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Encyclopedia > Pope Damasus I
Damasus I
Birth name Damasus
Papacy began 366
Papacy ended 383
Predecessor Liberius
Successor Siricius
Born ca. 305
Idanha-a-Nova, Lusitania, Hispania (now Portugal)
Died 383
Rome, Italy
Other Popes named Damasus
Styles of
Pope Damasus I
Reference style His Holiness
Spoken style Your Holiness
Religious style Holy Father
Posthumous style Saint

Pope Damasus I (ca. 305-383) was Pope from 366. Probably born near the city of Idanha-a-Nova (in Lusitania, Hispania), in what is present-day Portugal, 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.[1] Image File history File links Emblem_of_the_Papacy. ... Events January 2, Alamanni cross frozen Rhine in large numbers, invading Roman Empire October 1 - Pope Damasus I becomes Bishop of Rome. ... Events By Place Roman Empire January 19 - Arcadius is elevated to Emperor. ... Liberius, pope from May 17, 352 to September 24, 366, was the earliest pope who did not become a saint. ... St. ... Events May 1 - Diocletian and Maximian, emperors of Rome, retire from office. ... District or region Castelo Branco Mayor   - Party Álvaro Rocha PS Area 1,416. ... In red is the province of Lusitania within the Roman Empire, 120 AD Lusitania was an ancient Roman province approximately including current Portugal, except for the area between the rivers Douro and Minho (part of Hispania Tarraconensis), and part of modern day western Spain, the present autonomous communities of Extremadura... Roman theater at Mérida; the statues are replicas Hispania was the name given by the Romans to the whole of the Iberian Peninsula (modern Portugal, Spain, Andorra and Gibraltar) and to two provinces created there in the period of the Roman Republic: Hispania Citerior and Hispania Ulterior. ... Events By Place Roman Empire January 19 - Arcadius is elevated to Emperor. ... Nickname: The Eternal City Motto: SPQR: Senatus PopulusQue Romanus Location of the city of Rome (yellow) within the Province of Rome (red) and region of Lazio (grey) Coordinates: Region Lazio Province Province of Rome Founded 21 April 753 BC Mayor Walter Veltroni Area    - City 1,285 km²  (496. ... Damasus I ( 305 - 383) was pope from 366 to 383. ... Image File history File links Emblem_of_the_Papacy. ... A style of office, or honorific, is a form of address which by tradition or law precedes a reference to a person who holds a title or post, or to the political office itself. ... In traditional Christian iconography, Saints are usually depicted as having halos. ... Events May 1 - Diocletian and Maximian, emperors of Rome, retire from office. ... Events By Place Roman Empire January 19 - Arcadius is elevated to Emperor. ... The current Pope is Benedict XVI (born Joseph Alois Ratzinger), who was elected at the age of 78 on 19 April 2005. ... Events January 2, Alamanni cross frozen Rhine in large numbers, invading Roman Empire October 1 - Pope Damasus I becomes Bishop of Rome. ... District or region Castelo Branco Mayor   - Party Álvaro Rocha PS Area 1,416. ... In red is the province of Lusitania within the Roman Empire, 120 AD Lusitania was an ancient Roman province approximately including current Portugal, except for the area between the rivers Douro and Minho (part of Hispania Tarraconensis), and part of modern day western Spain, the present autonomous communities of Extremadura... Roman theater at Mérida; the statues are replicas Hispania was the name given by the Romans to the whole of the Iberian Peninsula (modern Portugal, Spain, Andorra and Gibraltar) and to two provinces created there in the period of the Roman Republic: Hispania Citerior and Hispania Ulterior. ... The Western Roman Empire is the western half of the Roman Empire after its division by Diocletian in 286. ... Bronze statue of Constantine I in York, England, near the spot where he was proclaimed Emperor in 306 For other uses, see Constantine I (disambiguation). ... The Western Roman Empire is the western half of the Roman Empire after its division by Diocletian in 286. ... Byzantine Empire is the term conventionally used to describe the Roman Empire during the Middle Ages, centered around its capital in Constantinople. ... Battle of the Milvian Bridge, Raphael, Vatican Rooms. ... This article is becoming very long. ... This article is becoming very long. ...


Damasus I is known to have been raised in the service of the church of the martyr 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 Ursinus, in a riot that required the intervention of Emperor Valentinian I to quell. Saint Lawrence (225 – 258) (Latin Laurentius, laurelled) was one of the seven deacons of Rome who were martyred under the persecution of Roman Emperor Valerian in 258. ... Nickname: The Eternal City Motto: SPQR: Senatus PopulusQue Romanus Location of the city of Rome (yellow) within the Province of Rome (red) and region of Lazio (grey) Coordinates: Region Lazio Province Province of Rome Founded 21 April 753 BC Mayor Walter Veltroni Area    - City 1,285 km²  (496. ... Liberius, pope from May 17, 352 to September 24, 366, was the earliest pope who did not become a saint. ... Felix II is generally considered an antipope rather than a pope. ... Deacon is a role in the Christian Church which is generally associated with service of some kind, but which varies among theological and denominational traditions. ... 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. ... This section may stray from the articles topic into the topic of another article: List of notable riots. ... This is a list of Roman Emperors with the dates they controlled the Roman Empire. ... Medallion of Valentinian I. Solidus minted by Valens in ca. ...


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 was translated from the original 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 canon of scripture was first set down. This article is about theological views like those of Arius. ... The Basilica di San Lorenzo fuori le Mura is a shrine to the martyred Roman deacon, Saint Lawrence. ... Jerome (ca. ... Latin is an ancient Indo-European language originally spoken in Latium, the region immediately surrounding Rome. ... The word Bible refers to the canonical collections of sacred writings of Judaism and Christianity. ... The Vulgate Bible is an early 5th century translation of the Bible into Latin made by St. ... Vetus Latina is a collective name given to the Biblical texts in Latin that were translated before St Jeromes Vulgate bible became the standard Bible for Latin-speaking Western Christians. ... Hebrew redirects here. ... The Septuagint: A page from Codex vaticanus, the basis of Sir Launcelot Lee Brentons English translation. ... The Council of Rome was a meeting of Western church officials and theologians which took place in 382 under the authority of Pope Damasus I. The previous year, the Emperor Theodosius I had appointed the dark horse candidate Nectarius Patriarch of Constantinople. ... Events October 3 - Theodosius I commands his general Saturninus to conclude a peace treaty with the Visigoths, allowing them to settle south of the Danube. ... The Roman Catholic Church, most often spoken of simply as the Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with over one billion members. ... The so-called Decretum Gelasianum or Gelasian Decree was traditionally attributed to the prolific Pope Gelasius I, bishop of Rome 492 – 496. ... The biblical canon is a list of books written during the formative periods of the Jewish or Christian faiths. ...

Contents

Early life

Damasus was the son of Antonius, a priest at the Church of San Lorenzo in Rome. The name of his mother was Laurentia. Damasus was raised in service of the Church.


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 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. The Western Roman Empire is the western half of the Roman Empire after its division by Diocletian in 286. ... The Edict of Milan (313) declared that the Roman Empire would be neutral with regard to religious worship, officially ending all government-sanctioned persecution, especially of Christianity. ... February - Wtf is up mah cracka??. Constantine issues the Edict of Milan, ending all persecution of Christians in the Roman Empire. ... As of Licinius Aureus of Licinius, celebrating his tenth year of reign and the fifth year of his son Licinius (on the obverse). ... Paganism (from Latin paganus, meaning a country dweller or civilian) is a term which, from a western perspective, has come to connote a broad set of spiritual or religious beliefs and practices of natural or polytheistic religions. ... Events Constantine becomes the sole emperor of the Roman Empire. ... Map of Constantinople. ...


Rise in the Church

When Pope Liberius was banished by Emperor Constantius II to Beraea, in 354, Damasus was arch-deacon of the Roman church and followed Liberus 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.[2] Flavius Iulius Constantius, known in English as Constantius II, (7 August 317 - 3 November 361) was a Roman Emperor (337 - 361) of the Constantinian dynasty. ... Events Gallus deposed, executed at Antioch. ... Deacon is a role in the Christian Church which is generally associated with service of some kind, but which varies among theological and denominational traditions. ...


The succession crisis

In the early 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 dioceses. 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. The Roman Catholic Church or Catholic Church (see Terminology below) is the Christian Church in full communion with the Bishop of Rome, currently Pope Benedict XVI. It traces its origins and sees itself as the same Church founded by Jesus of Nazareth and maintained through Apostolic Succession from the Twelve... Clergy is the generic term used to describe the formal religious leadership within a given religion. ... Pope Pius XI blesses Bishop Stephen Alencastre as fifth Apostolic Vicar of the Hawaiian Islands in a Cathedral of Our Lady of Peace window. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article may require cleanup. ... In Ancient Rome, the plebs was the general body of Roman citizens, distinct from the privileged class of the patricians. ... As a means of recording the passage of time, the 4th century was that century which lasted from 301 to 400. ...


On the death of Liberius 24 September 366, one faction supported 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 deacons 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 praefecti 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. September 24 is the 267th day of the year (268th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Events January 2, Alamanni cross frozen Rhine in large numbers, invading Roman Empire October 1 - Pope Damasus I becomes Bishop of Rome. ... 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. ... Deacon is a role in the Christian Church which is generally associated with service of some kind, but which varies among theological and denominational traditions. ... In religious organizations, the laity comprises all lay persons collectively. ... San Lorenzo in Lucina is a church in Rome, dating back to the 4th century, and devoted to St Lawrence, Roman diacon and martyr. ... The word prefect can refer to any of a number of types of official, including: in Latin, praefectus: a high-ranking military or civil official in the Roman Empire; the title now attaches to the heads of some departments of the Roman Curia, who are traditionally Cardinals, and if they... Ammianus Marcellinus (325/330-after 391) was a Roman historian who wrote during Late Antiquity. ... Map of Gaul circa 58 BC Gaul (Latin: ) was the name given, in ancient times, to the region of Western Europe comprising present-day northern Italy, France, Belgium, western Switzerland and the parts of the Netherlands and Germany on the west bank of the Rhine river. ...


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). Jerome (ca. ... Tyrannius Rufinus or Rufinus of Aquileia (between 340 and 345–410 CE) was a monk, historian, and theologian. ... A synod (also known as a council) is a council of a church, usually a Christian church, convened to decide an issue of doctrine, administration or application. ... Events Mid-February: Lentienses cross frozen Rhine, invading Roman Empire. ... Arian may refer to one of the following. ... Milan (Italian: Milano; Milanese: Milán (listen)) is the main city of northern Italy, located in the plains of Lombardy. ... Saint Ambrose, (Latin: Sanctus Ambrosius, Ambrosius episcopus Mediolanensis; Italian: SantAmbrogio) (c. ...


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. Medallion of Valentinian I. Solidus minted by Valens in ca. ...


Allegations of immorality

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 him "the ladies' ear-tickler." Paganism (from Latin paganus, meaning a country dweller or civilian) is a term which, from a western perspective, has come to connote a broad set of spiritual or religious beliefs and practices of natural or polytheistic religions. ... This article is becoming very long. ... Saint Prætextatus (ass. ...


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 bishops (Liber Pontificalis, ed. Duchesne, s.v.; Mansi, op. cit., III, 419) which also excommunicated his accusers.[3] The Catholic Encyclopedia, also referred to today as the Old Catholic Encyclopedia, is an English-language encyclopedia published in 1913 by The Encyclopedia Press. ... A coin of Gratian. ... Gian (Giovanni) Domenico Mansi (16 February 1692–27 September 1769) was an Italian theologian, scholar and historian, known for his massive works on the Church councils. ... A synod (also known as a council) is a council of a church, usually a Christian church, convened to decide an issue of doctrine, administration or application. ... Diocesan College, or Bishops as it is commonly known, is a private school situated in the leafy suburb of Rondebosch in Cape Town, South Africa, at the foot of Table Mountain. ... The Book of the Popes or the Liber Pontificalis is a major source for early medieval history but was also met with intense critical scrutiny. ... Excommunication is religious censure which is used to deprive or suspend membership in a religious community. ...


Association with Jerome, defence of the Church against schism

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

Damasus I was active in defending the Roman Church against the threat of schisms. 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 heresies. Download high resolution version (1780x2320, 784 KB) Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... Download high resolution version (1780x2320, 784 KB) Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... Rubens and Isabella Brant in the Honeysuckle Bower Alte Pinakothek Pieter Pauwel (Peter Paul) Rubens (June 28, 1577 – May 30, 1640) was the most popular and prolific Flemish and European painter of the 17th century. ... The word schism (IPA: or ), from the Greek σχίσμα, skhísma (from σχίζω, skhízō, to split), means a division or a split, usually in an organization or a movement. ... Apollinarism or Apollinarianism was a view proposed by Apollinaris of Laodicea that Jesus had a human body but a divine mind. ... The First Council of Constantinople (second ecumenical council) was called by Theodosius I in 381 to confirm the Nicene Creed and deal with other matters of the Arian controversy . ... Events First Council of Constantinople - second Ecumenical council of the Christian Church: The Nicene creed is affirmed and extended, Apollinarism is declared a heresy. ... Heresy, according to the Oxford English Dictionary, is a theological or religious opinion or doctrine maintained in opposition, or held to be contrary, to the Catholic or Orthodox doctrine of the Christian Church, or, by extension, to that of any church, creed, or religious system, considered as orthodox. ...


Damasus appointed Church historian Jerome, whom he appointed his confidential secretary. In Jerome's letter of 409 (letter cxx.10 [4]), 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 [if "east and west" do not betray the passage as an interpolation] 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 of Antioch, he made himself indispensable to the pope, and took a prominent place in his councils. Jerome (ca. ... For the cleaning product 409®, see butoxyethanol. ... Events October 3 - Theodosius I commands his general Saturninus to conclude a peace treaty with the Visigoths, allowing them to settle south of the Danube. ... Events February 11 - Oldest Pope elected: Siricius, bishop of Tarragona. ... A synod (also known as a council) is a council of a church, usually a Christian church, convened to decide an issue of doctrine, administration or application. ... The word schism (IPA: or ), from the Greek σχίσμα, skhísma (from σχίζω, skhízō, to split), means a division or a split, usually in an organization or a movement. ... Antioch on the Orontes (Greek: Αντιόχεια η επί Δάφνη, Αντιόχεια η επί Ορόντου or Αντιόχεια η Μεγάλη; Latin: Antiochia ad Orontem, also Antiochia dei Siri), the Great Antioch or Syrian Antioch was an ancient city located on the eastern side (left bank) of the Orontes River about 30 km from the sea and its port, Seleucia Pieria. ...


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 at the age of almost eighty" (ch. 103). The Forum inscription is one of the oldest known Latin inscriptions. ... The word Bible refers to the canonical collections of sacred writings of Judaism and Christianity. ... Latin is an ancient Indo-European language originally spoken in Latium, the region immediately surrounding Rome. ... John 21:1 Jesus Appears to His Disciples--Alessandro Mantovani: the Vatican, Rome. ... The Septuagint: A page from Codex vaticanus, the basis of Sir Launcelot Lee Brentons English translation. ... The Vulgate Bible is an early 5th century translation of the Bible into Latin made by St. ... An engraving depicting what Theodosius may have looked like, ca. ...


Associates Roman glory with Christianity

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. The word leitourgia is derived from the two Greek words, leos and ergon. Leos, meaning the people of God and Ergon meaning the work. ...


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. Saint Peter, also known as Simon ben Jonah/BarJonah, Simon Peter, Cephas and Kepha — original name Simon or Simeon (Acts 15:14) — was one of the Twelve Apostles whom Jesus chose from among his original disciples. ... Paul of Tarsus (b. ... This article is becoming very long. ...


Emperor Gratian

A coin of Gratian. The legend reads D N GRATIANVS P F AVG (Dominus Noster Gratianus Pius Felix Augustus).
A coin of Gratian. The legend reads D N GRATIANVS P F AVG (Dominus Noster Gratianus Pius Felix Augustus).

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 pagan worship at Rome; refused to wear the insignia of the 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, and confiscated its revenues; forbade legacies of real property to the Vestals; and abolished other privileges belonging to them and to the pontiffs. Image File history File links image of emperor Gratian File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Image File history File links image of emperor Gratian File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... A coin of Gratian. ... Events Battle of Amida: Shapur II of Persia conquers Amida from the Romans. ... Events By Place Roman Empire January 19 - Arcadius is elevated to Emperor. ... Separate articles treat Eastern Orthodox Christianity and Orthodox Judaism. ... This article is becoming very long. ... Ambrosius might refer to: Saint Ambrose Ambrosius Aurelianus, mythical king of Britain Ambrosius, Metropolitan of Moscow Ambrosius Stub, poet Ambrosius (Hussite), priest, leader of Hussite peasants This is a disambiguation page: a list of articles associated with the same title. ... Paganism (from Latin paganus, meaning a country dweller or civilian) is a term which, from a western perspective, has come to connote a broad set of spiritual or religious beliefs and practices of natural or polytheistic religions. ... Nickname: The Eternal City Motto: SPQR: Senatus PopulusQue Romanus Location of the city of Rome (yellow) within the Province of Rome (red) and region of Lazio (grey) Coordinates: Region Lazio Province Province of Rome Founded 21 April 753 BC Mayor Walter Veltroni Area    - City 1,285 km²  (496. ... Alternate meanings: see Pontifex (disambiguation) In Ancient Rome, the Pontifex Maximus was the high priest of the collegium of the Pontifices, the most august position in Roman religion, open only to a patrician, until 254 BC, when a plebeian first occupied this post. ... The Altar of Victory was located in the Roman Senate House (the Curia) bearing a gold statue of the goddess Victory. ... The Roman Senate (Latin: Senatus) was the main governing council of both the Roman Republic, which started in 509 BC, and the Roman Empire, which ended in the 6th century AD. The word Senatus is derived from the Latin word senex, meaning old man or elder. ... A vestal Virgin, engraving by Sir Frederick Leighton, ca 1890: Leightons artistic sense has won over his passion for historical accuracy in showing the veil over the Vestals head at sacrifices, the suffibulum, as translucent, instead of fine white wool In Ancient Rome, the Vestal Virgins were the...


Churches of Saint Laurence

Accordang to legend, Laurence was slowly roasted to death on a grill, or gridiron, near the field of Verano in Rome.


After his martyrdom, Saint Laurence was buried in the Via Tiburtina in the Catacomb of Cyriaca by Hippolytus and Justinus, a presbyter. Constantine is said to have built a small oratory in honour of the martyr. Pope Damasus rebuilt or repaired the church, 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. This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... The word catacomb comes from Greek kata kumbas (L. ad catacumbas), near the low place and originally it meant a certain burial district in Rome. ... The Basilica di San Lorenzo fuori le Mura is a shrine to the martyred Roman deacon, Saint Lawrence. ...


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. Interior of San Lorenzo in Damaso. ...


Letters of Jerome to Damasus

The letters 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, 2 Events Visigoths appear on the Danube and request entry into the Roman Empire in their flight from the Huns Births Cyril of Alexandria, theologian Deaths Categories: 376 ...


The above is said to be spurious at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pseudo-Isidore


External links

References

  • "The Pelican History of the Church - 1: The Early Church" by Henry Chadwick
  • "A History of the Christian Church" by Williston Walker
Preceded by
Liberius
Pope
366–383
Succeeded by
Siricius

  Results from FactBites:
 
ST DAMASUS (1772 words)
Pope Damasus is said in the Pontifical to have been a Spaniard; which may be true of his extraction, but Tillemont and Merenda show that he seems to have been born at Rome.
Rufin clears Damasus of any way concurring to, or approving of such barbarous proceedings, and the schismatics fell into the snare they had laid for him,[7] by which it seems they demanded an inquiry to be made by the rack, which turned to their own confusion and chastisement.
This edict Pope Damasus caused to be read in all the churches of Rome, and he was very severe in putting the same into execution, so as to give great offence to some unworthy persons who, on that account, went over to the schismatics; but some time after returned to their duty.
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