Editing Pope Honorius I

{{Short description|Head of the Catholic Church from 625 to 638}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2024}}

{{Infobox Christian leader
|type=Pope
|honorific-prefix= [[List of popes|Pope]]
|title=[[Bishop of Rome]]
|name=Honorius I
|image=Pope Honorius I – Apse mosaic of Sant'Agnese fuori le mura – Rome (2016).jpg
|caption= Mosaic at [[Saint Agnes Outside the Walls]]
|birth_name=
|church = [[Catholic Church]]
|term_start=27 October 625
|term_end=12 October 638
|predecessor=[[Boniface V]]
|successor=[[Pope Severinus|Severinus]]
|birth_date=
|birth_place=[[Campania]], [[Byzantine Empire]]
|death_date=12 October 638
|death_place=
|other=Honorius
}}

'''Pope Honorius I''' (died 12 October 638)<ref name="ce" /> was the [[bishop of Rome]] from 27 October 625 to his death on 12 October 638. He was active in spreading Christianity among [[Anglo-Saxons]] and attempted to convince the [[Celts]] to [[Easter controversy|calculate Easter]] in the Roman fashion. He is chiefly remembered for his correspondence with Patriarch [[Sergius I of Constantinople]] over the latter's [[monothelite]] teachings. Honorius was posthumously [[anathema]]tized, initially for subscribing to monothelitism, and later only for failing to end it. The anathema against Honorius I became one of the central arguments against the doctrine of [[papal infallibility]].

== Early life ==
Honorius was a rich aristocrat who came from [[Campania]]. His father was the consul Petronius. Nothing is known about Honorius I's career before he [[papal selection before 1059|became pope]] on 27 October 625. He was [[episcopal consecration|consecrated]] only two days after the death of his predecessor, [[Boniface V]]. The [[sede vacante|vacancy]] was short probably because of the presence in Rome of [[Isaac the Armenian]], who was empowered to [[Byzantine papacy|confirm the election]] as the imperial [[exarch in Italy]].<ref name="Attwater">{{cite book|first=Aubrey|last=Attwater|title=A Dictionary of Popes: From Peter to Pius XII|pages=67–68|year=1939}}</ref>

== Papacy ==
As pope, Honorius I looked up to [[Pope Gregory I|Gregory I]] and employed monks rather than secular clergy as staff at the [[Lateran Palace]]. He initially supported [[Adaloald]], the deposed Catholic [[king of the Lombards]], but established cordial relations with Adoald's [[Arian]] rival [[Arioald]]. He did not succeed in resolving the schism of Venetia-Istria, but took steps to appease the [[archbishops of Ravenna]], who were dissatisfied with their subordination to Rome. Honorius actively supported the difficult [[Christianisation of Anglo-Saxon England]] and sent [[Birinus]] to convert the [[West Saxons]], but less successful in convincing the [[Celts]] to abandon [[Celtic Christianity|their system]] of [[Easter controversy|computing the date of Easter]]. At the [[Sixth Council of Toledo]], Honorius urged the Visigothic bishops to continue [[History of the Jews in Spain#Visigoth rule – Repression and forced conversions (5th century to 711)|baptizing Jews]], a policy instituted by Gregory I.<ref name="Attwater"/>

Honorius became involved in early discussions regarding the doctrine of [[Monothelitism]], which is the teaching that Christ has only one energy and one will, in contrast with the teaching that he has two energies and two wills, both human and divine.<ref>[http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/10502a.htm Catholic Encyclopedia: Monothelitism and Monothelites]</ref> Patriarch [[Sergius I of Constantinople]] wrote an initial letter informing Honorius of the [[Monoenergism]] controversy, asking Honorius to endorse a position that Church unity should not be endangered by having any discussions or disputes over Christ's possessing one energy or two.  Sergius added that the doctrine of two energies could lead to the erroneous belief that Jesus has two conflicting wills.<ref name="Hefele, pg 25">Hefele, p. 25</ref> Pope Honorius’ reply in 635 endorsed this view that all discussions over energies should cease, and agreed that Jesus does not have two conflicting wills, but one will, since Jesus did not assume the vitiated human nature tainted by [[Adam]]'s fall, but human nature as it existed prior to Adam's fall.<ref name="Hefele, pg 29-30">Hefele, pp. 29–30</ref>

Honorius however did not endorse Monothelitism as his latter accusers would charge him. Rather it was known in the west that he was not a [[Monothelitism|Monothelite]] and his secretary and author of the letter, the Abbot John, testified that ''"When we spoke of a single will in the Lord, we did not have in view His double nature, divine and human, but His humanity only…. We meant that Jesus Christ did not have two contrary wills, that is to say one of the flesh and one of the spirit, as we ourselves have on account of sin, but that, with regard to His humanity, He had but one natural will."''<ref>{{Cite book |last=Migne |title=Patrologia Graeca |volume=91 |pages=328–329}}</ref>

[[Pope John IV]], Honorius' near immediate successor, also noted that Honorius spoke ''"only of the human and not also of the divine nature"'' when commenting on Honorius' use of the phrase "one will". St [[Maximus the Confessor]] is another notable figure who rose to the defense of Honorius' orthodoxy. In writing about Pope Honorius, Venerable [[Bede]] notes his constant sanctity, a point [[Robert Bellarmine]] does not fail to notice and amplify in saying, <blockquote>For, that Bede considered Honorius to be a holy man, also after his death, is clear both from book 2, chapters 17–19 in his history of the English people, where he often speaks about Honorius as an excellent pastor, and from the life of the Abbot St. Bertolfus, where he calls Honorius, now blessed, now holy, and among other things he also says: ''Honorius was a venerable bishop, wise in his thinking, strong in giving counsel, clear in doctrine, distinguished for his sweetness and humility.'' And after that: ''The holy Pope offered the desired office to the mentioned father Bertolfus, namely, the privileges of the apostolic See, inasmuch as none of the bishops in the previously mentioned cloister attempted to rule in any way.'' These are Bede’s words about Honorius; certainly he would not have said such things, if he considered him to be a condemned heretic, as the adversaries claim.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Bellarmine |first=Robert |url=https://isidore.co/CalibreLibrary/Bellarmine,%20St.%20Robert,%20S.J.,%201542-1621/Controversies%20of%20the%20Christian%20Faith%20(9187)/ |title=Controversies of the Christian Faith |date=2016 |isbn=978-0-9912268-6-3 |pages=997 |publisher=Keep the Faith, Incorporated |translator-last=Baker |translator-first=Kenneth}}</ref></blockquote>

Honorius was apparently aware of the [[rise of Islam]] and viewed this religion's tenets as closely resembling those of [[Arius]].<ref>Ata Ur-Rahim, Thomson 2003, p. 148., quote: "Pope Honorius was aware of the rising tide of Islam, whose tenets very much resembled those of [[Arius]]. The mutual killing of Christians by each other was still fresh in his memory, and perhaps he thought that what he had heard about Islam might be applied in healing the differences between the various Christian sects.  In his letters he began to support the doctrine of 'one mind' within the doctrine of Trinity. He argued that if God had three independent minds, the result would be chaos. This logical and reasonable conclusion pointed to the belief in the existence of One God."</ref>

== Legacy ==

In the [[Third Council of Constantinople]] on 16 September 681,<ref name="Ostrogorsky127" >[[George Ostrogorsky]], ''History of the Byzantine State'' (Rutgers University Press, 1995), 127.</ref> the monothelites were [[anathema]]tized by name "and with them Honorius, who was Prelate of Rome, as having followed them in all things" in the XIII session. Citing his written correspondence with Sergius, Honorius was subsequently accused of having confirmed his impious doctrines; the XVI session reaffirmed the condemnation of the heretics explicitly stating "to Honorius, the heretic, anathema!",<ref name="Percival1900">{{cite book|last=Percival|first=Henry Robert|title=The Seven Ecumenical Councils of the Undivided Church|url=https://archive.org/details/sevenecumenicalc00perc/page/342/mode/2up|access-date=9 September 2021|series=A Select Library of Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers of the Christian Church (second series)|volume=XIV|year=1900|publisher=James Parker & Co|page=343}}</ref><ref name="Mansi, XI, col. 622">{{cite book |title=Sacrorum conciliorum nova et amplissima collectio |last=Mansi |volume=XI |page=622 |url=https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=njp.32101078252119&view=1up&seq=325 |access-date=9 September 2021}}, quote: "[...] Sergio hæretico anathema, Cyro hæretico anathema, ''Honorio hæretico anathema'', Pyrro hæretico anathema [...]"</ref> and concluding with the decree of the XVII session that 
Honorius had not stopped provoking scandal and error in the Body of the Church; for he had "with unheard of expressions disseminated amidst the faithful people the heresy of the one will", doing so "in agreement with the insane false doctrine of the impious Apollinaire, Severus and Themistius".<ref name="Mansi, XI, col. 733">Mansi, XI, col. 733</ref> The Roman legates made no objection to his condemnation.<ref name="ce">{{CathEncy|wstitle=Pope Honorius I|last=Chapman|first= John|volume=7}}</ref>

[[Pope Leo II]]'s letter of confirmation of the Council commended it for it had "perfectly preached the definition of the true faith"<ref>{{cite book |last1=Chapman |first1=John |title=Condemnation of Pope Honorius |pages=112–115 para. 24}}</ref> and made reference to the condemnation of his predecessor:<ref>{{cite book |url=https://archive.org/details/analectaromanadi00gris/page/406/mode/2up |access-date=9 September 2021 |last=Grisar |first=Hartmann |publisher=Desclée Lefebvre |title=Analecta romana |date=1899 |location=Rome |pages=406–407}}</ref>

{{Blockquote|We anathematize the inventors of the new error, that is, [[Theodore of Raithu|Theodore, Bishop of Pharan]], [[Sergius I of Constantinople|Sergius]], [[Pyrrhus of Constantinople|Pyrrhus]], [[Paul II of Constantinople|Paul]], and [[Peter of Constantinople|Peter]], betrayers rather than [[Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople|leaders]] of the [[Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople|Church of Constantinople]], and also Honorius, who did not attempt to sanctify this Apostolic Church with the teaching of apostolic tradition, but by profane treachery permitted its purity to be polluted.<ref name="Mansi, XI, col. 733">Mansi, XI, col. 733</ref>}}

Within the year a Latin translation of the Acts of the council had been disseminated and signed by the Bishops throughout the West. The condemnation of Pope Honorius was reiterated by Pope Leo's successors and<ref>{{cite book |title=Religion past & present : encyclopedia of theology and religion |date=2007–2013 |publisher=Brill |location=Leiden |isbn=9789004146662 |edition=[4th, English]}}</ref> subsequent councils,<ref>{{cite book |last1=Hefele |first1=C.J |title=Histoire des Conciles, vol III. |date=1909 |location=Paris |pages=520–521}}</ref> and was included in Breviary lessons up until the eighteenth century. As a result, Honorius would later be the subject of vigorous attacks by opponents of [[papal infallibility]] in the discussions surrounding the [[First Vatican Council]] of 1870.<ref name="ce"/> In contemporary times, that Honorius actually agreed with Sergius on the doctrine of monothelitism has given rise to much discussion, and [[John B. Bury]] argues that the most reasonable conclusion is that Honorius did not really apprehend the point at issue, considering it more a question of grammar than theology, for he placed "one energy" and "two energies" on exactly the same footing; in Bury's words, "it was for the 'imprudent economy of silence' that he was condemned".<ref name="Bury, pg 252">Bury, p. 252</ref>

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

== Bibliography ==
*[[John B. Bury|Bury, John B.]], A history of the later Roman empire from Arcadius to Irene, Volume 2 (2005)
* {{Cite book|last=Harkianakis|first=Stylianos|author-link=Stylianos Harkianakis|title=The Infallibility of the Church in Orthodox Theology|year=2008|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=MB7lQKmusxwC|location=Sydney|publisher=St Andrew's Orthodox Press|isbn=9781920691981}}
*[[Karl Josef von Hefele|Hefele, Charles J.]], A History of the Councils of the Church, From the Original Documents, Volume 5 (1896)
* {{Cite book|last=Meyendorff|first=John|author-link=John Meyendorff|year=1989|title=Imperial unity and Christian divisions: The Church 450–680 A.D.|series=The Church in history|volume=2|location=Crestwood, NY|publisher=St. Vladimir's Seminary Press|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=6J_YAAAAMAAJ|isbn=9780881410556}}
* {{Cite EB1911|wstitle= Honorius | volume= 13 |last=Phillips|first=Walter Alison |author-link=Walter Alison Phillips| pages = 660&ndash;661; see first para|quote=1. Honorius I., pope from 625 to 638, was...|short= 1}}

== External links ==

{{CE1913 poster|Pope Honorius I}}
{{Portal|Biography|Christianity|History}}
*[https://www.catholicculture.org/culture/library/view.cfm?recnum=3301 Guilty Only of Failure To Teach]
*[http://www.ccel.org/ccel/schaff/hcc4.i.xi.viii.html History of the Christian Church, Volume IV: Mediaeval Christianity. A.D. 590–1073, Philip Schaff]

{{s-start}}
{{s-rel|ca}}
{{s-bef|before=[[Boniface V]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[Pope]]|years=625–638}}
{{s-aft|after=[[Pope Severinus|Severinus]]}}
{{s-end}}

{{Popes}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Honorius 01}}
[[Category:638 deaths]]
[[Category:Popes of the Byzantine Papacy]]
[[Category:7th-century popes]]
[[Category:Italian popes]]
[[Category:People declared heretics by the first seven ecumenical councils]]
[[Category:Popes]]
[[Category:Year of birth unknown]]
[[Category:7th-century Italian writers]]
[[Category:7th-century writers in Latin]]
[[Category:Burials at St. Peter's Basilica]]