St. Leo the Great: Sermons
Overview
As the vestiges of the Roman political machine began to collapse in the fifth century AD, the towering figure of Pope St. Leo the Great came into relief amid the rubble. Sustained by an immutable doctrine transcending institutions and cultures, the Church alone emerged from the chaos. Eventually, the Roman heritage became assimilated into Christianity and ceased to have a life of its own. It would be practically impossible to understand this monumental transition from Roman world to Christendom without taking into account the pivotal role played by Leo—and not the emperor—who went out to confront Attila and Hun. It was Leo who once averted and on another occasion mitigated the ravages of barbarian incursions.
As significant as his contribution was to history, Leo had an even greater impact on theology. When partisans of the monophysite heresy had through various machinations predetermined the outcome of a council held at Ephesus in 450, Leo immediately denounced it as a latrocinium (robbery) rather than a concilium (council). A year later—with cries of “Peter has spoken through Leo!”—the ecumenical Council of Chalcedon, a pillar of Catholic Christianity, adopted in its resounding condemnation of monophysitism the very language formulated by Leo. Pope Leo also developed the most explicit and detailed affirmations known up to that time of the prerogatives enjoyed by successors if St. Peter. Many theological principles find their clearest, and certainly their most eloquent, expression in his sermons.
Leo spoke with all the refinement of a Roman orator, without the pagan trappings, and thus epitomized a Christian appropriation of the classical heritage. In the midst of it all, however, Pope St. Leo thought of himself simply as the humble servant of those entrusted to his care. This volume presents the first English translation of the complete Sermons.
For The Fathers of the Church series in its entirety, see Fathers of the Church Series (127 vols.).
Key Features
- Records Pope Leo’s highly effective orations and explains their occasion
- Contains examples of his papal addresses
- One of 127 published volumes in a well-respected series on the Church Fathers
Top Highlights
“Silence about benefits received from God betrays an attitude not of modesty but of ingratitude.” (Page 18)
“Realize, o Christian, your dignity. Once made a ‘partaker in the divine nature,’18 do not return to your former baseness by a life unworthy [of that dignity]. Remember whose head it is and whose body of which you constitute a ‘member.’19 Recall how you had been wrested ‘from the power of darkness and brought into the light and the kingdom’ of God.20 Through the Sacrament of Baptism you were made ‘a temple of the Holy Spirit.’21 Do not drive away such a dweller by your wicked actions and subject yourself again to servitude under the devil, because your ‘price’22 is the very blood of Christ, because he ‘will judge’ you ‘in truth’23 who has redeemed you in mercy, Christ our Lord. Amen.” (Page 79)
“What was to be seen of our Redeemer has passed over into the Sacraments. In order that faith might be more perfect and more firm, teaching has taken the place of sight, and to this authority the hearts of believers, illumined by heavenly rays, have conformed.” (Page 326)
“When the ‘yeast of the old evil’ has been thrown out,263 the ‘new creature’264 receives food and drink from the Lord himself. This partaking in the body and blood of Christ means nothing else than that we should pass over into what we have taken in. Since we have died with him and are buried with him and are risen with him, let us bear him through all things both in spirit and in flesh, as the Apostle says: ‘You have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ your life appears, however, you too will appear with him in glory,’265 who lives and reigns with the Father and the Holy Spirit forever and ever. Amen.” (Page 277)
About Leo I
Leo I (Saint Leo the Great) was pope from 29 September 440 till 461 AD.