The Liber Pontificalis, written in Latin in Rome in the 530s, and re-edited before 546, in its account of *Zosimus (bishop of Rome, ob. 418, S00764), states that he was buried on the via Tiburtina outside Rome, close to the body of *Laurence, (deacon and martyr of Rome, S00037), on 26 December [AD 418].
E01277
Literary - Other narrative texts (including Histories)
Liber Pontificalis
Liber Pontificalis 43
First edition (as reconstructed by Duchesne)
Zosimus, natione Grecus, ex patre Abramio, sedit ann. I m. II d. XI...
Qui etiam sepultus est iuxta corpus beati Laurenti martyris, via Tiburtina , VII k. ian.
'Zosimus, born in Greece, son of Abramius, held the see 1 year 2 months 11 days...
He was buried on the via Tiburtina close to the body of the blessed Laurence the martyr on 26 December.'
Second edition
Zosimus, natione Grecus, ex patre Abramio, sedit ann. I m. III d. XI...
Qui etiam sepultus est via Tiburtina iuxta corpus beati Laurenti martyris, VII kal. ianuar.
'Zosimus, born in Greece, son of Abramius, held the see 1 year 3 months 11 days...
He was buried on the via Tiburtina close to the body of the blessed Laurence the martyr on 26 December.'
Text: Duchesne 1886, 87 and 225. Translation: Davis 2010, 32, lightly modified.
Saint’s feast
Cult PlacesBurial site of a saint - crypt/ crypt with relics
Non Liturgical ActivityBurial ad sanctos
RelicsBodily relic - entire body
Protagonists in Cult and NarrativesEcclesiastics - bishops
Source
The Liber Pontificalis consists of a series of very short lives of popes. The preface attributes it to pope Damasus (366-384), but this attribution is obviously false. According to Louis Duchesne, the first modern editor of the Liber Pontificalis, the original series of lives was written in Rome by an anonymous author, probably a member of the lesser clergy, in the 530s, and contained the lives from *Peter the Apostle to Felix IV (ob. 530). Shortly after, before 546, the text was re-edited by another anonymous author and only this edition survives. The first edition, however, can be reconstituted on the basis of its two epitomes (and the second edition). The second edition started to be continued systematically from the time of pope Honorius (625–638). It should be noted that Theodor Mommsen dated both editions of the Liber Pontificalis to the 7th century, but his opinion is widely rejected and the commonly accepted dating is that of Duchesne.For the pre-Constantinian period (before 312), the credibility of the Liber Pontificalis is very low. The chronology is confused, and details concerning the personal lives, decisions and ordinations of the bishops of Rome at best reflect what people in the 6th century trusted to be true, at worst are a pure invention of the author. The situation changes with the later lives. Already the information of 4th-century papal foundations and offerings are generally trustworthy. The early 6th-century evidence, based on the author's first hand knowledge is even better, though still imperfect.
Bibliography
Edition:Duchesne, L., Le Liber pontificalis. 2 vols (Paris: E. Thorin, 1886-1892) (with substantial introduction and commentary).
Translation:
Davis, R., The Book of Pontiffs (Liber Pontificalis) (Translated Texts for Historians 6; 3rd ed.; Liverpool: Liverpool University Press, 2010).
Robert Wiśniewski
| ID | Name | Name in Source | Identity | S00037 | Laurence/Laurentius, deacon and martyr of Rome | Laurentius | Certain | S00764 | Zosimos, bishop of Rome, ob. 418 | Zosimus | Certain |
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