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 Pope Saint Zosimus Scott 1698 (2018) Saint Zosimus was an early successor to Saint Peter who served as pope in the early 5th century. The stamp shown above was issued in November, 2018, to commemorate the 1600th anniversary of his death. The two-stamp issue also featured a stamp of Saint Deodatus, another early pope. Zosimus served as pope from 18 March, 417 to 26 December, 418. He was Greek and perhaps of Jewish descent. Historian J.N.D. Kelly writes that while Zosimus: "tirelessly upheld the papal claims, his short and turbulent reign was marred by blunders springing as much from insufficient knowledge of the west as from his impulsive temperament and high-handed methods".Zosimus issued decrees against the jurisdiction of at least two French bishops and, in 417, he intervened in the Pelagian controversy, causing some outrage from North African bishops, a position from which he had to retreat. Pelagianism, a heresy, stated that original sin did not taint human beings and that free will allowed humans to obtain perfection without divine grace. He also faced intrigue against his authority at the emperor’s court at Ravenna. Kelly concludes: "the factions which erupted suggest that his rule was divisive as well as misguided".References: |
