Leo the Great

by Bronwen Neil

Overview

Pope Leo I’s theological and political influence in his own time (440-461) and beyond far outweighs the amount of attention he has received in recent scholarship. That influence extended well beyond Rome to the Christian East through his contribution to preparations for the Council of Chalcedon and its outcome. For this he was alternately praised and vilified by the opposing parties at the Council. Leo made his views known through letters, and a vast number of homilies. While so many of these survive, Leo and his works have not been the subject of a major English-language socio-historical study in over fifty years.

In this brief introduction to the life and works of this important leader of the early church, we gain a more accurate picture of the circumstances and pressures which were brought to bear on his pontificate. A brief introduction surveys the scanty sources which document Leo’s early life, and sets his pontificate in its historical context, as the Western Roman Empire went into serious decline, and Rome lost its former status as the western capital. Annotated translations of various excerpts of Leo’s letters and homilies are organised around four themes dealing with specific aspects of Leo’s activity as bishop of Rome:

• Leo as spiritual adviser on the life of the faithful
• Leo as opponent of heresy
• the bishop of Rome as civic and ecclesiastical administrator
• Leo and the primacy of Rome.

Taking each of these key elements of Leo’s pontifical activities into account, we gain a more balanced picture of the context and contribution of his best-known writings on Christology. This volume offers an affordable introduction to the subject for both teachers and students of ancient and medieval Christianity.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780415394819
Publisher:	Taylor & Francis
Publication date:	05/18/2009
Series:	The Early Church Fathers
Edition description:	New Edition
Pages:	200
Product dimensions:	5.40(w) x 8.40(h) x 0.50(d)

Table of Contents

Acknowledgements Abbreviations Introduction: 1. Leo’s Life and Times 2. Pastoral Caregiver 3. Theologian and Opponent of Heresy 4. Heir of St Peter 5. Administrator of the Wider Church Texts: General Introduction to the Translations 6. Pastoral Caregiver Homily 87 on the September Fast Homily 85 on the Feast of St Lawrence Homily 27 on the Feast of the Nativity Homily 69 on Holy Saturday 7. Theologian and Opponent of Heresy Homily 16 on the December Fast Homily 73 on the Ascension Letter 15 to Turibius, Bishop of Astorga Letter 28 to Flavian, Bishop of Constantinople Letter 124 to the Monks of Palestine 8. Heir of St Peter Homily 82B on the Feast of the Apostles Homily 84 on the Anniversary of Alaric’s Sack of Rome Letter 6 to Anastasius, Metropolitan of Thessalonica Homily 4 on the Anniversary of Leo’s Ordination 9. Administrator of the Wider Church Letter 2 to Septimus, Bishop of Altinum Letter 108 to Theodore, Bishop of Fréjus Letter 137 to Emperor Marcian Letter 167 to Rusticus, Bishop of Narbonne Letter 170 to Gennadius, Bishop of Constantinople NotesBibliography Index