Pope Damasus I

Bishop of Rome from 366 to 384, Damasus I strengthened the Roman see’s authority and commissioned Jerome to revise and translate biblical texts into Latin.

Jerome: A Christian scholar and priest who translated much of the Bible into Latin in the late fourth century. Damasus commissioned Jerome to revise existing Latin translations and work from Greek and Hebrew sources.
Vulgate: The Latin Bible chiefly associated with Jerome’s translation and revision of biblical texts. Damasus’s commission helped launch the textual work that became the Vulgate.
Roman Empire in the fourth century: The Roman Empire during the political and religious transformations of the years 300–399. Imperial power and Christianization shaped the conditions of Damasus’s episcopate.
Damasian inscriptions: Latin verses commissioned by Damasus and carved at Roman Christian martyr shrines. They celebrate martyrs while presenting Damasus as a steward of Rome’s sacred past.
Ursinus: A rival claimant to the Roman episcopate after the death of Pope Liberius in 366. His election against Damasus triggered a violent dispute over the Roman see.
Papal primacy: The doctrine that the bishop of Rome holds supreme authority over the universal Church. Damasus’s claims for Rome helped develop later arguments for the pope’s primacy.
Edict of Milan: A 313 agreement associated with Constantine and Licinius that ended state persecution of Christians. It began the era of public Christian institution-building that preceded Damasus’s tenure.
Saint Agnes: A Christian martyr venerated in Rome, traditionally believed to have died during persecution. Damasus composed an inscription honoring Agnes at her Roman shrine.
Ambrose of Milan: A bishop of Milan who became a leading Western churchman during the late fourth century. His dealings with emperors and bishops illuminate the political world Damasus navigated.
Apostolic succession: The belief that Christian bishops inherit authority through an unbroken succession from the apostles. Damasus grounded Roman authority in the see’s association with the apostles Peter and Paul.

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