December 26 418 |
| Predecessor | Innocent I |
| Successor | Boniface I |
| Born | ??? ??? |
| Died | December 26 418 ??? |
| Styles of Pope Zosimus | |
|
| |
| Reference style | His Holiness |
| Spoken style | Your Holiness |
| Religious style | Holy Father |
| Posthumous style | Saint |
Pope Saint Zosimus was pope from March 18, 417 to December 26, 418. He succeeded Innocent I, and was followed by Boniface I. Although his reign was brief, it was turbulent and had a major impact on his successor's papacy as well.
Zosimus is best known for his role in the Pelagian controversy, in which he at first declared the Pelagian teacher Celistius to be orthodox and later declared his teaching to be heretical. Critics of the doctrine of papal infallibility cite this as evidence that this pope erred in his theological judgment.
Zosimus also took a decided part in a protracted dispute in Gaul concerning the jurisdiction of the see of Arles over that of Vienne, giving decisions in favor of Arles, but not succeeding in settling the controversy. His strong temper was evident in all the known controversies. At his death the Roman clergy were very much divided.
Biography
According to theLiber Pontificalis Zosimus was a Greek and his father's name was Abram. Church historical Adolf Harnack deduced from this name that the family was of Jewish origin, but this evidence is not regarded as conclusive. Nothing more is known of the life of Zosimus before his elevation to the throne of Saint Peter in Rome. By way of background, Zosimus' predecessor Innocent had engaged the Roman church in a major controversy in the East over the ouster of John Chrysostom for as bishop of Constantinople and had also condemned the optimistic theologian Pelagius as a heretic for teaching a doctrine of moral perfectionism and denying Original Sin.
Zosimus' consecration as bishop of Rome took place on March 18, 417. The festival was attended by Patroclus, bishop of Arles, who had been raised to that see in place of a certain Bishop Heros, who had been forcibly removed by the Roman general Constantine. In the year 400, Arles had been replaced Trier as the residence of the chief government official of the civil Diocese of Gaul. Patroclus, who enjoyed the support of the commander Constantine, used this opportunity to procure for himself a position of supremacy over the other bishops of the region. A key part of his strategy involved winning over Zosimus to his cause, apparently by promising to act as the pope's agent in France.
Patroclus gained the confidence of the new pope at once. As early as March 22 he received a papal letter which conferred upon him the rights of a metropolitan bishop over the other major bishoprics of the region. In addition, Patrocolus was made, in effect, the papal vicar for the whole of Gaul. No Gallic cleric was permitted even to journey to Rome without bringing with him a certificate of identity from Patroclus.
The bishops of Vienne, Narbonne, and Marseilles regarded this elevation of the see of Arles as an serious infringement of their rights. They raised their objections in several letters from Zosimus, who responded by demanding obedience and threatening the bishops with excommunication. The dispute, however, was not settled until the pontificate of Pope Leo I.
Confrontation with Pelagianism
Not long after the election of Zosimus the proponent of Pelagianism, Caelestius, who had been condemned by the preceding pope, Innocent I, came to Rome to justify himself before the new pope, having been expelled from Constantinople. In the summer of 417, Zosimus held a meeting of the Roman clergy in the Basilica of St. Clement before which Caelestius appeared. The propositions drawn up by the deacon Paulinus of Milan, on account of which Caelestius had been condemned at Carthage in 411, were laid before him. Caelestius refused to condemn these propositions, at the same time declaring in general that he accepted the doctrine expounded in the letters of Pope Innocent and making a confession of faith which was approved. The pope was won over by the shrewdly calculated conduct of Caelestius, and said that it was not certain whether the heretic had really maintained the false doctrine rejected by Innocent, and that therefore he considered the action of the African bishops against Caelestius too hasty. He wrote at once in this sense to the bishops of the African province, and called upon those who had anything to bring against Caelestius to appear at Rome within two months. Soon after this Zosimus received from Pelagius also an artfully expressed confession of faith, together with a new treatise by the heretic on free will. The pope held a new synod of the Roman clergy, before which both these writings were read. The skillfully chosen expressions of Pelagius concealed the heretical contents; the assembly held the statements to be orthodox, and Zosimus again wrote to the African bishops defending Pelagius and reproving his accusers, among whom were the Gallic bishops Hero and Lazarus. Archbishop Aurelius of Carthage quickly called a synod, which sent a letter to Zosimus in which it was proved that the pope had been deceived by the heretics. In his answer Zosimus declared that he had settled nothing definitely, and wished to settle nothing without consulting the African bishops. After the new synodal letter of the African council of May 1, 418 to the pope, and after the steps taken by the emperor Honorius against the Pelagians, Zosimus recognized the true character of the heretics. He now issued his Tractoria, in which Pelagianism and its authors were finally condemned.
Shortly after this Zosimus became involved in a dispute with the African bishops in regard to the right of appeal to the Roman See clerics who had been condemned by their bishops. When the priest Apiarius of Sicca had been excommunicated by his bishop on account of his crimes, he appealed directly to the pope, without regard to the regular course of appeal in Africa which was exactly prescribed. The pope at once accepted the appeal, and sent legates with letters to Africa to investigate the matter. A wiser course would have been to have first referred Apiarius to the ordinary course of appeal in Africa itself. Zosimus next made the further mistake of basing his action on a reputed canon of the First Council of Nicaea, which was in reality a canon of the Council of Sardica. In the Roman manuscripts the canons of Sardica followed those of Nicaea immediately, without an independent title, while the African manuscripts contained only the genuine canons of Nicaea, so that the canon appealed to by Zosimus was not contained in the African copies of the Nicene canons. Thus a serious disagreement arose over this appeal, which continued after the death of Zosimus.
Besides the writings of the pope already mentioned, there are extant other letters to the bishops of the Byzantine province in Africa, in regard to a deposed bishop, and to the bishops of Gaul and Spain in respect to Priscillianism and ordination to the different grades of the clergy. The Liber Pontificalis attributes to Zosimus a decree on the wearing of the maniple by deacons and on the dedication of Easter candles in the country parishes; also a decree forbidding clerics to visit taverns. Zosimus was buried in the sepulchral Church of St. Laurence in Agro Verano.
legacy
Not long after the election of Zosimus the Pelagian Coelestius, who had been condemned by the preceding pope, Innocent I, came to Rome to justify himself before the new pope, having been expelled from Constantinople. In the summer of 417 Zosimus held a meeting of the Roman clergy in the Basilica of St. Clement before which Coelestius appeared. The propositions drawn up by the deacon Paulinus of Milan, on account of which Coelestius had been condemned at Carthage in 411, were laid before him. Coelestius refused to condemn these propositions, at the same time declaring in general that he accepted the doctrine expounded in the letters of Pope Innocent and making a confession of faith which was approved. The pope was won over by the shrewdly calculated conduct of Coelestius, and said that it was not certain whether the heretic had really maintained the false doctrine rejected by Innocent, and that therefore he considered the action of the African bishops against Coelestius too hasty. He wrote at once in this sense to the bishops of the African province, and called upon those who had anything to bring against Coelestius to appear at Rome within two months. Soon after this Zosimus received from Pelagius also an artfully expressed confession of faith, together with a new treatise by the heretic on free will. The pope held a new synod of the Roman clergy, before which both these writings were read. The skilfully chosen expressions of Pelagius concealed the heretical contents; the assembly held the statements to be orthodox, and Zosimus again wrote to the African bishops defending Pelagius and reproving his accusers, among whom were the Gallic bishops Hero and Lazarus. Archbishop Aurelius of Carthage quickly called a synod, which sent a letter to Zosimus in which it was proved that the pope had been deceived by the heretics. In his answer Zosimus declared that he had settled nothing definitely, and wished to settle nothing without consulting the African bishops. After the new synodal letter of the African council of 1 May, 418, to the pope, and after the steps taken by the Emperor Honorius against the Pelagians, Zosimus recognized the true character of the heretics. He now issued his "Tractoria", in which Pelagianism and its authors were condemned. Thus, finally, the occupant of the Apostolic See at the right moment maintained with all authority the traditional dogma of the Church, and protected the truth of the Church against error.
Shortly after this Zosimus became involved in a dispute with the African bishops in regard to the right of appeal to the Roman See clerics who had been condemned by their bishops. When the priest Apiarius of Sicca had been excommunicated by his bishop on account of his crimes he appealed directly to the pope, without regard to the regular course of appeal in Africa which was exactly prescribed. The pope at once accepted the appeal, and sent legates with letters to Africa to investigate the matter. A wiser course would have been to have first referred Apiarius to the ordinary course of appeal in Africa itself. Zosimus next made the further mistake of basing his action on a reputed canon of the Council of Nicaea, which was in reality a canon of the Council of Sardica. In the Roman manuscripts the canons of Sardica followed those of Nicaea immediately, without an independent title, while the African manuscripts contained only the genuine canons of Nicaea, so that the canon appealed to by Zosimus was not contained in the African copies of the Nicene canons. Thus a serious disagreement arose over this appeal, which continued after the death of Zosimus.
Besides the writings of the pope already mentioned, there are extant other letters to the bishops of the Byzantine province in Africa, in regard to a deposed bishop, and to the bishops of Gaul and Spain in respect to Priscillianism and ordination to the different grades of the clergy. The "Liber Pontificalis" attributes to Zosimus a Decree on the wearing of the maniple by deacons and on the dedication of Easter candles in the country parishes; also a Decree forbidding clerics to visit taverns. Zosimus was buried in the sepulchral Church of St. Laurence in Agro Verano (cf. De Rossi, "Bulletino di arch. christ.", 1881, 91 sqq.).
ReferencesISBN links support NWE through referral fees
- De Rossi, Bulletino di arch. christ., 1881, 91 sqq
- Duchesne, Histoire ancienne de l'église, 111, 228, note
- Harnack Sitzungsberichte der Berliner Akademie, 1904, 1050
See also
| Saints Portal |
External links
| Roman Catholic Popes | ||
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| Preceded by: Innocent I |
Bishop of Rome 417–418 |
Succeeded by: Boniface I |
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This article incorporates text from the Encyclopædia Britannica Eleventh Edition, a publication now in the public domain.
This article incorporates text from the public-domain Catholic Encyclopedia of 1913.
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