Gelasius I

About Gelasius I

Gelasius I was Pope from 492-496, known for his writings on papal authority and the relationship between Church and State. Of African descent, Gelasius was a prolific writer and defender of orthodoxy. He opposed the Acacian Schism with Constantinople and the Monophysite heresy. His famous "doctrine of the two swords" articulated that spiritual authority (Church) and temporal power (State) are distinct, with spiritual authority superior in spiritual matters. Gelasius may have established the Feast of the Purification (Candlemas) and contributed to liturgical development. He cared for the poor during famine and wrote against the pagan festival of Lupercalia. His writings influenced medieval political theory on Church-State relations. Gelasius was a strong defender of papal primacy and the Church's independence from imperial control.