Evidence ID
E05488
Type of Evidence
Literary - Sermons/Homilies
Major author/Major anonymous work
Leo the Great (pope)
Leo the Great, Sermon 82
Summary:
The sermon is given on the feast day (natalis) of Peter and Paul. As they are local martyrs, they should be specially revered in Rome. Indeed, Leo identifies them as the founders of Christian Rome, superseding Romulus and Remus, the founders of pagan Rome. Peter was sent to convert Rome first and overcame his fears to travel there. Paul travelled to Rome later. Leo describes how both men were persecuted and martyred under Emperor Nero, focusing especially on Peter. Many other martyrs have followed Peter and Paul’s example. Both apostles are equal in their merits. The congregation should follow the examples of these saints. Through their intercession, the faithful will receive divine mercy.
Summary: Frances Trzeciak.
Liturgical ActivitiesService for the saint
FestivalsSaint as patron - of a community
Protagonists in Cult and NarrativesUsing saints to assert ecclesiastical/political status
Service for the saint
Sermon/homily
FestivalsSaint’s feast
Cult PlacesCult building - independent (church)
Non Liturgical ActivitySaint as patron - of a community
Composing and translating saint-related texts
Transmission, copying and reading saint-related texts
Oral transmission of saint-related stories
Protagonists in Cult and NarrativesEcclesiastics - bishops
Theorising on SanctityUsing saints to assert ecclesiastical/political status
Considerations about the succession of saints
Source
Leo the Great’s sermons were composed and delivered to the congregation in Rome throughout his papacy, between 440 and 461. The vast majority of these sermons were delivered at St Peter’s at the Vatican. The most recent editor of these sermons, A. Chavasse, argues that Leo edited and circulated a collection of 59 sermons, composed between 441 and 445, and that a second group of sermons from the latter part of his papacy were edited and circulated shortly after his death in 461. It is possible that these sermons were intended to provide a model for other bishops or to educate priests and the lower clergy.Discussion
To an even greater extent than earlier popes, Leo the Great invoked Peter’s authority to assert the primacy of the Roman see and the duty of its bishop to speak out against heresy (see $E05482 and E05494). Additionally, Michele Salzman has highlighted how Leo sought to make St Peter’s at the Vatican the centre of liturgical activity within Rome. It is therefore notable, though not surprising, that Leo focuses more heavily on Peter than Paul in this passage.A different, complementary explanation is also offered by Salzman: that this sermon was specifically for Peter, whose feast was naturally celebrated in his basilica (as specified in the Martyrologium Hieronymianum, E04866); while Paul would be celebrated in his basilica on the via Ostiensis (as also set out in the Martyrologium Hieronymianum, E04866).
Bibliography
Text:Chavasse, A., Sancti Leonis Magni Romani Pontificis tractaus (Corpus Christianorum Series Latina 138, 138A; Turnhout, 1973).
Translation:
Freeland, J. and Conway, A., St Leo the Great Sermons (Fathers of the Church 93; Washington D.C., 1996).
Lett Feltoe, C., Leo the Great. Gregory the Great (Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers 12; New York, 1895).
Further Reading:
Demacopoulos, G.E., The Invention of Peter: Apostolic Discourse and Papal Authority in Late Antiquity (Philadelphia, 2013).
Salzman, M.R., "Leo’s Liturgical Topography: Contestations for Space in Fifth-Century Rome," Journal of Roman
Studies 103 (2013), 208-232.
Thacker, A., "Patrons of Rome: The cult of Sts Peter and Paul at court and in the city in the fourth and fifth centuries," Early Medieval Europe 20:4 (2012), 380-406.
Wessel, S., Leo the Great and the Spiritual Rebuilding of Rome (Leiden, 2008).
Record Created By
Frances Trzeciak
Date of Entry
| ID | Name | Name in Source | Identity | S00008 | Paul, the Apostle | Paulus | Certain | S00036 | Peter, the Apostle | Petrus | Certain |
|---|
Please quote this record referring to its author, database name, number, and, if possible, stable URL:
Frances Trzeciak, Cult of Saints, E05488 - http://csla.history.ox.ac.uk/record.php?recid=E05488