Pope Gregory I “The Great”: A Study of Papal Headship in Action Flashcards
Who were the two most important figures in early medieval church history?
Pope Gregory I, the great. He was pope for 14 years, and established for the medieval period what a good pope should be.
The other great leader would be Benedict, and his Rule. They are the most characteristic figures in the medieval church at its earliest points.
What is the context for Gregory’s papacy?
From 540 to 554, Justinian wanted to reconquer the western Mediterranean. He destroys the Ostrogoths and Vandals. But problems back home force him to withdraw after 10 years. So you have bands of soldier all over the place. That’s the context for Gregory.
Basically, a vacuum of political leadership.
What are some of the important early events in Gregory I’s life?
– Born 540 into a patrician family of secular and religious renown. His mother and two aunts were already canonized.
– Becomes prefect of Rome (573). Top civilian position.
– Father soon dies, he decides to become a monk, forms a monastery. He founds a monastery. He becomes one of the seven deacons under Pelagius.
Gregory I becomes advisor to what pope? And when?
Becomes advisor to Pope Pelagius II, and is sent to Constantinople on account of threat of Lombards (579, threaten to expand towards Rome), he goes and asks for aid and stays there for 6 years (he brought his monks with him, and stays away from the court of Byzantine). He is recalled in 586 to Rome.
What is Servus Servorum Dei?
“servant of God’s servants”, the title that Gregory takes when he becomes Pope.
When does Gregory become pope, and what title does he take on?
Gregory elected Pope, 590, taking the above (“servant of God’s servants”) as his official title. It embodies a monastic sense of servanthood and obedience.
What challenges did Gregory face in his early years as Pope?
– Outbreak of plague: Gregory organizes 3-day penitential procession because of a plague. From a pastoral view, that’s the best thing he could’ve done.
– Hold off and negotiate with the Lombard king. No help was going to come from Constantinople.
– Helps ransom Christian prisoners with his own family wealth
How did Gregory I view the bishop of Rome?
He saw Rome as the head of the faith. He developed this thought. It’s not that Rome is everything, but that it was the head of the faith in its association with Peter and Paul. Believed that Rome was the place where all should appeal (Uses council of Sardinia to prove his point). In terms of order, he was the same as any other bishop. But under jurisdiction, he had all the power.
What is “St. Peter’s Patrimony”, on how did it affect the papacy?
– Lands owned by the church extensive, especially that of Roman church. The pope was the personal landlord, and understood that it was for the whole community. He would mourn when a beggar died, and held himself responsible. Saw himself as an abbot for the people of Rome. The church was becoming a lot more wealthy at this point. People, instead of paying taxes, gave their estates to the church (and the church allowed them to use it). The town walls and aqueduct began to be controlled by the church, and not the emperor.
– Gregory reforms their administration, to develop it in trust for the benefit of the whole community.
– Taking over various functions previously provided by the Emperor. What happens then, is that the pope becomes a temporal leader, not just a spiritual one.
How did Gregory I view the barbarians?
Despite his cultural bias, Gregory accepted that God had willed the Barbarians tribes to conquer and were his spiritual responsibility. It was his duty as pope to take care of the spiritual needs of these people, and he did this without Constantinople.
How did Gregory I supervise the church throughout Italy?
In Italy, use of his “bailiffs” (estate agents) in charge of the church’s scattered patrimony, to be his agents:
– keeping him informed of conditions throughout Italy. He wrote to them once a month, and they wrote him.
– Hence, his supervision of the church in Italy was effective
How did Gregory try to “control” beyond the Italian “patrimony”?
Hint: There are 4 reasons
– Corruption of church by “simony”. He saw that the church outside Italy was corrupt. Simon tries to buy an apostolic office in Acts. In the medieval period, this became common. The granted of bishopry was done by the king or the nobles. Leaders were appointed for royal favor.
– Urge clergy toward celibacy. Again, to get rid of corruption.
– Need of Church discipline (letters sent to various leaders in Europe): pastoral, not political, motivations. It was not for political power, but to save the church.
– Prevent the tribalization of the Church: it needed its own system of government. He needed a system of government, to control it even it its remotest past. Remember, the context is a church that is in disarray because of pagan barbarians coming in and disrupting everything. Their rulers were assigning bishops. So you HAVE to come up with a way to control what is happening. He has the most success in England (aahh, is that the roots of the church of England?)
How does Gregory I gain control of the church in England? Specifically, what does he do?
Gregory sends Augustine to the Kingdom of Kent (SW England), giving him the pallium as sign of his Roman connection. A pallium is like a blanket that emphasizes Augustine to Peter’s apostleship. Augustine was a monk in Gregory’s monastery.
The conversion of the south and midlands of England are thus due to Gregory’s initiative. This was the mission to the Anglo Saxons. Kent was an early kingdom.
Adopts a scheme of Metropolitans/Archbishops who are approved by the Pope. Canterbury and York were the first archbishopries. It meant that the English church was controlled by the papacy more than any other church.
Papacy has more control over English church than any other outside Italy
How does the church in England “return the favor” that Gregory had given them in reaching their people?
In 8th century, English begin to send missionaries back to the continent—they seek Roman approval for their efforts
– Cf. Wynfrith and Willibrord, who first go to Rome for consecration, are renamed “Boniface” and “Clement” respectively, later to become missionary bishops of Utrecht and Mainz respectively. Both receive the pallium from the pope.
– They introduce Gregory’s system of church government into northern Europe. A church that is supervised by Rome begins to be built up.
Regula pastoralis
Book written by Gregory on how to be a good pope. His Regula pastoralis (book of pastoral rule). He became very famous, especially for talking about he duties of a pastor.
