CRISTO RAUL. READING HALL THE DOORS OF WISDOM

THE HISTORY OF THE POPES

THE

LIFE AND TIMES OF POPE GREGORY I THE GREAT

A.D. 540 – 604

... But Gregory was resolute. He says, in a letter to the Patriarch on this occasion: "I confidently say, that whoever calls himself universal priest, or desires in his elation to be called so, is the forerunner of Antichrist"…

TABLE OF DATES

A.D.

540.  ? Birth of Gregory.

545.    Totila lays siege to Borne.

546.    Rome taken by the Goths.

547.    Rome recovered by Belisarius.

548.    Belisarius leaves Italy.

549.    Rome again taken by the Goths.

552.     Defeat and death of Totila.

558.     Defeat and death of Teias.

The Fifth General Council at Constantinople.

554.    Defeat of Franks and Alamanni by Narses at Capua.

Promulgation of the Pragmatic Sanction.

555.    Death of Pope Vigilius in Sicily: accession of Pelagius I.

560.     Death of Pelagius I: election of John III.

565.     Death of Belisarius.

Death of Justinian: accession of Justin II.

567.     Disgrace of Narses. Longinus succeeds him at Ravenna.

Death of Charibert, king of Paris: Gaul divided into three kingdoms.

568.      Lombards invade Italy under Alboin.

569.      Alboin overruns Liguria and lays siege to Pavia.

571.     Foundation of duchies of Spoleto ana Benevento.

572.    Fall of Pavia.

Murder of Alboin.

Cleph elected king of the Lombards.

578.    ? Gregory Prefect of the City of Rome.

Death of Pope John III.

574.    ? Gregory becomes a monk.

 Benedict I elected Pope.

Cleph assassinated, and the ten years’ interregnum begins.

575.    Murder of Sigibert at Vitry.

577.     Embassy of Pamphronius to Constantinople.

578.   ? Gregory ordained Seventh Deacon.

Death of Pope Benedict I: election of Pelagius II.

Death of the Emperor Justin II: succession of Tiberius.

579.    ? Gregory sent as apocrisiarius to Constantinople.

582.       John the Faster succeeds Eutychius as Patriarch of Constantinople.

 The Emperor Tiberius dies and Maurice begins to reign.

584.    Authari chosen king of the Lombards.

Birth of Theodosius, son of Maurice.

Childebert king of Australia invades Italy.

585.    Smaragdus succeeds Longinus as Exarch.

Death of Hermenigild.

586.    ? Gregory recalled to Rome.

Gregory becomes abbat of St. Andrew's Monastery.

589.    Council of Toledo.

The Exarch Smaragdus superseded by Romanus.

King Authari marries Theudelinda. F

loods in Italy.

590.   The Plague in Italy.

Invasion of Franks under Olo, Audovald, and Ohedin.

Death of King Authari: Theudelinda marries Agilulf.

Death of Pope Pelagius II.

Gregory elected Pope.

Gregory ordains a Sevenfold Litany.

Gregory consecrated Pope, September 8.

Gregory publishes his Pastoral Care.

591.     Agilulf proclaimed king of the Lombards.

Ariulf and Arichis become dukes respectively of Spoleto and Benevento.

Drought and famine in Italy.

Maximianus made bishop of Syracuse.

Gregory attacks the African system of Primacies.

? Gregory reclaims and dedicates an Arian church in Rome.

592.      Gregory appoints a governor in Nepi, and provides for the defence of Naples.

Gregory makes peace with Duke Ariulf. The Exarch Romanus comes to Rome.

593.    Agilulf besieges Rome.

Constantins consecrated Archbishop of Milan. Salona trouble begins.

Beginning of the pallium controversy between Gregory and the bishops of Ravenna.

Death of Guntram king of Burgundy.

Synod in Numidia against the Donatists.

Gregory protests against the law of Maurice forbidding soldiers to become monks.

? Gregory publishes the Dialogues.

594.    Council at Carthage against the Donatists.

Gregory refuses the Empress’s request for the head of St. Paul.

Death of Maximianus of Syraouse.

595.      Gregory sends to Maurice the famous “Fool ” Letter.

Gregory confers pallium and vicariate on Virgilius of Arles.

John of Ravenna dies, and is succeeded by Marinianus.

Roman synod passes six decrees.

John and Athanasius tried and acquitted by Gregory. Gregory writes his letters on the “ Ecumenical ” controversy.

John the Faster dies, and is succeeded by Cyriacus.

596.     The affair of the placard at Ravenna.

 Death of King Childebert.

? Death of the Exarch Romanus.

Augustine starts for Britain.

597.    ? Callinicus the Exarch arrives at Ravenna.

Brunichildis requests the pallium for Syagrius.

Augustine lands in Britain and converts King Ethelbert. Augustine is consecrated “Archbishop of the English."

Death of Columba.

599.       Gregory sends the pallium to Leander of Seville.

Gregory endeavours to promote a synod in Gaul for reformation of abuses.

Peace concluded between the Empire and the Lombards. Maximus of Salona submits to the Pope.

600.      Constantins of Milan dies; and is succeeded by Deusdedit.

601.       Renewal of Lombard war: seizure of Agilulf s daughter by the Exarch Callinicus.

Gregory again attempts to get a council held in Gaul.

Second mission to Britain starts.

602.      The Exarch Callinicus superseded by Smaragdus.

Birth of Adalwald, son of Agilulf ana Theudelinda.

The fall of the Emperor Maurice and the ooronation of Phocas.

Privilegia sent by Gregory to Bruniohildis.

Firminus of Trieste secedes from the Istrian schism. ?

Augustine's first conference with the British bishops.

603.      The Phocas Letters.

Campaign of Agilulf: peace concluded.

The mission of John the defensor to Spain.

Synod at Chalon-sur-Sadne.

Augustine’s second conference with the British bishops.

604.     Foundation of the sees of Rochester and London.

Death of Pope Gregory, March 12.

THOUGH painfully conscious of the many imperfections of the study of Pope Gregory and his times which I now offer to the public, I cannot but feel that the attempt itself to give some detailed account of the most remarkable man of a remarkable age needs no apology. Gregory the Great is certainly one of the most notable figures in ecclesiastical history. He has exercised in many respects a momentous influence on the doctrine, the organization, and the discipline of the Catholic Church. To him we must look for an explanation of the religious situation of the Middle Ages: indeed, if no account were taken of his work, the evolution of the form of mediaeval Christianity would be almost inexplicable. And further, in so far as the modern Catholic system is a legitimate development of mediaeval Catholicism, of this too Gregory may not unreasonably be termed the Father. In recent times an attempt has been made to distinguish the Christianity of the first six centuries from that of the Schoolmen and the later divines. But to anyone who will take the trouble to examine the writings of the last great Doctor of the sixth century, the futility of this arbitrary distinction will soon become apparent. Almost all the leading principles of the later Catholicism are found, at any rate in germ, in Gregory the Great.

Nor, again, can those who are interested only in purely secular history afford to overlook the work of one of the greatest of the early Popes, whose influence was felt alike by the Byzantine Emperors, by the Lombard princes, by the kings in Britain, Gaul, and Spain. Gregory was by far the most important personage of his time. He stood in the very centre of his world, and overshadowed it. He took an interest and claimed a share in all its chief transactions; he was in relation, more or less intimate, with all its leading characters. If the history of the latter part of the sixth century is to be studied intelligently, it must be studied in close connection with the life and labours of that illustrious Pontiff, who for many years was the foremost personage in Europe, and did more, perhaps, than any other single man to shape the course of European development.

Finally, to Gregory the students of English history are more especially bound to devote their attention, since it is he who was the means of introducing Christianity among the English, and of renewing the broken communications between Britain and the Roman world. How far-reaching have been the effects of his action it is unnecessary to point out. I will only remark that, in respect of the history of the doctrine of the English Church, Gregory's theology is of particular interest. For the system of dogma which was introduced into our island by Augustine was the system elaborated by Augustine's revered master.

In view of these considerations, it is certainly astonishing that a satisfactory English biography of the saint has not long ago appeared. That none has been given us is perhaps due to the fact that recent English theologians and ecclesiastical historians have concerned themselves mainly with the period of the Great Councils and with the period of the Reformation, and have passed over the intervening centuries from A.D. 500 onwards as less interesting and less worthy of their notice. But whatever the explanation may be, it is certain that hitherto the life and times of Gregory have not adequately been dealt with in the English language. Foreign writers, particularly in Germany, have shown a more just appreciation of the historical significance of the great Pope, and a few valuable monographs on the subject have been published, the most important of which I shall enumerate below. But some of these works are out of print, and otherwise inaccessible, and not one of them, so far as I know, has been translated for the benefit of English readers.

Under the circumstances, therefore, I conceive that there is room for a detailed study of the life and times of Gregory. The first two books of my biography deal with the history of the saint, and here I have treated my material in the fullest way, endeavouring to pass over nothing that is really pertinent, and supporting my assertions with ample references to the original authorities. I have further aimed at giving some account of the political, social, and religious characteristics of the age, in the hope that my work may prove of some slight service to those who are interested in historical research. The third book of the biography is concerned exclusively with Gregory's theology, and I think that I may claim that it is the first attempt that has been made in English to set forth systematically the dogmatic utterances of the last of the Latin Doctors.