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Leo is known as one of the first and most forceful bishops of Rome to claim supremacy based on succession from St. Peter. The most important studies focus on how he expressed this supremacy, especially in letters addressed to other church and imperial officials. Leo was also a conscientious pastor, however, who thought about Peter and his legacy in terms other than supremacy. For example, Leo preached repeatedly about Peter's denial of Christ and subsequent repentance, sometimes in contrast with the failed repentance of Judas. The power Peter derived from his penance, according to Leo, was not only key to his pastoral success but also fundamental to the authority he passed on in the Church. The author focuses on key texts related to the repentance of Peter and Judas and suggests how they may help improve our understanding of Leo's thoughts on penance and justice.
Keywords: fallibility; Judas Iscariot; papacy; penance; Pope Leo I; St. Peter
Leo I, bishop of Rome (440-61), who is usually referred to as the Great, is most famous for claiming that bishops of his city were the lawful heirs to St. Peter, the apostle of Jesus and first bishop of the Eternal City. Historians can trace Leo's rationale through discussions with his episcopal colleagues as well as with imperial officials, discussions that are preserved in his letters and that often arose out of conflict or controversy Leo is remembered in many modern accounts as a strong and forceful bishop who was unafraid to face up to bishops who exceeded their jurisdiction, to heretics who did foul things in secret, or to Attila the Hun and Geiseric the Vandal and regarded as a pontiff who always was conscious that he represented true justice, thanks to his relationship with Peter, which was both mystical and historical. For these reasons, Leo's reign is often taken to represent the beginning of the medieval papacy and his thoughts on justice and authority to be the basis of future papal doctrine.
This essay does not focus on Leo's claim to Petrine authority, his political resolve in theological or jurisdictional matters, or his significance for future ages. Rather, it focuses on particular problems of scriptural analysis that Leo chose to address in sermons, which he delivered...