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Scott Abel Paper #1: Pope Gregory I and the Times He Represented The life of Pope Saint Gregory

I the Great reflects changes from the times of the old Roman Empire to the new era that would be known as the Middle Ages. Throughout Gregorys lifetime there were great political, intellectual, economic, and spiritual changes. Rome went through a lot of political changes during Gregorys early life. In AD 552, Totila of the Ostrogoths captured Rome but eventually left it. The Byzantines wished to retake the ancient capital of Rome. General Belisarius succeeded and defended it against the Goths. However, the Byzantines failed to stay in Rome and it was attack by various Germanic tribes such as the Lombards. The constant fighting in Rome devastated the city and the original Roman political system, the Senate, lost virtually all power and significance. When Gregory finally became pope, he became the major political power in Rome and eventually the Italian peninsula. The papacy established an administrative power over Rome and the surrounding area. Furthermore, the papacy decreed that all attendants in the Lateran House must be clerics. Pope Gregory established control over military matters in large part due to the Imperial Government in Constantinoples inability to protect Rome from military incursions. Gregory respected the Imperial Government and he believed that the emperor in Constantinople was the legitimate leader of Italy and was Gods representative on Earth. Also, he believed that the Church and the State were two separate spheres that had to work together. Gregory believed that the emperor had the responsibility to govern in political matters and the church should

govern in spiritual matters. Pope Gregory certainly did not fear the emperor and often addressed the emperor with directness, without flattery, and he seemed to believe that he had a certain amount of independence. By Gregorys death, the papacy had achieved more autonomy and became the first power in Italy. The imperial power and influence in Italy waned and it was only a matter of time before the emperor in Constantinople did not have any power within the Italian peninsula. Pope Gregory also reflected some changing intellectual ideas during this time. Not only the pope had spiritual authority in the empire, but he believed that he possessed some spiritual authority over all bishops. Although Gregory did not invent this philosophy, he certainly promoted it. Gregory wrote about the four main authorities and responsibilities of the bishop. The first was that the bishop had supreme rule over the episcopate. Secondly, he wrote about how the bishop should live from a spiritual point of view. Another duty is to teach people under you and the final was to know your weaknesses as a bishop and a man. Despite Gregorys belief that the Bishop of Rome had supremacy over all churches, he believed that the pope should not interfere with other bishops and patriarchs. Gregory also believed in extending the popes authority, so he sent missionaries to England who reported to him. Gregorys belief in the increasing power of the church reflects the opinion shared by many spiritual leaders. Gregory was born circa 540 and was the son of a wealthy Patrician named Gordianus who owned property in Sicily and had a mansion on Caelian Hill. Gregory would soon give up this wealth to the Catholic Church when he became a monk. His estates in Sicily became monasteries and his mansion became a significant church property. This demonstrates the how the Church could acquire a lot of land. However,

Rome was decaying and many buildings collapsed. War destroyed or damaged much of the city and the Roman economy was not doing well. As a result, many people left the once glorious city. The Church often had to help feed the people of Rome. Unfortunately, the situation was only going to get worse for the people of Rome. In 589, the banks of the Tiber River could no longer hold back the river itself and it subsequently overflowed. The Tiber River flooded city of Rome and the surrounding area. The flood many farms, houses, and buildings were destroyed. The granaries of the Church were destroyed and the harvest was lost. Famine and the loss of homes were not the only problems that Rome had to deal with. The Tiber River filled with hundreds of years of filth and human waste left an unsanitary mess. When the river eventually receded the waste and filth remained in the city. As a result, disease caused the already severely damaged city to lose even more citizens. The Roman economy was in ruins and commerce ceased to function in the city. People deserted the streets with the exception of wagons carrying the dead to outside city walls for burial. Not even Pope Pelagius II survived who died in the year 590. The people of Rome wanted Gregory to be the pope, despite Gregorys desire to stay a monk, he became the pope anyway. War, flood, and the plague destroyed the Roman economy. Gregory not only wished to expand the Catholic Church into places such as England, but also wished to consolidate his power over the already Christian kingdoms in places such as Gaul. Gregory could really only ask the Frankish Kingdoms to reform to his advantage. However, Gregory ordered Augustine from Saint Andrews Monastery in Rome to Kent, England so that Christianity could spread to England. Augustine arrived in England in 597 and converted King Ethelbert of Kent to Christianity. Augustine

became the first archbishop of Canterbury in 596. Augustine used the monastic movement to help spread the Christian faith to the rest of England. However, there was competition to convert the English before the Irish could convert the English to a Christianity that would not be as easily influenced by the pope. Rather than using force to convert the English, the monks tried to persuade people to convert to Christianity. Besides, there was no Christian military force that could achieve such a feat. The monks would try to convince people the benefits of conversion. For example, the people would not have to sacrifice an ox for the gods, but rather eat the ox and praise the Lord for the food. Gregory decided that these pagan roots could not be fully destroyed and ordered Augustine to keep some pagan practices in order to more easily convert the English. For example, Gregory decided that old pagan temples should not be destroyed, but rather converted into Christian Churches. The temples were blessed with holy water and altars were constructed with relics inside them. This had two implications: one was that people were more likely to convert to Christianity and the other was that it simply saved the monks time and money. These temples were purified and dedicated to God. Pagan rituals were often kept as well as the temples. For example, feasts and holidays were incorporated into the Christian calendar. For example, winter solstice was on December 25, which became Christmas. This demonstrates how Gregory wished to expand Christianity and his spiritual influence. Pope Gregory represented the era he lived in which had rough political and economic times. Intellectual and spiritual philosophy changed from old Imperial power to an increasingly influential papacy.

Works Cited Hudleston, G. Pope Saint Gregory (the Great). October 6, 2005 www.newadvent.org Spielvogel, Jackson. Western Civilization. Belmont: Thomson Wadsworth, 2006. Scott, Joan and Tierney, Brian. Western Society A Documentary History. New York: McGraw Hill, 2000.

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