UBSB 224 LIBIB
were forwarded to Rome. After mature examination Modern criticism deals chiefly with two points, the and deliberation, the Sacred Congregation of Rites period in which the Liber Pontificalis, in its earliest unanimously decreed the introduction of his cause, part, was compiled, and the sources then available to This decree was ratified a few days afterwards, 1 June, the author of this oldest division of the Liber Pontifi- 1876, by Pius IX, who thus declared the holy convert calis. Duchesne has proved exhaustively and con- from Judaism Venerable. Since that time, the cause vincingly that the first series of biographies, from St. of his beatification has progressed through the usual Peter to Felix III [IV (d. 530)], were compiled at the forms; and his spiritual sons throughout the world latest under Felix's successor, Boniface 11 (530-2), expect to sec him ere long declared Blessed. and that their author was a contemporary oi Ana- Several thousand of his letters have been preserved; stasius II (496-8) and of Symmachus (408-514). His and these, together with all his other writings, have principal arguments are the following. A great many been examin^ and approved by the Holy Sec. His oiographies of the predecessors of Anastasius II are method of spiritual direction, was, like his life, a min- full of errors and mstorically untenable, but from glingof sweetness and solfnienial, breathing peace and Anastasius II on the information on the ecclesiastico- courage, in the midst of all manner of trials. His pub- political history of the popes is valuable and histori- hshed writings are, *'I^ttrcs SpirituelIes'^ 2 vols, cally certain. In addition, some manuscripts ofTer a (Paris, 1880); "EcritsSpirituels" (Paris, 1891); "Com- summary of the earlier part of the Liber Fontificalis mentaire sur TEvangile de St. Jean" (Paris, n. d.). as far as Felix III (IV), whence the name "catalogus PiTRA, Vtcdu 72. P. LiVrmonn, (Paris, 1872): V'lVfdu 72. P. Felicianus"; Consequently, the Liber Pcmtifioilii l^ermann jyir un p rc de l^Cong.du s. Esnrit (Pans 1878); ^^ j^ave been accessible to the author of this sum-
GOEPFERT, Life of \ en. P. M,P. Libermann, (Dublin, 1880). *»*»«»' »***'^ •-'v.^u »v^/%^.v.«> vx* v*.^^ c»i«vi^^. -k,^ v^amo omm<-
JoHN T. MuHPHT. mary m a recension that reached to the above-men- tioned Felix III (IV). This observation tallies well
T.o.^ •B^.A-A^^i: /T5 T> \ u» with the aforesaid fact that the biographies from
Liber Pontificalis (Book of toe Popes), a his- Anastasius II on exhibit accurate historical informih
tory of the popes l>cgianmg with St. Peter and con- ^^^^ Duchesne defended successfully this opinioQ
tinued down to the fifteenth century- m the form of ^^ ^aits and Mommsen, who placed the firat
biographies. The first complete collection of the papal ^j^j^^j^ ^^ ^j^^ Liber Pontificalis in the beginning of the
biographies in the origimil form of the Liber Pontifi- ^^^j^^y, century. To bear out this view they Appose
calls reached to Stephen \ (H8a-91) They were after- ^hat from the time of Anastasius II to that 5^he
wards continued in a difTerent style as far as Eugene author a genuine and reliable historical source, since
ry (d. 1440 and Pius II (d 14(>4). The individual i^ ^^s at his disposal. Since, moreover, they can-
biographies are very unequal in extent and unpor- ^ot explain the summary ending with Felix III (IV),
tance. In mast ca^es they exhibit a definite symmetn^ ^ easily is done by the hypothesis of Duchesne, the
cal form, which in the old Liber Pontificalis is quite letter's opinion meets with the general approval of
uniform. These brief sket<ihes give the origin and historians, and has recently been perfected by investi-
birthplace of the pope, the length of hjs pontificate gators like Grisar. The first part, therefore, to the
the decrees issued by him on cjuestions of ecclesiastical death of Felix III (IV), i.e. to 530, should be considered
discipline and liturg>', civil and ecclesiastical events, ^ complete work, the compilation of some author who
the building and renovation of Roman churches, y,.^^ shortly after the death of Pope Felix; later
donations to churches of land, jiturgicaJ furniture biographies were added at different times in groups or
re iquanes, va uable tapcstnes and the like, transfer of separately by various authors.
relics to churches, the numlx^r of the principal ordmar %« compiler of the first parti made use of two
tions (bishops, priests, deacons) the bunal-place of the ancient catalogues or lists of the popes, taking from
pope, and the time duniig which the sec was vacant. them the order of succession, the chronological data»
Historical criticism has for a long time dealt with and also certain historical notes; these lists were: (a)
this ancient text in an exhaustive way, especially the so-called "Catalogus Liberianus", and (b) a list of
m recent decades after Duchesne had begim the pubii- the popes that varies in length in the manuscripts, and
cation of hLs classic edition. In most of its manu- perhaps depends on the "Catalogus Liberianus^* for
scnpt copies there is found at the bcginnmg a spurious the period before the middle of the sixth century. The
correspondence l^etween Pope Dama^us and Saint " CJatalogus Liberianus" is so called because it termi-
ifT?^\ ^"^^ ^^^*^'"* ^'^***^ considered genume in the nates with Pope Liberius (352-66) . It has reached tia
Middle A(^s; conseciueutly, in those times St. Jerome in the so-called " Chronographus anni 354", an anciimt
was considered the author of the biographies as far as manuscript that contains the valuable lists of the
Damasus, at whose request it was l)elieved Jerome had "Depositio martyrum" and the "Deposltio episco-
written the work, the subsequent lives having been porum". In the "Catalogus Liberianus" there are
addeii at the command of each individual pope. When already short historical notices of some popes (Peter,
the above-mentioned correspondence was proved Pius, Pontianus, Fabianus, Cornelius, Lucius, Xystus,
entirely apocr\'phal, tlus view was abandoned. In Marcellinus, Julius), which were taken over by the
the sixteenth century Onof no Panvmio on quite in- author of the Liber Pontificalis. For its list of the
sufficient grounds attributed to Anast^ius Bibliothe- eariiest- popes the " Catalogus Liberianus" was able to
carius in the ninth ceiiturj' the continuation of the draw on the papal catalogue given by Hippolytus of
biographies as far a.s Aicliolas I. Although Baronius Rome in his "Liber generationis", thou^ even this
in great measure corrected this false impression, the list is not the oldest list of popes. It is probable that
earlier editions, which appeared in the seventeenth from the bcginnmg of the second century there was
qua; sub nomme Anastasu circumferuntur", Rome, [Lightfoot, "The Apostolic Fathers", Part I; "St.
1688), f?chelstnite ( 'Dissertatiode antiquis Romano- Clement of Rome*', I (2nd ed., London, 1890), 201
rum Pontificum catalogis , Rome, 1692), and other sqq.; Hamack, "Gesch.deraltchristl.Litt.", Partll:
scholars, disprove any possil^le claim of Anastasius to "Die Chronologic", I (I^ipzig, 1897), 70 sqq.; Segna,
the authorship of this work. The conclusive re- "De Successione Romanorum Pontificum^' (Rome,
searches of Ducliesnc have estabhshed l)eyond a doubt 1897)]. Such a catalogue of popes has reached us,
that in its eariier part, as f:ir as the ninth centur\', the as above stated, in the "Catalogus Liberianus", and
LilM>rPontificahswas gradually compiletl, and that the forms a basis for the eariiest recension of the work, later continuations were added unsystematically. In The compiler of the Liber Pontificalis utilised abo
only a few cases is it possible to ascertain the authors, some historical writings (e. g. St. Jerome, ** De ViriB
