The second edition of the Liber Pontificalis, written in Latin in Rome between the 530s and 546, presents *John I (bishop of Rome, ob. 526, S00308) as 'the vicar of the blessed *Peter' (the Apostle, S00036), describes his death in prison, and mentions his burial at St *Peter's (00036) basilica in Rome, on 27 May 526. In the second edition he is explicitly termed a 'martyr'.
E01356
Literary - Other narrative texts (including Histories)
Liber Pontificalis
Liber Pontificalis 55
First edition (as reconstructed by Duchesne)
Iohannes natione Tuscus, ex patre Constantio, sedit ann. II m. VIII d. XV. Fuit autem a consulatu Maximi usque ad consulatum Olybrii iun.
'Iohannes/John, born in Tuscia, son of Constantius, held the see 2 years 8 months 15 days. He was bishop from the consulship of Maximus [AD 523] to that of Olybrius the younger [AD 526].'
There follows an account of John's journey to Constantinople and his meeting with the emperor Justin who rejoiced at being able to host the 'of the blessed Peter the Apostle' (beati Petri apostuli vicarium).
Venientes vero hii supradicti viri inlustres cum Iohanne episcopo, omnia per ordinem acta, Agapito patricio defuncto in Grecias, suscepti sunt a rege Theoderico cum dolo grande et odio Iohannes episcopus; etiam et senatores viros inlustres religiosus suscepit. Quos itaque cum tanta indignatione suscipiens, gladio eos voluit punire. Sed metuens indignatione Iustini Aug. orthodoxi non fecit; tamen in custodia omnes cremavit, ita ut beatus Iohannes papa in custodia adflictione maceratus deficiens moreretur. Qui vero defunctus est Ravennae cum gloria XV kal. iun. in custodia regis Theoderici. Post hoc, nutu Dei omnipotentis XCVIII die postquam defunctus est beatissimus Iohannes in custodia, subito Theodoricus rex hereticus interiit divinitate percussus.
'When the patrician Agapitus died in Greece and the aforementioned illustrious men came with Bishop John, having accomplished everything, king Theodoric received them with great treachery — +pious pope John received also the illustrious senators+ [the sentence is corrupted]. He [Theodoric], having received them with indignation, wanted to put them to the sword, but did not do it in fear of the emperor Justin’s wrath. Yet he destroyed them all by maltreatment in prison, so that blessed pope John, maltreated in prison, grew weak and died. He died at Ravenna in glory on 18 May. After this deed, it was almighty God’s will that the heretic king Theodoric suddenly died, stricken by the deity, on the 98th day after the most blessed John’s death in prison.'
Second edition
Iohannes natione Tuscus, ex patre Constantio, sedit ann. II m. VIIII d. XVII. Fuit autem a consulatu Maximi usque ad consulatum Olybrii temporibus Theodorici et Iustini Augusti christiani.
'Iohannes/John, born in Tuscia, son of Constantius, held the see 2 years 9 months 17 days. He was bishop from the consulship of Maximus [AD 523] to that of Olybrius [AD 526] in the time of Theodoric and the Christian emperor Justin.'
There follows an account of John's journey to Constantinople and his meeting with the emperor Justin who rejoiced at being able to host the 'vicar of the blessed Peter the Apostle' (beati Petri apostuli vicarium).
Eodem tempore revertentes Iohannes venerabilis papa et senatores cum gloria, dum omnia obtinuissent a Iustino Augusto, rex Theodoricus hereticus cum grande dolo et odio suscepit eos, id est papam Iohannem et senatores, quos etiam gladio voluit interficere; sed metuens indignationem Iustini Augusti, quos tamen in custodia omnes adflictos cremavit, itaque ut beatissimus Iohannes episcopus primae sedis papa in custodia adflictus deficiens moreretur. Qui tamen defunctus est Ravennae in custodia XV kal. iunias martyr. Post hoc factum nutu dei omnipotentis XCVIII die, postquam defunctus est beatissimus Iohannes in custodia, Theodoricus rex hereticus subito interiit et mortuus est.
'Then the venerable pope John and the senators came home in glory after obtaining everything from the emperor Justin; king Theodoric the heretic received them with great treachery and hatred—namely pope John and the senators—and he wanted to put them too to the sword, but in fear of the emperor Justin’s wrath he destroyed them all by maltreatment in prison, so that the most blessed pope John, bishop of the principal see, maltreated in prison, grew weak and died. He died in prison at Ravenna on 18 May—a martyr. After this deed, it was almighty God’s will that the heretic king Theodoric suddenly collapsed and died on the 98th day after the blessed John’s death in prison.'
There follows a list of offerings and foundations made during the pontificate of John I (only in the second edition) - see E01357.
Cuius corpus translatum est de Ravenna et sepultus est in basilica beati Petri sub die VI kal. iun. Olybrio consule.
'His [John's] body was transported from Ravenna and buried at the basilica of the blessed Peter on 27 May in the consulship of Olybrius [AD 526].'
Text: Duchesne 1886, 105/107 and 275-276.
Translation: Davis 2010, 48-49, lightly modified.
Saint’s feast
Cult PlacesCult building - independent (church)
RelicsBodily relic - entire body
Protagonists in Cult and NarrativesEcclesiastics - bishops
Theorising on SanctityUsing saints to assert ecclesiastical/political status
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.
Discussion
John I is the first pope whom the author of the Liber Pontificalis calls the 'vicar of the blessed Peter'.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 | S00036 | Peter, the Apostle | Petrus | Certain | S00308 | Iohannes/John I, bishop of Rome, ob. 526 | Iohannes | Certain |
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Please quote this record referring to its author, database name, number, and, if possible, stable URL:
Robert Wiśniewski, Cult of Saints, E01356 - http://csla.history.ox.ac.uk/record.php?recid=E01356