GREGORY THE GREAT

Gregory the Great

Abstract

In this study, we will explore the significant people and events that have shaped the course of Christianity over the past 2,000 years. The main focus of the research is on “Saint Gregory the Great” and his contribution to “Christianity”. The study will also analyze, understand and explain how other religions and cultures have affected the Christian faith. Finally, the research describes various factors, which are responsible, for Christianity's internal struggles which have impacted the church.

Table of Contents

Introduction1

Discussion and Analysis2

Contributions To Christianity3

As the First Bishop of Rome4

As Patriarch of the West7

Conclusion8

Gregory the Great

Introduction

Gregory was born in Rome and was educated as a lawyer. He was ordained Deacon by Pope Benedict I and was elected Pope in 590. At that period, the city of Rome was under threat from the Lombard's. Gregory was unable to persuade the imperial forces to defend the city, so he sent his own troops. His administrative arrangements were an important stage in the foundation of the Papal States. In the religious sphere, he insisted that the See of Peter had universal jurisdiction; and he did not hesitate to reverse a decision of the Patriarch of Constantinople. He asserted his control over the Frankish Church, and he placed the Spanish Church under the care of his friend Bishop Leander. He sent St Augustine of Canterbury on his mission to convert Britain and he rebuked the African Bishops' complacency over the Donatist schism. Gregory is also regarded as one of the four great doctors of the Roman Church and his theological works include the Liber Regulae Pastoralis, which became a standard guide for bishops, the Dialogi (a mystical life of St Benedict), homilies on the Gospels, expositions of various books of the Bible; and many letters. He was a dedicated promoter of monasticism; he encouraged the veneration of relics and he made some changes in the liturgy. Much of the Sacramentary which bears his name, however, is later. Gregory was the dominant figure of the late sixth-century Church. He did much to establish the Papacy as the supreme ecclesiastical power, and he was canonized immediately after his death.

Discussion and Analysis

Leo I and Gregory I are the only popes to be honored with the title "great." Gregory was a citizen of the Byzantine Empire and constantly faithful to his sovereign, but his glory was due as much to his role (amplified by posterity) in the establishment of lasting relations between the patriarchate of the West and most of the Germanic kingdoms, as it was to the circulation of his books throughout Latin-speaking Christianity and into Greek-speaking regions. His origins made him one of the most important individuals in all Italy. He may have been a descendant of the old and very powerful senatorial family, the Anicii. One of his ancestors had been a pope (Felix III). His father Gordian was a senator and one of the regionnarii of the Church of Rome. His parents and grandparents are illustrative of control the Roman nobility exercised, regardless ...