Gregory the Great : ascetic, pastor, and first man of Rome / George E. Demacopoulos.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Demacopoulos, George E., author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Gregory I, Pope, approximately 540-604.

Gregory.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (247 p.)

Place of Publication:

Notre Dame, Indiana : University of Notre Dame Press, [2015]

Language Note:

English

Summary:

Gregory the Great (bishop of Rome from 590 to 604) is one of the most significant figures in the history of Christianity. His theological works framed medieval Christian attitudes toward mysticism, exegesis, and the role of the saints in the life of the church. The scale of Gregory's administrative activity in both the ecclesial and civic affairs of Rome also helped to make possible the formation of the medieval papacy. Gregory disciplined malcontent clerics, negotiated with barbarian rulers, and oversaw the administration of massive estates that employed thousands of workers. Scholars have often been perplexed by the two sides of Gregory-the monkish theologian and the calculating administrator. George E. Demacopoulos's study is the first to advance the argument that there is a clear connection between the pontiff's thought and his actions. By exploring unique aspects of Gregory's ascetic theology, wherein the summit of Christian perfection is viewed in terms of service to others, Demacopoulos argues that the very aspects of Gregory's theology that made him distinctive were precisely the factors that structured his responses to the practical crises of his day. With a comprehensive understanding of Christian history that resists the customary bifurcation between Christian East and Christian West, Demacopoulos situates Gregory within the broader movements of Christianity and the Roman world that characterize the shift from late antiquity to the early Middle Ages. This fresh reading of Gregory's extensive theological and practical works underscores the novelty and nuance of Gregory as thinker and bishop.

Contents:

Contents; Acknowledgments; Introduction; Part One: Gregory as Ascetic Theologian; Chapter One: A Theology of Asceticism; Chapter Two: Fall, Redemption, and the Ascetic's Filter; Chapter Three: Ecclesiology and the Rhetoric of Episcopal Equality; Chapter Four: Some Mystical Attributes of Gregory's Ascetic Theology; Part Two: Gregory as Pastoral Theologian; Chapter Five: The Importance of Spiritual Leadership; Chapter Six: The Recruitment of Leaders; Chapter Seven: The Tasks of the Spiritual Leader; Chapter Eight: The Impediments to Effective Leadership

Part Three: Gregory as "First Man" of RomeChapter Nine: The Rome of Gregory's Imagination; Chapter Ten: Ever the Praefect; Chapter Eleven: Gregory's Ascetic Program and Its Opponents; Chapter Twelve: Prefect of the Roman Church; Chapter Thirteen: Spreading Christianity beyond the Roman World; Chapter Fourteen: The Steward of Peter's Tomb; Conclusion; Abbreviations; Notes; Bibliography; Index

Notes:

Description based upon print version of record.

Includes bibliographical references (pages 221-231) and index.

Description based on print version record.

ISBN:

9780268158361

0268158363

9780268077860

026807786X

OCLC:

922562720