Leo the Great on Christian dignity
“Christian, recognize your dignity, and becoming a partner in the divine nature, refuse to return to the old baseness by degenerate conduct.”
Plain English
Leo is preaching at Christmas. Because the Son has taken human nature, Christians must live in a way that fits their restored dignity.
Why it matters
The line joins incarnation and ethics: what Christ became changes how Christians live.
About Pope Leo I
Leo gave the Council of Chalcedon a letter it could build on. His Tome to Flavian explained Christ as one person in two natures, without confusion and without division, and the council received it as a decisive statement of orthodox Christology. Leo also strengthened the role of the Bishop of Rome as a teacher and negotiator in a West under pressure. The meeting with Attila in 452 became the famous image, but the Tome is the deeper reason his influence lasted.
- Lifespan
- c. 400 – 461
- Era
- Nicene
- Born in
- Tuscany
- See
- Rome
- Region
- West
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