The Pope Who Roared
One is ashamed to say this, and yet one dares not be silent. You value the devils higher than the apostles.
Pope Leo I, sermon to the Romans, 455
The Cullinan diamond is considered the largest gem quality diamond ever discovered. It weighs in at over 3100 carats (over 600 grams). Several large diamonds were cut from the stone. Only after being cut by diamond experts could the Cullinan diamond begin to shine. This can be a fitting metaphor for the church. The contemporary church is like a cut diamond. Each cut diamond is unique. It shares some common characteristics of the original it came from but also has distinctions that set it apart. The problem with the church has been that in the process of such cutting, creating, and refining, there have been instances where shattering has occurred.
A man at the center of one of these “diamond cuttings” was Leo, the bishop of Rome. We know nothing of his early life. He just appears on history’s stage. It is assumed that he had a noble birth in Tuscany. Beyond that, his early life is lost to us. His later work, however, is much better known. He would prove he was a talented man, able to preach mind-grabbing sermons, influence emperors, face down invading kings, prosecute heresy, and make theological arguments for his belief.
Emperor Valentian III sent Leo to Gaul to mediate a dispute. While there, Sixtus III died and Leo, although absent from Rome at the time, was elected to replace the bishop. And replace him he did.
Early in the church’s history, bishops oversaw local congregations. Bishops of larger cities were considered more influential. As the church grew in size, and as more cities came under the influence of Christianity, more bishops were needed. At times they would gather to debate and refine a questionable bit of doctrine. Some bishops rose to prominence based on their scholarship, preaching, or administration, yet there remained a conviction that all bishops stood on an equal footing. Some, however, referred to the bishop of Rome as the “first among equals.” Leo wasn’t comfortable with that. To Leo, the bishop of Rome held a higher position than anyone else, and all other bishops should follow the leadership of the Roman Church.
Saving Rome
In 452, Attila the Hun had brought havoc to the Roman Empire and now threatened the city of Rome. A delegation from the city went to meet him—not a delegation of politicians, or rulers, or military leaders but of priests including Leo, the bishop of Rome. Bruce Shelley described it this way: “Man-to-man, the contest seemed unequal. On the one side, the law of conquest; on the other, the law of faith. On the one side, triumph over the wounded, the ravaged, the dying; on the other, submission to the divine mysteries of the church. A foreign king and a ruling pope.”1
Behind Attila the Hun—“the scourge of God”—stood countless soldiers; next to Leo, a couple of priests. It was Daniel in the lions’ den. Attila had left many dead in his wake. He was a man to be feared. While he could appear humble before invited guests, he had no qualms about putting people in their graves. A man of short stature, a broad chest, a large head, a thin graying beard, small eyes, and a flat nose, he may not have looked fierce, but any soldier who faced him knew otherwise.2
Had Leo come with an offer of surrender, there may have been less danger, but his mission was not that easy, nor his message that welcome. Leo faced the feared conqueror and made a simple request: “Go away.” He spoke not as a military man but as the bishop of Rome, a spiritual man.
Attila’s army had suffered from an onset of disease and a lack of food. Some historians believe the Hun was already thinking about leaving the city alone. Even so, Leo faced the man Roman soldiers feared and prevailed. Attila not only retreated from Rome, he left Italy entirely.
This remarkable act of bravery and conviction raised Leo’s standing with the people and with secular leaders.
Three years later, he would have to do it again.
Saving Rome a Second Time
The glory days of Rome were long gone. Once it had ruled the world with shield and sword, but now it struggled to keep what little dignity it had. Outside forces like Attila plagued the Empire and its glorious city. Rome would endure a series of attacks over the centuries: in 410, 455, 546, 846, 1084, and 1527. In Leo’s day, the Roman military was a shadow of its previous self. Once, no force could stand before them. Now they seemed unable to stand by themselves.
The Vandals, an east Germanic tribe, approached Rome in May of 455 to continue their practice of looting, pillaging, and murdering citizens. The Vandal king, Genseric, agreed to meet with Leo. Once again, the bishop had taken it upon himself to intercede on behalf of his city and people. Genseric and Leo were the same age: sixty-five. The Vandal leader moved with a limp, the result of a fall from a horse when he was young. Leo offered money and, perhaps sensing that he could not expect the king to give up the plunder, asked that the city and its citizens be spared. The Roman army could no longer be counted on. Even the emperor had been killed by one of his bodyguards and dragged into the streets, where he was torn to pieces. Leo’s goal was to save the citizens and buildings.
Genseric nodded, then made a single statement: “Fourteen days of looting.” He kept his word. The city was stripped of its wealth, although most of the churches were spared from plundering. Genseric also took senators and Empress Licinia Eudoxia and her daughters for ransom. He even took the gilded roof off the capital. When his ships were loaded, the Vandals left. Rome still stood. Most of the citizenry survived. All because Leo once again put faith against power.
A solemn thanksgiving ceremony was held but few attended. It would take some time for the fear to subside. At the service Leo was direct and pointed.
One is ashamed to say this, and yet one dares not be silent. You value the devils higher than the apostles. Who has restored security to the city? Who has liberated, preserving it from massacre? Turn to the Lord, acknowledge the miracles he has manifestly wrought on our behalf, and describe our liberation not, as the goddesses do, to the influence of the stars but to the ineffable mercy of the Almighty, who has softened the rage of the barbarians.3
Once again, the people knew who had interceded on their behalf.
Peter and Leo
Leo had strong opinions about how ecclesiastical authority should trickle down to the churches. While many claimed the bishop of Rome held a special authority, Leo clearly stated the scriptural mandates justifying the church’s authority:
1. Peter, when asked about who he believed Jesus to be, proclaimed, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God” (Matt. 16:16), and received Jesus’ blessing for his bold and accurate statement.
2. Jesus said he would build his church upon that statement and upon Peter, to whom he gave the keys to heaven and hell.
3. Jesus prayed for Peter: “Simon, Simon, look out! Satan has asked to sift you like wheat. But I have prayed for you that your faith may not fail. And you, when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers” (Luke 22:31).
4. Peter is seen as the chief of the apostles.
5. It was to Peter that Jesus said, “Feed my sheep” (John 21:17).
6. It was by God’s direction that Peter ministered and died in Rome, and that his body was buried there.
According to Leo, authority was transferred from Peter to the bishop of Rome. All authority rested with the church, and the pope (pope comes from the Greek and Latin for “papa”) was to lead the church. Whoever was not a part of the church in Rome was outside of the faith. To challenge the pope’s authority was to court hell. Obedience to the pope was necessary for salvation.
He was successful in furthering this belief, but not everyone was so agreeable. In the end, the diamond fractured, with the head of the Eastern church in Constantinople seeing his power as equal to that of Leo’s. Over time there would be other factions—factions that remain to this day. In the centuries ahead, the papacy would grow in power and the Roman church would expand around the world. It would do much good, but also be plagued by troubles from within. Groups would continue to split and new denominations would be born.
Leo shaped the church through his dedication to a pure doctrine, defending it from heresy, and by showing courage and strength born of faith when he faced Attila the Hun and later the Vandal king Genseric. His leadership and determination strengthened the authoritative posture of the Western church. Ultimately the idea of the supremacy of the Roman bishop would drive a wedge between East and West. But Leo’s force of will and his stated beliefs have moved Roman Catholics, Eastern Catholics, Eastern Orthodox Churches, and Anglicans to venerate him through the ages.