Paulinus the Deacon, also Paulinus of Milan was the
notary
A notary is a person authorised to perform acts in legal affairs, in particular witnessing signatures on documents. The form that the notarial profession takes varies with local legal systems.
A notary, while a legal professional, is disti ...
of
Ambrose of Milan
Ambrose of Milan ( la, Aurelius Ambrosius; ), venerated as Saint Ambrose, ; lmo, Sant Ambroeus . was a theologian and statesman who served as Bishop of Milan from 374 to 397. He expressed himself prominently as a public figure, fiercely promot ...
, and his biographer. His work is the only life of Ambrose based on a contemporary account, and was written at the request of
Augustine of Hippo
Augustine of Hippo ( , ; la, Aurelius Augustinus Hipponensis; 13 November 354 – 28 August 430), also known as Saint Augustine, was a theologian and philosopher of Berber origin and the bishop of Hippo Regius in Numidia, Roman North Af ...
; it is dated to 422 AD.
Against the Pelagians
In
Carthage
Carthage was the capital city of Ancient Carthage, on the eastern side of the Lake of Tunis in what is now Tunisia. Carthage was one of the most important trading hubs of the Ancient Mediterranean and one of the most affluent cities of the classi ...
in 411 he had opposed
Caelestius
Caelestius (or Celestius) was the major follower of the Christian teacher Pelagius and the Christian doctrine of Pelagianism, which was opposed to Augustine of Hippo and his doctrine in original sin, and was later declared to be heresy.
Developmen ...
, a
Pelagian
Pelagianism is a Christian theological position that holds that the original sin did not taint human nature and that humans by divine grace have free will to achieve human perfection. Pelagius ( – AD), an ascetic and philosopher from th ...
. The formal proceedings were described by Augustine in ''On Original Sin''. Paulinus set up six theses defining Pelagian views as
heresy
Heresy is any belief or theory that is strongly at variance with established beliefs or customs, in particular the accepted beliefs of a church or religious organization. The term is usually used in reference to violations of important religi ...
; Caelestius gave up on becoming a
presbyter
Presbyter () is an honorific title for Christian clergy. The word derives from the Greek ''presbyteros,'' which means elder or senior, although many in the Christian antiquity would understand ''presbyteros'' to refer to the bishop functioning as ...
in Carthage, instead he moved to
Ephesus
Ephesus (; grc-gre, Ἔφεσος, Éphesos; tr, Efes; may ultimately derive from hit, 𒀀𒉺𒊭, Apaša) was a city in ancient Greece on the coast of Ionia, southwest of present-day Selçuk in İzmir Province, Turkey. It was built in t ...
Paulinus was summoned to Rome in 417, to justify himself. With local backing, he declined to appear before
Pope Zosimus
Pope Zosimus was the bishop of Rome from 18 March 417 to his death on 26 December 418. He was born in Mesoraca, Calabria. Zosimus took a decided part in the protracted dispute in Gaul as to the jurisdiction of the See of Arles over that of Vienne ...
; in 418 the Pope took into account the measure of support for the anti-Pelagian position, and condemned both Caelestus and
Pelagius
Pelagius (; c. 354–418) was a British theologian known for promoting a system of doctrines (termed Pelagianism by his opponents) which emphasized human choice in salvation and denied original sin. Pelagius and his followers abhorred the moral s ...
.
[Philippe Levillain, ''The Papacy: An Encyclopedia'' (2002), p. 1641.]
Notes
References
*Mary Simplicia Kaniecka (1928), ''Vita sancti Ambrosii, mediolanensis episcopi, a Paulino eius notario ad beatum Augustinum conscripta''
*M. Pellegrino (editor) (1961), ''Paolino di Milano, Vita di S. Ambrogio''
*Émilien Lamirande, ''Paulin de Milan et la "Vita Ambrosii": Aspects de la religion sous le Bas-Empire''
External links
{{Authority control
5th-century Christian clergy
Christian hagiographers
Notaries
5th-century Latin writers
Deacons
5th-century Romans