Page:Catholic Encyclopedia, volume 11.djvu/666

 PELAGIUS

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PELAQinS

Epist. XXNII, "Ad Siinplicianum", xxxviii, ibid., 1903).

There is a later legend of a Pelagia who is said to have led the life of a prostitute at Antioch and to have been converted by a bishop named Xonnus. Accord- ing to the story she went to Jerusalem where disguised as a man and under the name of Pelagius she led a life of self-mortification in a grotto on the Mount of Olives. The author of this legend who calls himself the Deacon Jacob hxs drawn the essential part of his narrative from the forty-eighth homily of St. Chry- sostoin on the (^lospol of St. Matthew. In this homily the preacher relates the conversion of a celebrated actress of Antioch whose name he does not give. As no old authority makes any mention of a Pelagia in Jerusalem, no doubt the alleged converted woman is a purely legendary recasting of the historical Pelagia. In the East the feiist of this second Pelagia is observed on the same day (8 October); in the present Roman martyrology the fexst of the martyr is observed on 9 June, that of the penitent on 8 October.

On the latter date the Greek Church also celebrates as virgin and martyr still another Pelagia of Tarsus. The Roman martyrology places the feast of this Pela- gia on 4 May. There is a legend of later date concern- ing her. As Tarsus was near Antioch St. Pelagia of Tarsus should probably be identified with the Anti- ochene martyr, whose feast was also observed in Tarsus and who was afterwards turned into a martyr of Tarsus. Usener's opinion that all these different saints are only a Christian reconstruction of Apliro- dite has been completely disproved by Delehaye.

In addition to St. Pelagia of Antioch, taken from the Syrian martyrology, the "Martyrologium Hie- ronymianum" also mentions on 11 July a martyr Pelagia, the companion in martyrdom of a Januarius, naming Xicopolis in Armenia as the place of martyr- dom, and giving a brief account of this saint. She is plainly a different person from the martyr of Antioch. Her name w;is included by Bede in his martyrology and was adopted from this into the present Roman list of saints.

Acta SS., May, I, 747 sq. (Pelagia of Tarsus); Ada SS., Oct., IV. 261 sq. and P. G., CXVI. 908 sq. (Pelagia of Antioch-Jerusa- lem): Bibliotheca hagiographica grmca (2nd ed.), 206; Bibl. hn- giogr. hit., II. 959 sq. ; Use.ner. Legenden der hi. Pelagia (Bonn, 1879); Delehaye, Leslegendes hagiographiques (Brussels, 1905), 222 sq.

J. P. KiRSCH.

Pelagius I, Pope, date of birth unknown; d. 3 March, 501, was a Roman of noble family; his father, John, seems to have been vicar of one of the two civil "dioceses", or districts, into which Italy was then divided. We first meet with him at Constantinople, in the company of .-Vgapitus I, who, just before his death in that city, appointed Pelagius apocrisiarius or nuncio of the Roman Church (.536). When, through the intrigues of the Empress Theodora, ever scheming for the advancement of the Monophysite heresy, Silverius, the successor of Agapitus in the See of Rome, had been forcibly deposed and Isanished from Italy by the CJreek general Belisarius, the Em- peror Justinian issued strict orders that Silverius should be recalled to Rome, and decreed that, if proved innocent, he should be reinstated. If we are to believe Liberatus, an historian opposed to the Fifth General Council, and hence to Popes Vigilius and Pelagius, the latter was prevailed upon by the empress to travel post haste in order to prevent if possiljle Sil- verius's return to Italy. In this mission, however, he failed. Xevertheless, the empress accomplished her will, which resulted in the death of Silverius and the accession of Vigilius, of whom she hoped to make a tool. Pelagius meanwhile acquired great influence with Justinian. He selected the orthodox Paul for the See of Alexandria (.540), and had to depose him, and choose a successor two years later (542).

The following year, after having brought about the condemnation of Origen, he returned to Rome. After Justinian published (about 544) his decree on the "Three Chapters" (i. e. brief statements of anath- ema upon Theodore of Mopsuestia and his writings, upon Theodoret of Cyrus and his writings against St. Cyril of Alexandria and the Council of Ephesus, and upon the letter written by Ibas of Edessa to Maris, Bishop of Hardaschir in Persia), we find Pelagius writing to Ferrandus for his opinion on it, and when Vigilius went to Constantinople (Xov., 545) m obe- dience to the emperor's orders, he remained as his repre- sentative in Rome. The times were hard, for Totila, King of the Goths, had begun to blockade the city. The deacon poured out his pri\-ate fortune for the benefit of the famine-stricken people, and endeavoured to induce the Gothic king to grant a truce. Though he failed, he afterwards induced Totila to spare the lives of the people when he became master of Rome in Dec, 546. That prince conceived so great an admira- tion for the Roman deacon that he sent him to Con- stantinople in order to arrange a peace with Justinian, but the emperor sent him back to say that his general Belisarius was in command in Italy, and that he would decide all {[ucstions of peace or war.

Once more the energetic deacon returned to Con- stantinople, this time to support Vigilius, who was being shamefully treated by the emperor, with a view of making him do his will in the matter of the Three Chapters. Encouraged by Pelagius, Vigilius began to offer a stout resistance to Justinian (551 ) and issued his first "Constitutum" (May, 5.53). But in June, after the Fifth General Council of Constanti- nople, which had condemned the Three Chapters, was over and Pelagius and other supporters of the pope had been thrown into prison, the unfortunate Vigilius gave way, and in his second "Constitutum" (Feb., 554) confirmed the decrees of the Council. Pelagius did not submit at once, but wrote against the oppo- nents of the Three Chapters and blamed the subservi- ence of his superior. At length however he rallied to the pope's side, either because he saw that opposition to him was endangering the unity of the Church, or because, as his adversaries said, he wished to regain Justinian's favour, and by it to succeed Vigilius as pope. It is certain that he did re-enter into the em- peror's good graces, shortly before he left Constanti- nople with the pope, about the beginning of 555. Vigilius died at Syracuse during his return journey (7 June, 555), but it was not till the next year that Pelagius was elected his successor, and consecrated (16 April, 556).

He had no little difficulty in procuring bishops to consecrate him, for there was great opposition to him on account of his change of front regarding the con- demnation of the Three Chapters. Some of his enemies even accused him of being responsible for the death of his predecessor. With a view to lessen the ill-feeling against him, he went with the "patrician", Xarses, to St. Peter's, and, holding the Gospels and "the Cross of Christ" above his head, he solemnly averred that he had wrought no harm to Vigilius. Then, indirectly to assert the purity of his conduct with reference to his accession to the p.apacy, he pro- ceeded to denounce simony. His principal aims dur- ing his five years' pontificate were to overcome opposi- tion, if not now so much to himself, at any rate to the Fifth General Council, in the West; and to make good the material damage to the Church's property in Italy, brought about by the campaigns between the Greeks and the Goths. Of his personal worth the Romans were again soon convinced, when they saw him use his wealth for their advantage, in the same generous manner as he had done when Totila's blockade had reduced them to the last extremity; as, for example, when they saw him repairing and refurnishing the churches, and reorganizing for the benefit of the poor