Commemoration of Gregory the Great, Pastor
September
3, 2012
The Lord be with you
The Sixth Century was a century of change in Europe.
To truly appreciate Gregory (540-604 ad),
understanding those changes is most helpful. However, this is not the place for
a 100-year history lesson. So, below, are some highlights that will give you an
idea of what was happening.
Sixth Century ad Time Line
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500
Scriptures have now been translated into more than 500 languages.
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507 Clovis,
King of the Franks, defeats the Visigoths at the Battle of Vouille.
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508 Paris
(now called Lutetia) established by Clovis
as the capital of the Kingdom of the Franks
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511 Clovis,
King of the Franks, dies. The Merovingian Dynasty is continued by his sons.
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521
Boëthius introduces Greek musical letter notation to the West.
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525
Dionysius Exiguus (Dionysis the Little), a Roman monk and astronomer, records
in his Easter Tables Jesus of Nazareth’s birthday as December 25, 753 years after Rome
was founded. The date is repeated in all Christian calendars.
Justinian's Empire in 555 AD |
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527
Justinian becomes emperor of the Byzantine (Roman) Empire. He rules until his
death in 565. He reconquers huge parts of the Roman Empire
which were lost in the 5th century. This included Italy,
Dalmatia, Africa, and southern
Hispania.
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529
Codification of Roman Law, Justinian’s Code, in a series of books called Corpus
Juris Civilis, by the Emperor of Byzantine. Many legal maxims would be based on
this code, which included the clause, “The things which are common to all (and
not capable of being owned) are: the air, running water, the sea and the
seashores.” The spelling of the word justice originates from Justinian’s Code.
(Justinian is commemorated on November 14.)
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531
Khosru I, of the Sassanian dynasty, comes to power in Persia.
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532 “Eternal
Peace” between the Sassanid Empire and the Byzantine Empire
established.
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533
Emperor Justinian begins to reconquer Northern Africa.
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534
Queen Hu of China
is assassinated. Northern China divides between western
and eastern halves of the Wei dynasty.
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535
Justinian begins to reconquer Italy
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537
Saint Benedict of Nursia, the father of Western monasticism, outlines the steps
for leading a devout life in what is known as the Rule of St Benedict. The
Hagia Sophia (Holy Wisdom) is dedicated in Constantinople.
Ø
540
Gregory the Great born. Sassanid Empire breaks peace and invades Byzantine
Empire.
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542
The plague of Europe, known as the Great Plague of
Justinian (a bubonic plague) ravages Europe. It would
last until 593, killing half the population of Europe.
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543
Byzantine general Belisarius defeat the Vandals in North Africa.
(Belisarius was the main general of Justinian, responsible for many of their
victories.)
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547
The famous church of St.
Vitale in Ravenna,
known for its octagonal shape and mosaics of the Byzantine Emperor and empress,
Justinian and Theodora, is completed.
Ø
552
Emperor Justinian initiates Europe’s silk industry by
sending missionaries to smuggle silkworms out of China
and Ceylon.
Historian Procopius writes Anecdota, littered with scandalous gossip about
Justinian and Theodora and their commander, Belisarius.
Ø
556
First written account of the Loch Ness monster.
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560
The Hephthalites of Samarkand are
defeated by a Persian-Turkish alliance and vanish as an identifiable people.
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562 Peace
with the Sassanid Empire reestablished.
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563
Irish missionary Columba establishes a center of learning on the island
of Iona.
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565
Emperor Justinian dies. Nephew, Justin II seizes the throne. “Rules” until
death in 578. Went insane and so his wife (573-574) and then Tiberius Constantine
(574-578) ruled as regents.
Ø
568
The Lombards invade Italy,
reaching Milan. Eventually all of Italy
is lost to the Byzantines. “Barbarians,” who become Christians, rule.
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570
Mohammad born in Mecca (His first
“vision” was in 610).
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578
Tiberius II, former regent, become emperor. Rules until 582.
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572
Maurice, son-in-law of Tiberius II, becomes emperor. Rules until 602, when he
was executed. War between the Persians and Byzantines resume, this time over Armenia.
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587
First Japanese Buddhist monastery established.
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589
Emperor Wen of northern China
gains control of the south ending 271 years of division.
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590
Pope Gregory I (the Great) begins the papacy which will reform Europe.
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591
War between the Persians the Byzantines ends (again).
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592
Emperor Sujun of Japan
is murdered by Umako who places his daughter, Suiko, on the throne and makes
her nephew, Shotoku, regent. The Lombards invade Italy.
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594
Shotoku converts Empress Suiko to Buddhism, which becomes the state religion of
Japan.
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597 Gregory
sends St Augustine of Canterbury to the British Isles to
introduce Christianity. Augustine will lead the conversion of England
and found a monastery in Kent
town (later known as Canterbury),
one of the oldest Anglo-Saxon settlements, dating from the mid-400′s.
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602
War between the Byzantines and Persians resumes. (These wars left both the
Byzantines and Persians crippled just when Islam was beginning to attack the
world.)
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604
Gregory the Great dies.
Gregory I, called “the Great,” was born in Rome around 540 to a distinguished Christian family of senatorial rank. His grandfather had been a pope after he had become a widower. Gregory as a young man had a palace and immense wealth. He was educated in the law and entered civil service. As Prefect (mayor) of Rome he presided over the Roman Senate, gathering knowledge of political and business affairs. In this role he restored economic vitality to his native city, which had been weakened by enemy invasions, pillage, and plague. Not long after Gregory’s father died, Gregory became a monk.
About 575 he turned his family home into a monastery
dedicated to St. Andrew (the Festival of St. Andrew is November 30), provided
for the founding of six monasteries on his father’s property in Sicily,
and gave the surplus of his inheritance to the poor.
Gregory the Great |
He reentered what he liked to call “the turbulence of life
in the world” when he was ordained by Benedict I. In 579 he was sent as the
papal representative to the Byzantine court at Constantinople
where he increased his knowledge of the political and religious problems
disturbing the empire. (During his stay in Constantinople
he lived with the monks who accompanied him and apparently never learned
Greek.)
He was recalled to Rome
around 586 to be a counselor to Pope Pelagius II. It was a troubled time for
the city. A plague spread through Rome,
killing many, including the pope, and Gregory was elected his successor by
popular acclaim. The year was 590. His consecration as Bishop of Rome was
delayed until the approval of the Byzantine emperor could be secured.
Meanwhile, Gregory ministered to the sick and dying in the then-plague-ridden
city and organized penitential processions.
In 592 the Lombards invaded Rome.
In the absence of secular leadership, Gregory rallied the people to defend the
city and agreed to pay a yearly tribute to save Rome.
The Byzantine emperor had refused aid; civil government had failed. The people,
therefore, saw the pope as their protector who had assumed responsibility when
they had no other helper.
Gregory showed concern for the poor and for justice,
insisted upon a high standard of spirituality in Church administrators and
reformed the process of raising money from the papal patrimonies so that unjust
amounts of money were not collected. He put his stamp on the liturgy by
reviving the “station churches” in which the pope processed and celebrated Mass
on certain days; writing some prayers of the Gregorian sacramentary; changing
the second petition in the three-fold Kyrie to “Christ have mercy”; ordering
that Alleluia be sung throughout the year except on penitential days; fostering
the development of music; emphasizing the importance of the sermon; fixing the
present order of the Our Father in the Mass; and establishing a Church Year
calendar still used by many church bodies in the Western world today. Gregory’s
book on pastoral care became a standard until the twentieth century.
Gregory struggled with the Patriarch of Constantinople
(remember Constantinople was the capital of the Roman
Empire) who claimed to be the “ecumenical (worldwide) patriarch,”
and in opposition to him Gregory claimed universal jurisdiction for the Bishop
of Rome, not as lord but as “servant of the servants of God” (a title not
original with Gregory but typical of his approach).(Both bishops retain these titles that assert leadership over the entire church on earth.)
Gregory’s use of monks as missionaries to the Anglo-Saxons
was another important influence in shaping the future of Christian culture and
institutions. In 597 he sent forty monks to evangelize Britain.
The story told by Bede the Venerable (commemorated May 25) is that Gregory saw
some fair-haired slaves in Rome and, being told that they were Angles, is said
to have replied, “Not Angles but angels,” and decided that they must be
Christianized.
Gregory is remembered for was his masterful statesmanship. As
the “classical” world crumbled around him, he guided the Church into a “new”
world where it could continue to bring the grace of God in Christ Jesus to
souls in need. This church would be committed to reaching the lost, caring for
the poor, faithful and orthodox worship. And this was the work of a man who
described himself as sickly and who constantly yearned to return to monastic
seclusion. Called by some the greatest man of the sixth century, Gregory forms
a bridge between the ancient and the medieval worlds, and his episcopate was a
model for his successors.
Gregory died on March 12, and many protestant denominations
commemorate him on this day. The LC-MS, following the lead of the Roman Church,
remember him on September 3, the anniversary of the day he was elected Bishop
of Rome. This ensures that his day will not fall during Lent.
Prayer: Almighty
and merciful God, You raised up Gregory of Rome to be a pastor to those who
shepherd God’s flock and inspired him to send missionaries to preach the Gospel
to the English people. Preserve in Your Church the catholic and apostolic faith
that Your people may continue to be fruitful in every good work and receive the
crown of glory that never fades away; through Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives
and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.
Other things Gregory
might inspire us to pray about:
- For the poor
- For social justice
- For renewed appreciation of the liturgy
- For a spirit of service
- For harried pastors and administrators, distracted by many concerns
Blessings in Christ,
Pastor John Rickert
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