"For there are two, O emperor Augustus, by which the world is principally ruled: the sacred authority of pontiffs and the royal power."

Pope St. Gelasius I reigned as pope from 492 to 496 AD and is best known for articulating the doctrine of "the two swords." This doctrine explains that man is subject to two powers: the temporal and the spiritual. Whereas the temporal power wields natural authority to promote the common good, the spiritual power wields supernatural authority for the care of souls. While recognizing that these two powers complement one another, Gelasius asserts the ultimate primacy of the spiritual authority over the temporal.

Pope Gelasius' contributions helped shape the relationship between church and state in medieval Europe, and to this day the Church's position remains what he first described in this famous letter to the Byzantine Emperor Anastasius I.

Links

Famuli Vestrae Pietatis full text: https://thejosias.com/2020/03/30/famuli-vestrae-pietatis/

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Theme music: "2 Part Invention", composed by Mark Christopher Brandt, performed by Thomas Mirus. ©️2019 Heart of the Lion Publishing Co./BMI. All rights reserved.

"And just as the all-holy body of God's Son, which was taken from her, rose from the dead on the third day, it followed that she should be snatched from the tomb, that the mother should be united to her Son; and as He had come down to her, so she should be raised up to Him."

John of Damascus, also known as St. John Damascene, was an influential monk and theologian of the 8th century. He is considered the last of the Greek Fathers and is primarily known for his definitive defense of icons against the iconoclast heresy. His influential body of work includes sermons, hymns, and an encyclopedia that summarizes the philosophical and theological developments of the Patristic era. His significant contributions to the Church's understanding of her doctrine and liturgy have earned him the title "Doctor of the Church."

In this sermon—one of three on the Dormition of Mary—St. John reflects upon Mary's participation in the mysteries of salvation, describes the gathering of the apostles and angels to honor her departure from this world, and exhorts all to celebrate the great feast of her Assumption.

Links

Sermon II: On the Assumption full text: https://sourcebooks.fordham.edu/basis/johndamascus-komesis.asp

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Theme music: "2 Part Invention", composed by Mark Christopher Brandt, performed by Thomas Mirus. ©️2019 Heart of the Lion Publishing Co./BMI. All rights reserved.

"Constantine's submission of his power to the Church has been a pattern for all Christian monarchs since, and the commencement of her state establishment to this day; and, on the other hand, the fortunes of the Roman empire are in prophecy apparently connected with her in a very intimate manner, which we are not yet able fully to comprehend. If any event might be said to call for a miracle, it was this."

In this chapter from Newman's Essays on Miracles, written in his Anglican period, Newman evaluates the historical and evidential support for the miraculous event which led to Constantine's conversion to Christianity around A.D. 311-312.

Links

Appearance of the Cross in the Sky to Constantine full text: https://www.newmanreader.org/works/miracles/essay2/chapter5-4.html

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Theme music: "2 Part Invention", composed by Mark Christopher Brandt, performed by Thomas Mirus. ©️2019 Heart of the Lion Publishing Co./BMI. All rights reserved.