Damasus I (ca. 305 - 383) was pope from 366 to 383. His father, Antonius, was probably a Spaniard; the name of his mother, Laurentia, was not discovered until the beginning of the 21st century. Damasus seems to have been born at Rome. It is certain that he grew up there in the service of the church of the martyr St. Laurence. Events May 1 - Diocletian and Maximian, emperors of Rome, retire from office. ... Events January 19 - Arcadius is elevated as Roman Emperor. ... Pope John Paul II has reigned since 22 Oct 1978. ... Events January 2, Alamanni cross frozen Rhine in large numbers, invading Roman Empire October 1 - Pope Damasus I becomes Bishop of Rome. ... The Kingdom of Spain or Spain (Spanish and Galician: Reino de España or España; Catalan: Regne dEspanya; Basque: Espainiako Erresuma) is a country located in the southwest of Europe. ... (20th century - 21st century - 22nd century - other centuries) Definition In calendars based on the Christian Era or Common Era, such as the Gregorian calendar, the 21st century is the current century, as of this writing, lasting from 2000-2099. ... The Roman Colosseum Rome (Italian and Latin Roma) is the capital city of Italy, and of its Lazio region. ... This page concerns the Christian martyr. ...

In 366, the death of Liberius led to a division in the church at Rome. One faction supported Ursinus, who had served as deacon to Liberius, while the other faction, previously loyal to the Antipope Felix II, supported Damasus. 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. Events January 2, Alamanni cross frozen Rhine in large numbers, invading Roman Empire October 1 - Pope Damasus I becomes Bishop of Rome. ... Liberius, pope from May 17, 352 to September 24, 366, was the earliest pope who did not become a saint. ... This article is about the Christian buildings of worship. ... Ursicinus, also known as Ursinus was elected pope in a violently contested election in 366 as a rival to Pope Damasus I, ruled in Rome for several months in 366 – 367, was afterwards declared the antipope, and died after 381. ... Felix II is generally considered an antipope rather than a pope. ... Roman Emperor is the title historians use to refer to the ruler of the Roman Empire. ... Medallion of Valentinian I (364-375) Thessalonika, 364-367 Valentinian I (321 - November 17, 375) was a Roman emperor of the Western Roman Empire (364 - 375). ...

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. A wealthy aristocrat called Praetextatus, who was a priest in the cults of numerous gods, is reputed to have said jokingly to Damasus, "Make me bishop of Rome and I will become a Christian". Some of his critics used to call him "The ladies' ear-tickler". An accusation of adultery was laid against him in 378 in the imperial court, but he was exonerated by Emperor Gratianus himself. Paganism is a catch-all term which has come to bundle together (by extension from its original classical meaning of a pre-Christian religion) a very broad set of not necessarily compatible religious beliefs and practices that are usually, but not necessarily, characterized by polytheism and, less commonly, animism. ... Adultery is generally defined as consensual sexual intercourse by a married person with someone other than their lawful spouse. ... Events Mid-February: Lentienses cross frozen Rhine, invading Roman Empire. ... For the 12th century canon lawyer, see Gratian (jurist). ...

Damasus is notable for his association with Jerome whom he appointed his confidential secretary: "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," Jerome remarks (if "east and west" do not betray the passage as an interpolation) in his letter of 409 (letter cxx.10 [1]  (http://www.ccel.org/fathers/NPNF2-06/letters/lette123.htm)). Jerome's apparent surviving letters of fulsome praise emphasizing the primacy of the see of Peter, however, are actually part of the 9th century Pseudo-Isidorian forgeries, however they are still often quoted as if genuine. For other uses see: Jerome (disambiguation) Jerome (about 340 - September 30, 420), (full name Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus) is best known as the translator of the Bible from Greek and Hebrew into Latin. ... For the cleaning product 409®, see butoxyethanol. ... According to tradition, Peter was crucified upside-down, as shown in this painting by Caravaggio. ... ( 8th century - 9th century - 10th century - other centuries) Events Beowulf might have been written down in this century, though it could also have been in the 8th century Reign of Charlemagne, and concurrent (and controversially labeled) Carolingian Renaissance in western Europe Viking attacks on Europe begin Oseberg ship burial The... The Pseudo-Isidorian Decretals and certain fictitious letters ascribed to early popes, from Clement to Gregory the Great were incorporated in a ninth-century collection of canons purporting to have been made by a certain, apparently fictitious, Isidore Mercator, not to be confused with the early medieval encyclopedist Isidore of...

Damasus encouraged the highly respected scholar to revise the available Old Latin versions of the Bible into a more accurate Latin, 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 at the age of almost eighty" (ch. 103). For the Old Latin Bible used before the Vulgate, see Vetus Latina. ... The Bible (From Greek βιβλιος biblios, meaning book, which in turn is derived from βυβλος—byblos meaning papyrus, from the ancient Phoenician city of Byblos which exported papyrus) is a word applied to sacred scriptures. ... Latin - Wikipedia /**/ @import /skins/monobook/IE50Fixes. ... The Vulgate Bible is an early 5th century translation of the Bible into Latin made by St. ... Flavius Theodosius (Cauca [Coca-Segovia], Spain, January 11, 347 - Milan, January 17, 395), also called Theodosius I and Theodosius the Great, was a Roman emperor. ...

Damasus also contributed greatly to the 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. From the Greek word λειτουργια, which can be transliterated as leitourgia, meaning the work of the people, a liturgy comprises a prescribed religious ceremony, according to the traditions of a particular religion; it may be refer to, or include, an elaborate formal ritual (such as the Catholic Mass), a daily...

These ceremonial embellishments and the emphasis on the Roman legacy of Peter and 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. This was often more for aesthetic and antiquarian reasons, rather than strictly religious ones. To these elegant, austere citizens, the pagan zeal of the previous Emperor, Julian was an embarrassment nearly as grating as that of any Christian evangelist. According to tradition, Peter was crucified upside-down, as shown in this painting by Caravaggio. ... A 19th century picture of Paul of Tarsus Paul of Tarsus (originally Saul of Tarsus) or Saint Paul the Apostle (fl. ... For other meanings of Julian, see Julian (disambiguation). ...

Damasus was the first bishop of Rome to invoke the "Petrine text" (Matthew 16:18) in terms that sought to establish a serious theological and scriptural foundation on which the primacy of the Roman church could be based. From Damasus onwards, there is a marked increase in the volume and importance of claims of authority and primacy from the Roman bishops, claims reinforced by the forged correspondence with Jerome (see below). The Gospel of Matthew is one of the four Gospels of the New Testament. ...

Damasus spoke of Rome in terms of the "Apostolic See", as his predecessor Liberius had also done. This is one of the most noteworthy qualities of his reign, as it allowed him to emphasise his powerful apostolic inheritance. His reign is also one of the more important landmarks in the progression towards the development of the Papacy proper. In the several centuries following the founding of Christianity, five particular cities and centers of Christianity were considered to be the Apostolic Sees. ...

Letters of Pseudo-Jerome to Pseudo-Damasus

The letters purportedly from Jerome to Damasus have sometimes been adduced as examples of the primacy of the seat of Peter:

..."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."

Letter of Jerome to Pope Damasus, 376 A.D., 2

Liberius, pope from May 17, 352 to September 24, 366, was the earliest pope who did not become a saint. ... This is a list of Popes of the Roman Catholic Church. ... Siricius, Bishop of Rome from 17 December 384 until his death on 26 November 399, was successor to Damasus and was himself succeeded by Anastasius I. He was the author of two decrees concerning clerical celibacy. ...

Bibliography

"The Pelican History of the Church - 1: The Early Church" by Henry Chadwick

"A History of the Christian Church" by Williston Walker