E01641: The short Life of *Eugenius (bishop of Rome, ob. 657, S00861) in the Liber Pontificalis, written in Latin in Rome soon after his death, emphasises his sanctity and mentions his burial at the church of *Peter (the Apostle, S00036) in Rome, on 2 June.
online resource
posted on 2016-06-19, 00:00authored byrobert
Liber Pontificalis 77
Eugenius, natione Romanus, de regione prima Aventinense, clericus a cunabulis, ex patre Rufiniano, sedit ann. II mens. VIIII dies XXIIII. Benignus, mitis, mansuetus, omnibus affabilis et sanctitatis praeclarior. Rogam clero solitam tribuit et indigentibus elemosynam subministravit, ut etiam die transitus sui pauperibus vel clero seu familiae presbyteria in integro erogari praeceperit.
'Eugenius, born in Rome, from the 1st—the Aventine—region, a cleric from his cradle, son of Rufinianus, held the see 2 years 9 months 24 days. He was kind, mild, meek, courteous to all, and of remarkable holiness. He gave the customary stipend to the clergy and supplied alms to the needy, so that he ordered the full priestly allowances to be distributed to the poor, the clergy, and the household even on the day he passed away.'
....
Qui etiam sepultus est ad beatum Petrum apostolum sub die IIII non. iun.
'He was buried at the blessed Peter the apostle on 2 June.'
Text: Duchesne 1886, 341. Translation: Davis 2010, 69, lightly modified.
History
Evidence ID
E01641
Saint Name
Eugenius, bishop of Rome, ob. 657 : S00861
Peter the Apostle : S00036
Literary - Other narrative texts (including Histories)
Language
Latin
Evidence not before
657
Evidence not after
677
Activity not before
654
Activity not after
657
Place of Evidence - Region
Rome and region
Place of Evidence - City, village, etc
Rome
Place of evidence - City name in other Language(s)
Rome
Rome
Rome
Roma
Ῥώμη
Rhōmē
Major author/Major anonymous work
Liber Pontificalis
Cult activities - Festivals
Saint’s feast
Cult activities - Places
Burial site of a saint - tomb/grave
Cult activities - Non Liturgical Practices and Customs
Burial ad sanctos
Cult Activities - Protagonists in Cult and Narratives
Ecclesiastics - bishops
Cult Activities - Relics
Bodily relic - entire body
Source
The Liber Pontificalis consists of a series of very short lives of popes. The preface attributes it to pope Damasus (366-384), but this attribution is obviously false. According to Louis Duchesne, the first modern editor of the Liber Pontificalis, the original series of lives was written in Rome by an anonymous author, probably a member of the lesser clergy, in the 530s, and contained the lives from *Peter the Apostle to Felix IV (ob. 530). Shortly after, before 546, the text was re-edited by another anonymous author and only this edition survives. The first edition, however, can be reconstituted on the basis of its two epitomes (and the second edition). The second edition started to be continued systematically from the time of pope Honorius (625–638). It should be noted that Theodor Mommsen dated both editions of the Liber Pontificalis to the 7th century, but his opinion is widely rejected and the commonly accepted dating is that of Duchesne.
For the pre-Constantinian period (before 312), the credibility of the Liber Pontificalis is very low. The chronology is confused, and details concerning the personal lives, decisions and ordinations of the bishops of Rome at best reflect what people in the 6th century trusted to be true, at worst are a pure invention of the author. The situation changes with the later lives. Already the information of 4th-century papal foundations and offerings are generally trustworthy. The early 6th-century evidence, based on the author's first hand knowledge is even better, though still imperfect.
Bibliography
Edition:
Duchesne, L., Le Liber pontificalis. 2 vols (Paris: E. Thorin, 1886-1892) (with substantial introduction and commentary).
Translation:
Davis, R., The Book of Pontiffs (Liber Pontificalis) (Translated Texts for Historians 6; 3rd ed.; Liverpool: Liverpool University Press, 2010).