R&R Article summary

Kevin Uhalde. "Pope Leo I on Power and Failure." The Catholic Historical Review 95.4 (2009): 671-688. Project MUSE. Web. 12 Feb. 2013.<http://muse.jhu.edu/>.

This article delves into the ideology of Pope Leo, a Pope known for his strong authority and also his brilliance as a Pastor. The first section of the article records Leo’s claim to supreme power as a biblical descendant of Peter. The second part of this article breaks down Leo’s preached differences between Peter and Judas. The crux of Leo’s argument is centered on the idea of repentance. Both Peter and Judas disobey the Christ, however, Peter feels deep remorse and repents, thereby strengthening his bond with Jesus. Judas desperately looking for a way around God, does not, and consequently hangs himself. Thus, this article provides an interesting look at Pope Leo’s views on penance and justice. This article is interesting to the renaissance because while it does assert papal supremacy, he also highlights man’s ability to interpret biblical text in many different ways.