Peter Chrysologus (Greek: Ἅγιος Πέτρος ὁ Χρυσο- Peter Chrysologus but failed in his endeavour to win λόγος, Petros Chrysologos meaning Peter the “golden- the support of the Bishop. The Acts of the Council of worded”) (c. 380 – c. 450)[2] was Bishop of Chalcedon (451) preserves the text of letter of Saint Pe- from about 433 until his death.[3] ter Chrysologus in response to ; Peter admon- ishes Eutyches to accept the ruling of the synod and to During his life he was well known for his fine homilies. give obedience to the Bishop of as the successor He is revered as a saint by the Roman of . and the ; he was declared a by Benedict XIII in 1729. Archbishop Felix of Ravenna in the early eighth century collected and preserved 176 of his homilies. Various au- thors edited and translated these works into numerous 1 Life languages.

Peter was born in , where Cornelius, bishop of 2 Death and veneration Roman Catholic Diocese of Imola, baptized him, edu- cated him, and ordained him a . He was made an through the influence of Emperor Valentinian St Peter died circa or after 450 during a visit to Imola, III. Pope Sixtus III appointed Peter as Bishop of Ravenna the town of his birth. Older reference books say he died (or perhaps archbishop) circa 433, apparently rejecting on 2 December, but a more recent interpretation of the the candidate whom the people of the city of Ravenna ninth-century “Liber Pontificalis Ecclesiae Ravennatis” in- [1] elected. The traditional account, as recorded in the dicated that he died on 31 July. , is that Sixtus had a vision of Pope Saint When in 1729 he was declared a Doctor of the Church, Peter the Apostle and Saint , the his feast day, not already included in the Tridentine Cal- first bishop of that see, who showed Sixtus a young man, endar, was inserted in the for the next Bishop of Ravenna. When a group from Ravenna celebration on 4 December. In 1969 his feast was moved arrived, including Cornelius and his archdeacon Peter to 30 July, as close as possible to the day of his death, 31 from Imola, Sixtus recognized Peter as the young man July, the feast day of Saint . in his vision and consecrated him as a bishop.[4] A contemporary portrait of Saint Peter Chrysologus, People knew Saint Peter Chrysologus, the Doctor of found in the of the Church of San Giovanni Homilies, for his short but inspired talks; he suppos- Evangelista in Ravenna, depicts him among the members edly feared boring his audience. His piety and zeal of the eastern and western imperial family, showing his won universal admiration. After hearing oratory of his extraordinary influence. first homily as bishop, Roman Empress supposedly gave him the surname Chrysologus, mean- ing “golden-worded.” Empress Galla Placidia patronized 3 References many projects of Bishop Saint Peter. In his extant homilies, bishop Peter explained Biblical [1] “Calendarium Romanum” (Libreria Editrice Vaticana, texts briefly and concisely. He also condemned 1969), p. 98 and as heresies and explained beautifully the Apostles’ Creed, the mystery of the Incarnation, and [2] The Liturgy of the Hours, Vol. III, pp. 1562. other topics in simple and clear language. He dedicated [3] Walsh, ed. “Butler’s Lives of the ,” New a series of homilies to Saint and the York: HarperCollins Publishers, 1991. Blessed Mary. Peter advocated daily reception of . He urged his listeners to confide in the forgive- [4] “December 4”. Roman Breviary. Confraternity of Ss. Pe- ness offered through Christ.[5][6][7] He shared the confi- ter and Paul. Retrieved 2010-06-28. dence of Saint the Great (440-461), another [5] Sermon 58, On the Creed, par. 13 doctor of the Church. [6] Sermon 30, on Matthew 9:9ff, par. 5 A synod held in in 448 condemned Eutyches for Monophysitism; Eutyches then appealed to [7] Sermon 168 par. 3

1 2 5 EXTERNAL LINKS

4 Bibliography

• Otto Bardenhewer, Patrology, tr. Shanan, pp. 526 ff. • Dapper, Der hl. Petrus von Ravenna Chrysologus, Posen, 1871

• Looshorn, Der hl. Petrus Chrysologus und seine Schriflen in Zeitschrift f. kathol. Theol., III, 1879, pp. 238 ff. • Wayman, Zu Petrus Chrysologus in Philologus, LV (1896), pp. 464 ff. • San Pietro Crisologo, Sermoni, two volumes, Città Nuova, Roma 1997

5 External links

• Catholic Encyclopedia: St. Peter Chrysologus

• July 30 Saint • St. Peter Chrysologus

• Patron Saints Index: Saint Peter Chrysologus 3

6 Text and image sources, contributors, and licenses

6.1 Text

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6.2 Images

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