Gregory the Great: Ascetic, Pastor, and First Man of Rome

by George E. Demacopoulos

Overview

Gregory the Great (bishop of Rome from 590 to 604) is one of the most significant figures in the history of Christianity. His theological works framed medieval Christian attitudes toward mysticism, exegesis, and the role of the saints in the life of the church. The scale of Gregory's administrative activity in both the ecclesial and civic affairs of Rome also helped to make possible the formation of the medieval papacy. Gregory disciplined malcontent clerics, negotiated with barbarian rulers, and oversaw the administration of massive estates that employed thousands of workers. Scholars have often been perplexed by the two sides of Gregory—the monkish theologian and the calculating administrator. George E. Demacopoulos's study is the first to advance the argument that there is a clear connection between the pontiff's thought and his actions. By exploring unique aspects of Gregory's ascetic theology, wherein the summit of Christian perfection is viewed in terms of service to others, Demacopoulos argues that the very aspects of Gregory's theology that made him distinctive were precisely the factors that structured his responses to the practical crises of his day. With a comprehensive understanding of Christian history that resists the customary bifurcation between Christian East and Christian West, Demacopoulos situates Gregory within the broader movements of Christianity and the Roman world that characterize the shift from late antiquity to the early Middle Ages. This fresh reading of Gregory's extensive theological and practical works underscores the novelty and nuance of Gregory as thinker and bishop.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780268026219
Publisher:	University of Notre Dame Press
Publication date:	10/15/2015
Edition description:	1
Pages:	246
Sales rank:	822,292
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 8.90(h) x 0.60(d)

About the Author

George E. Demacopoulos is the Fr. John Meyendorff and Patterson Family Chair of Orthodox Christian Studies at Fordham University. He is the author and editor of a number of books, including Five Models of Spiritual Direction in the Early Church (University of Notre Dame Press, 2007).

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments vii

Introduction 1

Part 1 Gregory as Ascetic Theologian 13

1 A Theology of Asceticism 17

2 Fall, Redemption, and the Ascetic's Filter 31

3 Ecclesiology and the Rhetoric of Episcopal Equality 36

4 Some Mystical Attributes of Gregory's Ascetic Theology 44

Part 2 Gregory as Pastoral Theologian 53

5 The Importance of Spiritual Leadership 57

6 The Recruitment of Leaders 62

7 The Tasks of the Spiritual Leader 70

8 The Impediments to Effective Leadership 79

Part 3 Gregory as "First Man" of Rome 83

9 The Rome of Gregory's Imagination 85

10 Ever the Praefect: Gregory's "Secular" Responsibilities 102

11 Gregory's Ascetic Program and Its Opponents 113

12 Prefect of the Roman Church 125

13 Spreading Christianity beyond the Roman World 139

14 The Steward of Peter's Tomb 149

Conclusion: The Apostolic Steward 156

Abbreviations 159

Notes 160

Bibliography 221

Index 232

Editorial Reviews

[Demacopoulos’] research is a welcome addition to scholarship on papal authority and politics in general, and Gregory I in particular. Moreover, the detailed scholarship . . . makes this volume suitable for advanced readers (scholars and graduate students), while the readable prose and clear narrative structure allow educated non-specialists to follow the argument. . . . Demacopoulos has created an important piece of scholarship that charts a new course in our understanding of Gregory the Great.

Theological Studies

Demacopoulo’s aim is to erase the line that previous scholars have drawn between Gregory’s personal asceticism on the one hand and his work as pastor and Roman statesman on the other.

America

"In his previous monographs George Demacopoulos has distinguished himself as a careful and informed interpreter of ancient pastoral practice and the development of papal authority. These two concerns merge in his new study, Gregory the Great: Ascetic, Pastor, and First Man of Rome, in which Demacopoulos argues for an integrative approach to Gregory that links his ascetical and pastoral theologies to his public activities. This is an original and important book, based on the full range of Gregory’s writings and exhaustive examination of the secondary sources. It should be of interest to a wide audience of classicists, late-antique and medieval historians, and theologians."

David G. Hunter

. . . this study provides a new integrated paradigm for interpreting the life of Gregory the Great without insisting on the problem of the two Gregory’s: there is only one Gregory whose ascetic and pastoral theology informed and structured his administrative practice. . . . For those uninformed about Gregory this book is a good introduction and for those who know Gregory’s life and writings this work may prove to be an honest challenge of commonly held assumptions.

Worship

"Demacopoulos' work on Gregory the Great seeks to balance our understanding of his theology and asceticism with that of his pastoral and administrative activity. This lively, well-written, original, and engaging treatment of one of Rome's most significant bishops is a valuable contribution to research not only into Gregory himself but the papacy of late antiquity as well. Whether one is new to the world of early Christian studies or a veteran, this accessible book will be an indispensable guide to a transformative moment in Christian history."

Geoffrey D. Dunn

Gregory’s administration and expansion of the Roman church is best understood, Demacopoulos argues, as an extension of his ascetic convictions; his desire to have ascetics in leadership, his emphasis on the virtue of humility and obedience, and his expression of Petrine supremacy are all rooted in his ascetic convictions. This book is an excellent contribution to the literature on Gregory’s pontificate.

Choice

Demacopoulo’s aim is to erase the line that previous scholars have drawn between Gregory’s personal asceticism on the one hand and his work as pastor and Roman statesman on the other.

America

01/01/2016
Demacopoulos (theology, Fordham Univ.; The Invention of Peter) writes an important account of Gregory the Great (540–604), an important figure in Church history who was by turns theologian, pope, mystic, liturgical reformer, and benefactor. The author makes an argument for the deep intellectual and spiritual connections between two different aspects of Gregory: the theologian focused on asceticism and the shrewd administrator of the Church of Rome. Because of the rather specialized nature of its arguments, this is not the first book on Gregory general readers should choose, but it is still a useful contribution to the understanding of the early Church. VERDICT Excellent for academic and seminary libraries, as well as theologians, this is a sympathetic and intelligent study of a notable figure.

Library Journal

"One puts this book down thinking about its subject in a new way, for Demacopoulos has been able to use the structure of Gregory’s thought to make sense of its author. Softening as he does the caesura of Gregory’s exchanging secular for religious life, Demacopoulos allows us to see his life as having been less disjointed than it has hitherto seemed to be, for the skills he had exercised in his early days as prefect of the city would be useful when he became pope." —Marginalia

“[Demacopoulos’] research is a welcome addition to scholarship on papal authority and politics in general, and Gregory I in particular. Moreover, the detailed scholarship . . . makes this volume suitable for advanced readers (scholars and graduate students), while the readable prose and clear narrative structure allow educated non-specialists to follow the argument. . . . Demacopoulos has created an important piece of scholarship that charts a new course in our understanding of Gregory the Great.” —The Historian

“. . . this study provides a new integrated paradigm for interpreting the life of Gregory the Great without insisting on the problem of the two Gregory’s: there is only one Gregory whose ascetic and pastoral theology informed and structured his administrative practice. . . . For those uninformed about Gregory this book is a good introduction and for those who know Gregory’s life and writings this work may prove to be an honest challenge of commonly held assumptions.” —Worship

“Demacopoulo’s aim is to erase the line that previous scholars have drawn between Gregory’s personal asceticism on the one hand and his work as pastor and Roman statesman on the other.” —America

"Gregory the Great: Ascetic, Pastor, and First Man of Rome has the potential to be the most important intellectual biography of Pope Gregory I to appear since the publication in 1988 of Carole Straw's landmark study, Gregory the Great: Perfection in Imperfection. Demacopoulos proposes a new interpretive paradigm by insisting that the 'problem of the two Gregories' is not really a problem at all: Gregory's ascetic and pastoral theology, he argues, informs and structures his administrative practices. This important insight will have significant impact on future research." —Kristina Sessa, Ohio State University

“Gregory’s administration and expansion of the Roman church is best understood, Demacopoulos argues, as an extension of his ascetic convictions; his desire to have ascetics in leadership, his emphasis on the virtue of humility and obedience, and his expression of Petrine supremacy are all rooted in his ascetic convictions. This book is an excellent contribution to the literature on Gregory’s pontificate.” —Choice

“By anyone’s account Gregory the Great is a seminal figure in Christian history. Straddling the fence between the late antique/patristic world and the early Middle Ages, Gregory is either the last great (pun intended!) early church father or the first great medieval theologian. Both perspectives are accurate and defensible, and George Demacopoulos tells us why and much more. . . Book teachers (and readers) now have an engaging, accessible, and well written introduction to the incomparable Gregory the Great.” —Comitatus

“Demacopoulos writes an important account of Gregory the Great (540-604), an important figure in Church history who was by turns theologian, pope, mystic, liturgical reformer, and benefactor. The author makes an argument for the deep intellectual and spiritual connections between two different aspects of Gregory: the theologian focused on asceticism and the shrewd administrator of the Church of Rome.” —Library Journal

“It reminds one just how influential Gregory’s writings were in the Middle Ages. It also prods one to see the story of Benedict in the Dialogues in a different way. As Demacopoulos argues, Benedict is an example of an ascetic who gave up his solitude (more than once) to assume pastoral care for others.” —American Benedictine Review

"In his previous monographs George Demacopoulos has distinguished himself as a careful and informed interpreter of ancient pastoral practice and the development of papal authority. These two concerns merge in his new study, Gregory the Great: Ascetic, Pastor, and First Man of Rome, in which Demacopoulos argues for an integrative approach to Gregory that links his ascetical and pastoral theologies to his public activities. This is an original and important book, based on the full range of Gregory’s writings and exhaustive examination of the secondary sources. It should be of interest to a wide audience of classicists, late-antique and medieval historians, and theologians." —David G. Hunter, Cottrill-Rolfes Chair of Catholic Studies, University of Kentucky

From the Publisher

By anyone’s account Gregory the Great is a seminal figure in Christian history. Straddling the fence between the late antique/patristic world and the early Middle Ages, Gregory is either the last great (pun intended!) early church father or the first great medieval theologian. Both perspectives are accurate and defensible, and George Demacopoulos tells us why and much more. . . Book teachers (and readers) now have an engaging, accessible, and well written introduction to the incomparable Gregory the Great.

Comitatus

"One puts this book down thinking about its subject in a new way, for Demacopoulos has been able to use the structure of Gregory’s thought to make sense of its author. Softening as he does the caesura of Gregory’s exchanging secular for religious life, Demacopoulos allows us to see his life as having been less disjointed than it has hitherto seemed to be, for the skills he had exercised in his early days as prefect of the city would be useful when he became pope."

Marginalia

"Gregory the Great: Ascetic, Pastor, and First Man of Rome has the potential to be the most important intellectual biography of Pope Gregory I to appear since the publication in 1988 of Carole Straw's landmark study, Gregory the Great: Perfection in Imperfection. Demacopoulos proposes a new interpretive paradigm by insisting that the 'problem of the two Gregories' is not really a problem at all: Gregory's ascetic and pastoral theology, he argues, informs and structures his administrative practices. This important insight will have significant impact on future research."

Kristina Sessa

It reminds one just how influential Gregory’s writings were in the Middle Ages. It also prods one to see the story of Benedict in the Dialogues in a different way. As Demacopoulos argues, Benedict is an example of an ascetic who gave up his solitude (more than once) to assume pastoral care for others.

American Benedictine Review