Lecture 25: Gregory the Great

1. Lecture 25: Gregory the Great 3December 2013 Lecture 25: Gregory the Great

2. Introduction • Gregory’s life (540 -604) • Gregory’s Morals onJob • Analysis of Pastoral Rule • Gregory and Liturgical Reform • Gregory’s Life as straddling ancient and medieval • Developments in West after Gregory Lecture 25: Gregory the Great

3. Classical Early Life and Education • Born into a wealthy Roman family • Educated in classics • Prefect of Rome, although this no longer the important position it once was, now mostly ceremonial. • Italy and Rome invade by various barbarians and Eastern armies trying to recapture West from Barbarians • Political and military turmoil may have led to Gregory’s view that eschaton was near • Gregory becomes a monk and turns home on Caelian hill into a monastery, St. Andrews. • Monks follow Benedict’s Rule • Rebuilt baroque church still on this site; has Gregory’s papal chair Lecture 25: Gregory the Great

4. Important Influences on Gregory the Great • Classical Latin education • Thought of Augustine of Hippo • Model of Benedict of Nursia • Cappadocians, especially Gregory of Nazianzus Lecture 25: Gregory the Great

5. Early Ecclesial Career • Against his will, ordained by Pope Pelagius II • Sent on a mission to Constantinople to get troops from East to protect Rome against barbarians (unsuccessful) • Gregory stays in Constantinople 6 years; write Moralia on Job • Gregory realized that East was in no position to help the West; Rome would have to look elsewhere for support against barbarians • When he returns to Rome, he meets British youths in forum; begs Pope Pelagius to send him as a missionary to England • Pope agrees • Roman people want Gregory to stay in Rome; Gregory returns without getting to England Lecture 25: Gregory the Great

6. Gregory’s Later Ecclesial Career • Became Pope in 590 • Maintained a very active correspondence with bishops, civil authorities throughout Western and Eastern world • Example: letter to Patriarch of Alexandria about Augustine’s mission to England • Collected his most important letters together every year • Developed a strong homiletic style based on Cicero • Greatest concern and content of homilies and other works: morals Lecture 25: Gregory the Great

7. Moralia in Job • Based on a series of homilies for Latin community in Constantinople • Organized as a book after he became Pope • Collected as 35 books, one of longest works to survive from antiquity • First extended commentary on Job; actually 3 parallel commentaries: ‘literal’ and ‘allegorical’ and ‘moral’ • How to read Scripture: • “Holy scripture appears to the mind's eye as a kind of mirror in which we can see our true inner face. There we see all our ugliness, and there we see all our beauty. There we learn how far we have come, and there we learn how far away we still are from our goal. Scripture recounts the deeds of the bold to stir the hearts of the weak to imitation. “ II.1 Lecture 25: Gregory the Great

8. Song of Songs and Job • Both Wisdom Literature • Early Christian commentaries on Song of Songs written during times of growth and confidence • Gregory’s commentary on Job written during a time of crumbling social structures • Population of Rome during Second and Third Century 1,000,000 • Population in Rome by end of Sixth Century 10,000 to 20,000 • Rome of late 6th Century suffering from plague, famine, deterioration Lecture 25: Gregory the Great

9. Moralia (cont.) • Job is innocent, should not look for Job’s ‘hidden sin’ • Types of tribulations: • (1) some by which the sinner is struck for his punishment but not for his correction; • (2) some by which a sinner is smitten so that he will mend his ways; • (3) some by which someone is afflicted not to correct past faults but to prevent future ones; • (4) some by which neither past sins are punished nor future sins prevented but for which the strength of a deliverer, coming unexpectedly at the end of the trials, is the more ardently loved, and when an innocent man is worn down by tribulation, the sum of his merits grows and grows (Job) Lecture 25: Gregory the Great

10. Structure of Moralia • Literal interpretation is foundation of allegorical which points to moral interpretation • “I should not only shake loose from the words of the historical narrative their allegorical meaning, but should also direct the allegorical interpretation towards moral edification” from Gregory’s Letter to Leander, Bishop of Gaul • Each verse and image in Job is given a triple interpretation • Literal is about Job in his time frame • Allegorical is about Christ • Moral is about us Lecture 25: Gregory the Great

11. Allegorical (Typological) Representations • Job: Redeemer who in his suffering gave the example of love and fortitude • Wife: Example of those in church who are not faithful • Friends: Heretics • Sons: Apostles and Preachers • Daughters: Faithful in Church Lecture 25: Gregory the Great

12. Example of Triple Interpretations: Sons of Job • Literal, allegorical, moral interpretation of Job 1:13-22 • Literal (Moralia II.xv): • Feasting sons and daughters were breaking ascetic discipline • Eldest son leads others astray through his own self-indulgence • Job living by true philosophy of love of God and neighbor, accepts difficulties in this life by continuing to praise God • Allegorical (Moralia II.xxxiii): • Sons (apostles) and daughters (faithful) were feasting on Scripture from Jesus • Strong wind is envy of Jews against Jesus • Collapsed house is the abandonment of Jesus by ‘eldest son’ Peter and all apostles, leaving the faithful to be killed Lecture 25: Gregory the Great

13. Moral Interpretation of Job 1:13-22 (II.xl) • Wisdom is the first-born offspring of gifts of Spirit • Sons are gifts of Spirit • Daughters are theological virtues • We are wise if we give our faith to understanding Scripture • Authentic virtues are from Wisdom; and our virtues grow when we feed on sacraments • Four corners of our house are four cardinal virtues and strong wind is temptation: • But sometimes when laziness comes upon the mind, prudence grows cold; for when it wearies and flags, it fails to foresee the future. Sometimes when a certain pleasure comes upon the mind, our temperance wastes away: to the extent that we are led to delight in the things we have, the less we restrain ourselves from what is illicit. Sometimes when fear works its way into our heart, it confounds the strength of our fortitude; our ability to face adversity is reduced by our fear of losing something we love too well. Sometimes self-love plants itself in the mind and turns it silently aside from the rectitude of justice; by failing to hand itself over to its creator totally, the mind is speaking against legitimate justice. • The three sisters perish along with the sons because sometimes under temptation's whip charity is shaken from the heart, hope is battered by fear, and faith is shaken by doubts. often we grow feeble in our love of the creator when we think we are being wearied by the lash beyond our limits. Lecture 25: Gregory the Great

14. Moral Interpretation (cont.) • When we sin we should be like Job and rend our garments, that is consider our deeds and separate good deeds from bad deeds • Distinction between interior and exterior gifts; God sometimes removes exterior gifts • There are some gifts of the spirit without which we never come to life at all, and others by which the holiness of our life is publicly revealed for the benefit of others. Gentleness, for example, and humility and patience, faith and hope and charity, these are the spirit's gifts, but they are the kind without which human beings can never truly attain to life itself. • But prophecy, and the power to cure, and the gift of tongues, and the ability to interpret what has been said in tongues, these are also gifts of the spirit but are the kind that display the presence of his power to inspire those who behold them. Through those gifts without which life is impossible, the holy spirit remains forever, in all the elect, or at least in those who preach the word. But through those gifts that are given not to save our life but to reach out to others, • the spirit does not remain forever even in his preachers, for he constantly rules their hearts to live well but does not always show the signs of his power through them. Sometimes, indeed, he withdraws the signs of his power from them, so that they may be cherished all the more humbly for being impossible to possess fully. Lecture 25: Gregory the Great

15. Divisions of Society • Pastors: those who preside over people and set the example of living • Continent: those who are ascetic and abandon the world to live in holiness • Married: those who remain in world and follow path of holiness using the things of this world; this group is also represented by Job Lecture 25: Gregory the Great

16. Introduction to Pastoral Rule • Issues with clergy in West during time of Gregory Great: crass • Money and power were in Church • Tax and military benefits for clergy • Issues with clergy: intellectual • Church controlled education • Church (monasteries) places of quiet refuge Lecture 25: Gregory the Great

17. Pastoral Rule, Government of Souls: the Art of Arts • First published as a short work in 593; also translated into Greek • Key theme: Pastor must meet his people where they are (condescension) and draw them up toward salvation • To do this, the Pastor must be a man of personal wisdom and spirituality • Pastor is a doctor of souls • Model for entire church is relation between abbot and monks • Note use of OT images • Division of Pastoral Rule • Part I Who should (and should not) be pastors • Part II How Pastors should lead their lives • Part III Teaching and Preaching • Part IV Greatest temptation for Pastors: pride Lecture 25: Gregory the Great

18. Pastoral Rule Part I • Pastors must live the life they preach • Distinction between studying and learning something ‘academically’ and being able to live it • Pastor must follow example of Christ in humility; be careful not to be like Saul and David • A man endowed with great gifts should not decline becoming a pastor; in so doing he also deprives himself of the advantage of his gifts • Man with ability to rule should not be content to hide in monastery Lecture 25: Gregory the Great

19. Pastoral Rule Part II • Life of pastor set apart from flock • Symbolism of priest’s vestments • Pastor should transfer to himself the infirmities of others even as his contemplation leads him to God • Example of Paul’s condescending love to those who are married • Moses gong in and out of tabernacle • Humility of pastors: joy should not be in ruling over men, but in helping them to salvation • Pastor must continue to develop his own inner life, even as he is occupied with external affairs • Vices can sometimes masquerade as virtues • Pastors must study Scripture every day to renew their heart Lecture 25: Gregory the Great

20. Pastoral Rule Part III • Pastor must distinguish among his listeners • “must touch the hearts of his hearers by using one and the same doctrine, but not by giving to all one and the same exhortation” • Series of admonishments; longest part of Rule Lecture 25: Gregory the Great

21. Pastoral Rule Part IV • While restoring others to health, the pastor must not neglect his own health • Greatest problem for pastor is pride • Pastor must not be secure in his self-confidence • The pastor must not be deceived by success • “when the wealth of virtues flatters us, the eye of the soul should turn its gaze on its infirmities” Lecture 25: Gregory the Great

22. Gregorian Liturgical Reforms • Distinctive Roman liturgical practices started in 5th C with Popes Leo and Gelasius • But practices were local depending on bishop • Gregory collected and ordered various liturgical prayers and hymns • Gregorian Sacramentary • Gregorian Antiphonary • Gregory’s Roman Sacramentary quickly became standard throughout Europe in Roman Catholic Church • Gregorian Chant became the standard music of Roman Catholic Church • Emphasis on Mass as sacrifice Lecture 25: Gregory the Great

23. Gregory as a Man of Antiquity and Middle Ages • Antiquity • Education, social status in Rome • Time in Constantinople; impact of Gregory Nazianzus • Letters with Eastern Rulers (spiritual and civil) • Sadness over destruction of Western Empire and continued distancing from East • Epitaph of God’s Counsel • Medieval • Combination of Eastern and Irish monasticism • Missionary activities in Europe • Recognized that future of West was with barbarians • Importance of Church hierarchy • Latin Liturgical Reform • Set the course for future of Catholicism in Europe • Gave Europe a structure for unified religious practice and moral perspective that would be needed to withstand the coming invasion from the South: Islam Lecture 25: Gregory the Great

24. Assignments • Letters 37 and 39 • Selections of Pastoral Rule • CCC 931-933 Lecture 25: Gregory the Great

25. Extra Credit and Exam • Final Exam in Patristics: Dec. 20 • Extra Credit Due on Dec. 20 • Compare Basil “Epistle 38” and SpeSalvi Lecture 25: Gregory the Great