Introduction
Pope Gregory the Great became a pope when the Italian province was in crisis, and the state appeared lawless, crumbling, and semi-abandoned by visitors to Rome. A statement by the future pope had indicated that barbarians had full control of the religion. The city’s state had made the Romans look for protection and leadership in the remaining standing power governed by their bishop. At the time, the greatest pope, Saint Gregory the Great, was elected. This essay will discuss the life, work, and contributions of Gregory the Great, how he was involved in the development of the catholic religion, and the effect of his action on his story.
Life, Works, and The Contribution of Gregory The Great in Religion
Gregory I was born around 590 -604 in a wealthy Roman family. The household had previously provided for two popes who is Felix III, Gregorys great- great grandfather, and Agapetus II, his distant relative. 1 Between 572 and 574, Gregory was a prefect of Rome and had believed that the world was coming to an end due to war and plague that had invaded the country. He renounced his civic roles and changed into a monk, which led to the family line being turned into a monastery. A few years later, Gregory became the pope’s secretary after a recall to Rome.
Gregory returned to the time when plagues and war had invaded Rome. He could resolve problems swiftly as he was efficient, intelligent, and energetic in accomplishing his work. Gregory’s actions, which included interacting with the poor on several occasions and mealtimes, arranging for the collection of food in churches, and its distribution to the less fortunate, surpassed the expectations of many. Moreover, he exported timber to Egypt as a means to recover from costs incurred during difficult times. In ensuring Rome was safe, he made a negation on an armistice with the Lombards.
Nevertheless, Gregory’s outstanding reputation had a negative impact on the Emperor in Constantinople, who feeling threatened accused him of interfering in non-spiritual events.1He capitalized on the crises and converted the people of England into Catholics. His moves were different from the previous Pope Victor I as he made a clear pathway to the Bishops whereby they were not to follow Rome’s previous rules and therefore each church could be governed by its customs. He also realized that churches as institutions needed reforms as they were failing the people.
The title ‘Universal Bishop’ was considered a name of vanity by Gregory1. This label was previously used by both the Rome bishops and Constantinople’s patriarchs and also, by the imperial decrees and the church’s councils. On Gregory’s election, he protested against the patriarch and Emperor Maurice by calling the title foolish, profane, and other terms. He claimed that any person who was designated was similar to Lucifer.
Gregory’s Teachings on the Theology of Asceticism
Gregory made a brief sermon to the people who had assembled in celebration of St. Andrew the Apostle. 2 The reading of the feast was from Matthew 4; 18-22 on the call of Christ to the four fishermen. According to Gregory, the meaning of the passage did not need an explanation as it was clear. He clarified the call of saints, which made people abandon their needs to follow Christ. Gregory used the charity to measure the stick of conviction as he was distressed that people in his time lacked apostolic zeal, which prevented them from fully following Christ.
In addition, Gregory instructed his believers to abandon their desires by following the right path. He taught them how to know whether they had left their yearnings by fearing for their neighbors and not themselves if the desire of suffering of their enemy became theirs, and finally offering their souls to God. 2 Furthermore, the conclusions in his sermons, the virtue of St, Andrew, and finally enjoining the audience on the beginning of withdrawing from the world outline the way to proper living. It is through ascetic discipline that he promised them that they would advance in a step-by-step process. Additionally, the progress on the abandonment of one’s desire for other people’s property, which is greed for charity, involves nonfixation on one’s property, results in a will of one suffering for others.
The early Christians believed that rejection of material possession like wealth was an application of an ascetic way of life. Gregory’s register on the abstinent life housed all forms of early Christian renunciation, which included food regulation, money divestiture, and rejection of the desire for sex. Gregory reasoned that sober commitment was the expectation of each one on Christ being God. His arguments of the austere are that the true abstainers are those who cared less about themselves, felt concerned for others, abandoned the life of enjoyment, and sacrificed for other people.
Furthermore, Gregory argues that the knowledge of God is from the scripture. He continued by saying that the scripture provided for the soul drink and food, and also, the Devine speech. 3 He also believed that the scripture laid the foundation for the Christian beliefs and provided an aspiration to live life in Christ. Pope Gregory’s theological topology is characterized by hierarchy and axiology. 2 This means that several Christians have a more understanding of the scripture than others. According to Pope Gregory, equipped Christians needed to have an exceptional degree of ascetic improvement coupled with authentic humbleness.
However, Gregory’s teaching on the ability of the mind in knowledge acquisition is limited. He described cognitive as something contingent on both humility and grace. Gregory’s characterization of the mind’s ability to acquire information is reflected in a statement he made on discernment, which focused on intellectual activity. He stated that knowledge is obtained by contemplating the scripture or the study, and it is not meant for oneself but for everyone. Moreover, Gregory had a belief that through spiritual advancement, one received the knowledge of God for the benefit of both oneself and others.
In the twentieth century, scholars had a keen look at differentiating Gregory’s biblical commentaries and dialogues because they believed they had differences in genre, sophistication, and content. For example, Gregory Distum, famous from Moralia, had three distinct interpretations of the scripture: historical, moral, and symbolic. However, the pontiff’s asceticism hermeneutic is seemingly able to reach the goal of the didactic practices. The goal is to lead Gregory’s audience to the Bible’s practical and moral application expressed through the abstinent register.
Gregory led to the spread of the religion among many non-believers in Christianity (Catholic). 2 He engaged non-Romans in his work, and in his career, the barbarians frequently appeared. Gregory sent letters to the Saxons in Kent, the Merovingians in Gaul, and the
Lombards in Italy; the mails were mostly convivial and deferential. He also wrote about the Barbarians in messages he sent to other parts. Richards’ conclusion states that Gregory hated the Lombards, and Markus also postulated that Gregory preferred a dead Lombard to a live one.
The second book reveals Gregory’s encounter with Benedict and Totila, who were the notorious kings of Goths. He encountered the first chronicles which were an attempt made by Totila to test him. Moreover, Benedict had spotted the deception immediately. 4 Afterwards, Gregory said King Totila subsequently decided to pay a visit to the monastery in person. The king was afraid upon seeing Benedict and fell to the ground. Later, Gregory makes a statement and says that the king asked for blessings and went away.
Through Gregory the Great’s work, it is essential for Christians to analyze the knowledge of God. The comprehension of the revelation through the scripture was connected to the pontiff’s way of reading it. There are many ways through which the past authors had successfully recontextualized Bible verses and words to support a reading on ascetics that was aimed to help their own beliefs for their life of abandonment. Pope Gregory, I used the Bible in his teachings to demonstrate the value of abstinent living in relation to discipleship and eternity.
The outstanding work of Gregory the Great can be characterized by Homilies. In the theme of preaching, for Gregory from Moralia to the regular pectoralis, he gained his first exposure to evangelization in Moralia. 4 He used illustrations of Lion as the Christ, the roosters as the Holy preacher, and the ram as the spiritual father. After Gregory was made pontiff, he soon developed his first intuitional book and stated that a regular pastoral structure, which retreated the preaching was an essential task of a bishop.
Moreover, the regular contained four books as a collection on Gregory the Great. In the first book, Pope Gregory I explains the conditions necessary for one can rise to the top position of the church in the government. 5 In the second book, he gives a detailed elaboration of pastors’ moral life. In the next book, he provides guidelines on how the pastor must preach, and finally, the fourth book talks about how pastors should examine themselves.
Introducing the gospel Sermons made Pope Gregory to be considered the pinnacle of predictions where he addressed many people, including the laypeople. The homilies were a mode of discourse known as the exemplum that can simply be sad as a story used to illustrate the moral truth. 5 The deliverance of the lectures was done after the reading of the gospel pericope during the mass, focusing on some sermons that were ascribed on select dates. These include a homily for Christmas that was dated on 25th December 591 AD and also a speech for the Pentecost that was elucidated on the 3rd June 591 AD.
Similarly, other sermons were distributed across the year on Sundays, along with the major feasts. However, some pericopes by Gregory were the same as those used on Sundays in the Roman church. The reconstruction is founded in some liturgical manuscripts, which are highly considered witnesses to the early practices of the Romans. Gregory ordered the collection of the discourses, which were to be arranged according to the years.
Pope Gregory wrote several sermons for the saint feast, and in some instances, he combined a Sunday homily with a saint’s feast. The representation of the saint’s cults was well done, including Mennas, Felistas, Andrew, Sylvester, Sebastian, Agnes, and others. It was arranged in order of collection based on the year and time. Gregory also covered sermons by Ezekiel, which he indicated were delivered before the audience. Each of these discourses’ end is marked by doxology and an average of an hour more than a Gospel sermon.
Pope Gregory’s gospel of homilies was tremendous and profound in influence as 450 or more medieval manuscripts exist to date. At the beginning of the 7th- century, there was a relic book traced to Gregory’s dating that was brought to England by the Roman Monks, which are said to be sent by Gregory. At the end of the 7th century, the use of Sermons had gone far to Liber Scintilla rum of Defensor of Liguge. The discourses had a significant influence across Anglo- Saxon England that got through Aelfric. In Germany, some of the homilies scripts contained Germanic glosses about the Suburbicarian churches.
In his teachings found in the sermons on Ezekiel, Pope Gregory talked about Holy Jacob, who had a desire for Rachael, but in the night, he got Lia.7 He explained that when someone has a conversion on the Lord, he/she desires a life of contemplation, and longs for an eternal country. However, in the present life, one must first work hard for the best by laboring as was the case of Lia. Later Jacob gets Rachel and appreciates his diligence in giving him rest. For Rachael, she is said to be very beautiful but sterile, which implies that the comparative life is so beautiful in the mind of many, but in silence, it long to rest, and preaching does not generate sons.
Gregory contributed to the sacramentary, which is presently used in the Catholic Church, and other worship rites utilized by liturgical churches by setting the foundation with his writings. He also started a school for singers resulting in the chant popularly known as Gregorian chant, which accompanies church ceremonies worldwide to date. Also, through the Privilegia, monasticism guidelines were laid down and the chain of command in relation to taking orders was set, which is still applicable in the papacy.
Gregory’s Tragic Life History and Eschatology
The work Gregory had faced many challenges from plagues and wars. The greatest encounter was the justianic plague, which first happened in the Nile delta around 541AD and then spread to Syria to Constantinople around 542 AD5. It is said that every ten years, the plague struck different regions. In around 590AD, the plague had reached Rome and claimed many lives, including Pope Pelagius II. A sermon by the title oratio de mortalities was delivered when processions arrived from the seven distinct churches.
Although his life and work were accompanied by challenges ranging from plagues to wars, Pope Gregory was encouraged by eschatology. This is evident in his two sermons, which were separate from the corpus of the forty Gospel Homilies, the Ontario, and by encouraging the people in entering the Basilica of St. Mary Major. During Gregory’s pontification, the Oratio was mostly reused, and a warning on the false prophecy was done indirectly through a sermon on the sabbath and the rules of eating to the Jews.
The work of Gregory also housed on the teaching of Exempla, and his work was more like a predictor preacher.5 As a predictor, a Christian spreads the Gospel through speech and actions. In Gregory’s expression, he stated that action is life, and achievement is the life of a Christian using the Bible as it gives leading examples. He used examples from the Old Testament or direct examples from the New Testament. Gregory also used the life encounters of saints as examples. Gregory was finally able to come up with new forms of examples called anecdotes.
Teaching About Death
Gregory’s teachings covered the transvaluation of life and death as part of his outstanding contribution to Christianity. Like other theologists, he wrote a stern warning about death. He stated that the more one approaches mortality, the more careful and fearful they become. Additionally, he explained that death should be a source of motivation towards embracing purification, which helps one be encouraged to repent and reform their ways.
Moreover, Pope Gregory the Great believed in life after death, referring to it as vera vita. He taught about death as the gateway to eternity, how it is a virtue to the life of the soul, and it marks the end of one’s life. Gregory ironically stated that one should welcome and fear death simultaneously, with all the actions which include living and dying done for God and not about oneself.
Thoughts of Gregory about death dig deeper into layers of doubts. On one hand, he offered consolation and assurance that the end of a body should not create worries citing many reasons.6 On the other hand, centering his argument on the platonic tradition, he said that it is a way of separating the soul and the body where the soul is freed from the prison of the flesh. Furthermore, not even the dissolution of what he called solver of one’s flesh should be feared as the decays of the body facilitates the soul’s way of fragmentation into liberation. In his preaching, he declared that it is certain that death awaits everyone, so people should not resist pondering the strange form of this temporal life. He had so many teachings on the uncertainties that lie beyond human understanding, but he concluded that death is inevitable.
Comparing the Work of Gregory and Maximus
Looking at Gregory’s work, he was a great theologian because he played a significant role in the medieval religion, though his writing was centered on medieval thought, mostly in the Carolingian period. His life involved traveling and he lived in Rome and Constantinople. Besides, he had his work in writing presented by the many letters sent to people all over the Mediterranean. In his career, Gregory greatly influenced the eats and western theologians. Gregory as a pope and ruler was a creative thinker. He took the ideas of previous theologians and altered them to make them relevant in his sermons.
Other works include that of Carole Straw in her Monography “Gregory the great: perfection in imperfection.” Straw argues that Gregory the Great reworked other theologians’ ideas and brought new unique theology with new paradoxical structures and focused on absolute opposition. 7 One crucial work of the Gregory the great was examined in 2000 and composed in 2013, showing Gregory as ascetic and pastoral.8 On the Song of Songs, there is less to talk about as many theologians have not spoken much about the book.
When comparing the work of Gregory the Great and Maximus on the Song of Songs, the research uses the same sources because they both expound on the topic through the biblical passage. In Corinthians 12:13, they both dig deep into the ideas of love, hope, and faith. Besides, they don’t just focus on them as virtues but also looked at them as laying the foundation of Christian advancement in their holiness. The work of Gregory and Maximus on 1 Corinthians 13 does not only cover virtuality but also puts more emphasis on Christian Mysticism.
In both the works of Gregory and Maximus7 it is portrayed that the Desert Father’s idea had diffused on the eastern side and the western side. The writing about the Desert Fathers builds the foundation for both the Biblical exegesis and ascetic practices of theologians’ ideas. Gregory in the Song of Songs proves that the Desert Fathers had their origin in the west. Furthermore, he explains Origen’s commentary on the Song of Songs with the king’s bed-chamber in illustrating the importance of humility when entering the bedchamber.
Conclusion
Gregory the Great’s religious and well-grounded family provided him with the knowledge significant to his work. Also, he had a great advantage of having grown up in the house of a rich Romanian family. Gregory made remarkable achievements after he became pope’s secretary in the Roman Empire. At the time, Rome was experiencing many problems and had been invaded by war and plagues. He helped the poor by providing food for them; he exported timber in Egypt to recover the high expenses and made many reforms in Catholicism.
Moreover, his work was marked by homilies, and he wrote many letters to Christians and non-Christians, such as Saxons addressing the spread of Christianity to non-Romanians. He preached on humility and abstinence, the knowledge of God, and condemned the leaders who were against the Universal Bishop, a term used at the time. In addition, the work of Gregory the Great and the creation of Maximus deal with faith, hope, and love. Gregory the Great also contributed to the political power and doctrines held by the papacy up to the present time.
Bibliography
Demacopoulos, George. Gregory the Great: Ascetic, Pastor, and First Man of Rome. Notre Dame: University of Notre Dame Press, 2015.
Holder, Arthur.” Gregory the Great: Ascetic, Pastor, and First Man of Rome by George E. Demacopoulos.” Spiritus: A Journal of Christian Spirituality 16, no. 2 (2016):280-282.
Judic, Bruno. “Preaching According to Gregory the Great.” In A New History of the Sermon, edited by Anthony Dupont, Shari Boodts, Gert Partoens, and Johan Leemans, 232-252. Boston: Brill, 2018.
Lascelles, Christopher. Pontifex Maximus: A Short History of the Popes. London: Crux Publishing, 2017.
Leyser C, George, Demacopoulos.2017. “Gregory the Great: Ascetic Pastor, and First Man of Rome.” The American Historical Review 122, no. 3 (2017): 909-910.
Straw, Carole.” Job’s Sin in the Moralia of Gregory the Great.” In A Companion to Job in the Middle Ages, edited by Franklin Harkins and Aaron Canty, 71-100. Boston: Brill, 2017.
Straw, Carole. “Gregory the Great’s Transvaluation of Life and Death.” Church Life Journal. 2020.
Zuiderveen, Caleb N. 2018. “After Faith, Hope, and Love: The Unique Divergence of Asceticism by Gregory the Great and Maximus the Confessor.” Theses and Dissertations, 1024 (2018). Web.
Footnotes
- Christopher Lascelles, pontifex Maximus: A Short History of the Popes. (London: Crux Publishing, 2017).
- George Demacopoulos, Gregory the Great: Ascetic, Pastor, and First Man of Rome. Notre Dame: University of Notre Dame Press, 2015.
- Arthur Holder, ” Gregory the Great: Ascetic, Pastor, and First Man of Rome by George E. Demacopoulos.” Spiritus: A Journal of Christian Spirituality16, no. 2 (2016):280-282. Web.
- Carole Straw, “Job’s Sin in the Moralia of Gregory the Great.” In A Companion to Job in the Middle Ages, edited by Franklin Harkins and Aaron Canty, 71-100. Boston: Brill, 2017.
- Bruno Judic, “Preaching According to Gregory the Great.” In A New History of the Sermon, edited by Anthony Dupont, Shari Boodts, Gert Partoens, and Johan Leemans, 232-252. Boston: Brill, 2018.
- Carole Straw. “Gregory the Great’s Transvaluation of Life and Death.” Church Life Journal. (2020). Web.
- Caleb N. Zuiderveen, “After Faith, Hope, and Love: The Unique Divergence of Asceticism by Gregory the Great and Maximus the Confessor.” Theses and Dissertations, 1024 (2018). Web.
- George C. Leyser , Demacopoulos, “Gregory the Great: Ascetic Pastor, and First Man of Rome.” The American Historical Review, Volume 122, no. 3 (2017): 909-910. Web.