ANASTASIUS I, ST. POPE

Pontificate: Nov. 27, 399 to Dec. 19, 401. Anastasius was apparently a Roman. St. Paulinus of Nola, whom he received in Rome and invited to attend his anniversary in 400, praised his charity and zeal. Jerome likewise held him in high esteem, particularly as he favored the anti-Origenist group of Jerome's friends in Rome.

After Rufinus of Aquileia translated Origen's Peri Archon in 398, omitting or correcting heterodox doctrines ascribed to Origen, Jerome was encouraged to make a literal translation, thus renewing the controversy over the orthodoxy of Origen, a theologian about whom Anastasius knew very little. Rufinus had enjoyed the confidence of Pope Siricius, but evidently Jerome's friends in Rome, particularly Marcella, and Eusebius of Cremona alerted Anastasius to the perceived dangers of Origen's teachings. When he received a cautionary letter from theophilus of alexandria, probably instigated by Jerome, he convened a Roman synod to condemn Origenism and then wrote to Simplicianus, Bishop of Milan, and to his successor, Venerius, proscribing Origenistic heresies. Rufinus, feeling himself implicated, wrote an Apologia addressed to Anastasius in which he gives an orthodox explanation of his faith and justifies his translations of Origen. Anastasius further wrote to john of jerusalem, and in mentioning Rufinus declared himself disinterested in the latter's fate, as long as he did not propagate Origenism.

Anastasius had also written to the Council of Carthage, which convened on Sept. 13, 401, to urge the African bishops to continue the battle against the Donatists (J. D. Mansi, Sacrorum Conciliorum nova et amplissima collectio 3:1023; 4:491). The Africans ignored his advice, however, and negotiated with the Donatists. He died on Dec. 19, 401 (Liber pontificalis, ed. L. Duchesne, 1:219) and was buried "ad ursum pileatum."

Bibliography: p. jaffÉ, Regesta pontificum romanorum ab condita ecclesia ad annum post Christum natum 1198, ed. s. lÖwenfeld et al. (Graz 1956). j. p. kirsch, Dictionnaire d'histoire et de géographie ecclésiastiques, ed. a. baudrillart, et al. (Paris 1912–) 2:1471–73. Liber pontificalis, ed. l. duchesne (Paris 1886–92, 1958) 1:218–219. f. cavallera, Saint Jérôme, 2 v. (Spiclegium sacrum Lovaniense 1, 2; 1922). e. caspar, Geschichte de Papsttums von den Aufängen bis zur Höhe der Weltherrschaft (Tübingen 1930–33) 1:285–287, 291. e. ferguson, ed., Encyclopedia of Early Christianity (New York 1997), 1:49. h. jedin, History of the Church (New York 1980), 2:126–128, 250–254. j. n. d. kelly, Oxford Dictionary of Popes (New York 1986), 36–37; Jerome (London 1975), 246–253. e. clark, Origenist Controversy (Princeton 1992), 171–173. a. diberardino, Patrology (Westminster, Md. 1986), 4:581–582

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