Pope Simplicius (died 2 or 10 March 483) was thebishop of Rome from 468 to his death on 10 March 483. He combated theEutychian heresy, ended the practice of consecratingbishops only in December, and sought to offset the effects ofGermanic invasions.
Simplicius was born inTivoli, Italy, the son of acitizen named Castinus.[1] After a vacancy of 10 days following the death ofPope Hilarius, Simplicius was consecrated on 25 February 468.[2]
Simplicius defended the decisions of theCouncil of Chalcedon against theEutychian heresy. When the Eutychians rose up in Antioch and installedPetrus Mongus, Simplicius made repeated complaints for action toBasiliscus andLeo I, emperors of theEastern Roman Empire, for the restoration of the Catholic bishop; he did the same whenPetrus Fullo usurped the seat of thepatriarch of Alexandria. He rehabilitated PatriarchTimotheos Solofaciolus.[3] In 478, Simplicius held a synod in Rome, which pronounced anathemas against eastern heretical bishops Peter Fullo, John of Apamea, and Paul of Ephesus.[4] Simplicius worked to maintain the authority ofRome in the West.[1] He named Zeno, Bishop of Hispalis (Seville) as Papal Vicar in Spain.[5]
In 482, Bishop Gregory of Modena was consecrated a bishop against his will by Archbishop Joannes I of Ravenna. This brought the archbishop a sharp rebuke from Pope Simplicius.[6]
According to the Carolingian liturgistAmalarius of Metz, Pope Simplicius was the first pope to carry out consecrations at any other time than in December before Christmas. He began to conferholy orders in February as well.[7]
Simplicius is credited with the construction of a church namedSanta Bibiana, in memory of the virgin and martyrSt. Bibiana. He also dedicated the Church ofSan Stefano Rotondo on the Celian Hill, the church of S. Andrea near S. Maria Maggiore, and a church dedicated to Saint Lawrence in the Campo Verano.[8] He labored to help the people ofItaly against the marauding raids of barbarian invaders. He saw theHeruliian mercenaries revolt, deposeRomulus Augustulus, the last emperor of theWestern Roman Empire, and proclaimOdoacer king of Italy in 476.[9] Odoacer made few changes in the administration in Rome, leaving the city firmly in the hands of its bishop, Simplicius.
^abcJ. P. Kirsch, "Simplicius, Pope St."Catholic Encyclopedia. Vol. XIV. New York: Appleton. 1912. pp. 2–3.
^Thiel, p. 174 §1. Jaffḗ,Regesta pontificum Romanorum, p. 77. The date is calculated, from his date of death and the length of his reign, fifteen years and seven days.
^Karl Joseph von Hefele (1895). W. R. Clark (ed.).A History of the Councils of the Church, from the Original Documents. Vol. IV. Edinburgh: T. & T. Clark. pp. 26–29. In a letter which Thiel (pp. 189-192) dated to October 477, Pope Simplicius wrote to the Patriarch Acacius about what he thought should be done about the heretic bishops.
^Duchesne,Liber Pontificalis, p. 249. "Hic sepultus est in basilica beati Petri apostoli, vi non. martias. Et cessavit episcopatus dies vi." Thiel, p. 174 §1. Jaffé,Regesta pontificum Romanorum I, p. 80. Loomis, p. 107.
^Pennacchio, Maria Cristina (2000)."Simplicio, santo": "La sua memoria liturgica, indicata dal Martyrologium Romanum al 2 marzo, dal 1971 viene celebrata il 10 marzo."
^Martyrologium Romanum (Libreria Editrice Vaticana 2001ISBN88-209-7210-7)[page needed] The date of 10 March is also a calculated one; it begins with a calculated date for the death of Pope Hilarius (29 February), and then adds the ten days of theSede Vacante reported in theLiber Pontificalis. See Duchesne, pp. 247-248.
Loomis, Louise Ropes, ed. (1916).The Book of the Popes (Liber Pontificalis). Records of Civilization: Sources and Studies. Vol. I. To the pontificate of Gregory I. New York: Columbia University Press. pp. 105–107.
Opera Omnia, edited by J.-P. Migne,Patrologia Latina, with analytical indexes. This link also holds the "Vita Operaque" section of theLiber Pontificalis.
Pennacchio, Maria Cristina (2000)."Simplicio, santo".Enciclopedia dei Papi (2000).(in Italian)
