Pope Julius I was thebishop of Rome from 6 February 337 to his death on 12 April 352. He was appealed to byAthanasius when the latter was deposed from his position as patriarch byArian bishops, Julius then supported Athanasius and condemned his deposition as unjust. He was notable for asserting theauthority of the pope over the Arian Easternbishops, as well as being attributed with the setting of December 25 as the officialbirthdate of Jesus.
Julius is chiefly known by the part he took in theArian controversy. After the followers ofEusebius of Nicomedia, who had become thepatriarch of Constantinople, renewed their deposition ofAthanasius of Alexandria at a synod held inAntioch in 341, they resolved to send delegates toConstans, emperor of the West, and also to Julius, setting forth the grounds on which they had proceeded. Julius, after expressing an opinion favourable to Athanasius, adroitly invited both parties to lay the case before a synod to be presided over by himself. This proposal, however, the Arian Eastern bishops declined to accept.[1][2]
On this second banishment fromAlexandria, Athanasius came to Rome, and was recognised as a regularbishop by thesynod presided over by Julius in 342. Julius sent a letter to the Eastern bishops that is an early instance of the claims of primacy for the bishop of Rome. Even if Athanasius and his companions were somewhat to blame, the letter runs, the Alexandrian Church should first have written to the pope. "Can you be ignorant," writes Julius, "that this is the custom, that we should be written to first, so that from here what is just may be defined" (Epistle of Julius to Antioch, c. xxii).[1]
It was through the influence of Julius that, at a later date, thecouncil of Sardica inIllyria was held, which was attended by only seventy-six Eastern bishops, who speedily withdrew toPhilippopolis and deposed Julius at thecouncil of Philippopolis, along with Athanasius and others. The three hundred Western bishops who remained, confirmed the previous decisions of the Roman synod and issued a number of decrees regarding church discipline. The first canon forbade the transfer of bishops from one see to another, for if frequently made, it was seen to encourage covetousness and ambition.[3]
By its 3rd, 4th, and 5th decrees relating to the rights of revision claimed by Julius, the council of Sardica perceptibly helped forward the claims of the bishop of Rome. Julius built several basilicas and churches.
Some have stated that, around 350 AD, Julius I declared December 25 as the official date of the birth ofJesus; this is based on a letter quoted only in a 9th-century source, and this letter is spurious.[4][5][6] At the time this was one of the commonly believed dates for Jesus' birth and was used by Hippolytus of Rome in his Commentary on Daniel around 200 AD.[7] It is claimed – falsely – that Pope Julius declared December 25 as Christmas after patriarch Cyril of Jerusalem asked for clarification on what date historical records stored in Rome indicate as Jesus' birth.[8] It was also believed that Jesus and John the Baptist were born around the same time from reading the Gospel of Luke.[9][10]
The actual date of Jesus's birth is unknown.[11][12] It has been noted that 25 December is two days after the end of the Roman festival ofSaturnalia.[11][13] Some have speculated that part of the reason this date was chosen may have been because Julius was trying to create a Christian alternative to Saturnalia.[11] Another reason for the decision may have been because, in 274 AD, the Roman emperorAurelian had allegedly declared 25 December the birthdate ofSol Invictus and that Julius I allegedly may have thought that he could attract more converts to Christianity by allowing them to continue to celebrate on the same day,[12] but this cannot be historically verified.[14] He may have also been influenced by the idea that Jesus had died on the anniversary of his conception;[12] because Jesus died during Passover and, in the third century AD, Passover was celebrated on 25 March,[12] he may have assumed that Jesus's birthday must have come nine months later, on 25 December.[12]
Julius I died in Rome on 12 April 352. He was succeeded byLiberius. Julius is venerated as a saint by theCatholic Church. Hisfeast day is on 12 April.[1]
^[The Ecclesiastical History of Socrates, Surnamed Scholasticus, or The Advocate. Comprising a History of the Church, in Seven Books, from the Accession of Constantine, A.D. 305 to the 38th Year of Theodosius II, Including a Period of 140 Years] Book II, Chapter 23. London: Henry G. Bohn, York Street, Covent Garden, 1853. 24 June 2023
^Crump, William D. (2013).The Christmas encyclopedia (3rd ed.). Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers. p. 96.ISBN9781476605739.OCLC858762699.
^Martindale, Cyril (1908)."Christmas".The Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Robert Appleton Company. Retrieved2018-11-18.
