medieval-religion: Scholarly discussions of medieval religion and culture
The Liber pontificalis says:
John, alsp known as Mercurius, born in Rome, son of Projectus from the
Caelian Hill...
See: The book of pontiffs (Liber pontificalis), tr. R. Davis
(Liverpool, 1989), p. 52.
The entry for John III does not mention a name change; see pp. 59-60.
Tom Izbicki
Thomas Izbicki
Collection Development Coordinator
Eisenhower Library
Johns Hopkins
Baltimore, MD 21218
(410)516-7173
fax (410)516-8399
>>> [log in to unmask] 04/12/05 12:54 PM >>>
medieval-religion: Scholarly discussions of medieval religion and
culture
Doctissimi,
One of my more alert students just sent me a note pointing out a Times
article that mentions not John XII but John II as the first pope to
change his name.
I looked into it and this is what I have (including questions!):
Mercurius (John II) was indeed the very first pope to change his name
(as far as we know). I have not yet verified the source of his alleged
reason (=that it was the name of a pagan god). In fact there was a pope
Dionysius already, and that seemed to bother no one. Also there was
already a Saint Mercury, so that would seem to have "baptised" the name.
So I'd like to know what the source is for that statement. Does anyone
on this list know?
There is another early pope who changed his name: Catelinus changed
his name to John III (561-574); is it a coincidence that he too chose
"John"? His own name was in no way inappropriate.
But then there is a huge gap. The naughty Octavian, son of Alberic,
took John XII (John again!) in 955, and though there four popes after
him who kept their own names, with the accession of Pietro Campanora in
983, every pope changed his name. Did Pietro (Peter) change his name to
John XIV (again!) because of modesty?Is there actually evidence of this
reason? (maybe he figured Peter II would be too much to live up to!)
It is curious that all those first popes to change their names took
the name "John"! Why was that??
TGD
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