Ursinus (antipope)
Ursinus († after 384 ) was anti-bishop of Rome from 366 to 367 .
When Pope Liberius died on September 24, 366, there was a double election. Already at Liberius in 355 Felix II had been elected as counter-bishop. Therefore, there were two large factions within the church that carried on the schism that had arisen in 355. The followers of Liberius elected Ursinus in 366, the earlier followers of the opposing bishop Felix II Damasus I, who died in 365, as successor pope.
Especially the partisans of Damasus raised a real army (consisting of catacomb workers and wagoners) and fought bitter and bloody street battles with the Ursinians in Rome. In view of the strength and brutality, the state executive, in the person of the pagan city prefect Vettius Agorius Praetextatus, sided with Damasus and had Ursinus and his followers expelled from Rome.
A year later they were allowed to return under Emperor Valentinian I. However, they had to promise to keep peace with the other party. It does not seem surprising, however, that the fighting between gangs of both kinds of obedience soon flared up again. These new battles led to the exile of Ursinus in Gaul (November 16, 367).
The supporters of the opposing bishop withdrew to northern Italy , where they stood up for their Pope in vain and tried to take Ursinus back by legal means. When Pope Damasus I died in December 384, Ursinus again made claims to the papal throne. But the choice of Siricius made further attempts by the Ursinians pointless.
literature
- Adolf Lippold : Ursinus and Damasus . In: Historia 14, 1965, pp. 105-128.
- Josef Rist: Ursinus. In: Biographisch-Bibliographisches Kirchenlexikon (BBKL). Volume 12, Bautz, Herzberg 1997, ISBN 3-88309-068-9 , Sp. 951-953.
See also
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Ursinus |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Counter-Bishop of Rome |
| DATE OF BIRTH | 3rd century or 4th century |
| DATE OF DEATH | after 384 |