Daily Saint

“If Origen has put forth any other writings, you are to know that they and their author are alike condemned by me.”

These words convey the zeal and conviction against heresy that Pope St. Anastasius I expressed in a letter to St. Simplicianus, who was the Bishop of Milan, mentor to St. Ambrose, and an influential figure in the conversion of St. Augustine of Hippo.

Pope St. Anastasius I served as Bishop of Rome from 399 until he died in 401. A Roman by birth, he lived in an era when the Church faced both internal theological debates and external pressures resulting from a weakened Western Roman Empire.

After his election, Pope St. Anastasius I quickly confronted doctrinal controversies, particularly the growing influence of Origen’s writings, which had been translated into Latin. These writings had spread false doctrines about central tenets of the Faith. Responding to concerns raised by Jerome and others, he assembled a council in 400 and condemned the heterodox aspects of Origen’s works. Once the pope spoke, the imperial government banned the works of Origen, stopping the spread of false doctrine.

Enthusiastic about orthodoxy, Pope St. Anastasius I also lent his support to the North African Church in its struggle against Donatism. The Donatists in North Africa claimed to have a “pure church” and elected their own bishop, claiming that Sacraments conferred by unworthy clergy were invalid. Pope St. Anastasius encouraged bishops to resist the view that the validity of Sacraments depended on the moral state of the minister, thus upholding the integrity of sacramental administration.

Among his practical reforms, Pope St. Anastasius safeguarded Church governance and order by requiring that priests from places outside Rome produce a letter of recommendation signed by five bishops before being admitted. He also introduced liturgical reverence, instructing priests to stand and bow their heads when reading from the Gospels.

St. Jerome praised Pope St. Anastasius I as “rich in poverty” and extolled his holiness and humility. He died in 401 and was buried in the Catacombs of Pontian. Although his pontificate lasted only two years, his defense of orthodoxy and pastoral sensitivity strengthened the Church.