This purpose of this thesis is to examine the extent of the agency Pope Damasus I demonstrated in the expansion of papal primacy and exaltation of the Roman See. Damasus reigned as bishop of Rome from A.D. 366 until 384. To answer this question, the research for this thesis focuses on involvement, of Damasus in contemporary theological disputes, his appropriation of Roman geography and his Latin language initiatives, both liturgical and Scriptural. Research was conducted first by consulting primary sources. These included the writings of Damasus himself, particularly his epigraphs, as well as epistolary correspondence. A key component of the research was also comparison and contrast of a number of historical narratives of the pontificate of Damasus. Other primary sources included works, primarily epistolary, of a number of the pope’s contemporaries, who collaborated with him in varying degrees. All primary sources were read in light of recent scholarship and historiography, the conclusions of which were critically evaluated. Ultimately, Damasus demonstrated a significant amount of agency in increasing the power of the papacy at a pivotal moment in its history. This fact has been largely overlooked by scholars but is slowing gaining recognition.
","abstract_html":"<p>This purpose of this thesis is to examine the extent of the agency Pope Damasus I demonstrated in the expansion of papal primacy and exaltation of the Roman See. Damasus reigned as bishop of Rome from A.D. 366 until 384. To answer this question, the research for this thesis focuses on involvement, of Damasus in contemporary theological disputes, his appropriation of Roman geography and his Latin language initiatives, both liturgical and Scriptural. Research was conducted first by consulting primary sources. These included the writings of Damasus himself, particularly his epigraphs, as well as epistolary correspondence. A key component of the research was also comparison and contrast of a number of historical narratives of the pontificate of Damasus. Other primary sources included works, primarily epistolary, of a number of the pope’s contemporaries, who collaborated with him in varying degrees. All primary sources were read in light of recent scholarship and historiography, the conclusions of which were critically evaluated. Ultimately, Damasus demonstrated a significant amount of agency in increasing the power of the papacy at a pivotal moment in its history. This fact has been largely overlooked by scholars but is slowing gaining recognition.</p>","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["McIntyre, Thomas J"],"institution":null,"degree_name":"Master of Arts in History (M.A.)","degree_level":"Thesis (open access)","degree_discipline":"Department of History","degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":["James Woods","Nadya Williams"],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2015,"date_issued":"2015-01-01T08:00:00Z","date_published":"2015-01-01T08:00:00Z","updated_at":"2026-07-24T02:28:22Z","subjects":["ETD","Damasus","papacy","Late Antiquity","Early Christianity","Rome","Theodosius","Ancient History, Greek and Roman through Late Antiquity","Catholic Studies","History of Religion","History of Religions of Western Origin","Liturgy and Worship"],"languages":[],"rights":[],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://digitalcommons.georgiasouthern.edu/etd/1277","outbound_label":"Repository record","outbound_source":"dc:identifier"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor","label":"Contributor","values":["James Woods","Nadya Williams"]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["McIntyre, Thomas J"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:date.available","label":"Dc Date Available","values":["2015-04-30T07:00:00Z"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_discipline","label":"Discipline","values":["Department of History"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_level","label":"Degree Level","values":["Thesis (open access)"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_name","label":"Degree Name","values":["Master of Arts in History (M.A.)"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["ETD","Damasus","papacy","Late Antiquity","Early Christianity","Rome","Theodosius","Ancient History, Greek and Roman through Late Antiquity","Catholic Studies","History of Religion","History of Religions of Western Origin","Liturgy and Worship"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["https://digitalcommons.georgiasouthern.edu/etd/1277"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["This purpose of this thesis is to examine the extent of the agency Pope Damasus I demonstrated in the expansion of papal primacy and exaltation of the Roman See. Damasus reigned as bishop of Rome from A.D. 366 until 384. To answer this question, the research for this thesis focuses on involvement, of Damasus in contemporary theological disputes, his appropriation of Roman geography and his Latin language initiatives, both liturgical and Scriptural. Research was conducted first by consulting primary sources. These included the writings of Damasus himself, particularly his epigraphs, as well as epistolary correspondence. A key component of the research was also comparison and contrast of a number of historical narratives of the pontificate of Damasus. Other primary sources included works, primarily epistolary, of a number of the pope’s contemporaries, who collaborated with him in varying degrees. All primary sources were read in light of recent scholarship and historiography, the conclusions of which were critically evaluated. Ultimately, Damasus demonstrated a significant amount of agency in increasing the power of the papacy at a pivotal moment in its history. This fact has been largely overlooked by scholars but is slowing gaining recognition.
"]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["The First Pontiff: Pope Damasus I and the Expansion of the Roman Primacy"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor":["James Woods","Nadya Williams"],"dc:creator":["McIntyre, Thomas J"],"dc:date.available":["2015-04-30T07:00:00Z"],"dc:description.abstract":["This purpose of this thesis is to examine the extent of the agency Pope Damasus I demonstrated in the expansion of papal primacy and exaltation of the Roman See. Damasus reigned as bishop of Rome from A.D. 366 until 384. To answer this question, the research for this thesis focuses on involvement, of Damasus in contemporary theological disputes, his appropriation of Roman geography and his Latin language initiatives, both liturgical and Scriptural. Research was conducted first by consulting primary sources. These included the writings of Damasus himself, particularly his epigraphs, as well as epistolary correspondence. A key component of the research was also comparison and contrast of a number of historical narratives of the pontificate of Damasus. Other primary sources included works, primarily epistolary, of a number of the pope’s contemporaries, who collaborated with him in varying degrees. All primary sources were read in light of recent scholarship and historiography, the conclusions of which were critically evaluated. Ultimately, Damasus demonstrated a significant amount of agency in increasing the power of the papacy at a pivotal moment in its history. This fact has been largely overlooked by scholars but is slowing gaining recognition.
"],"dc:identifier":["https://digitalcommons.georgiasouthern.edu/etd/1277"],"dc:subject":["ETD","Damasus","papacy","Late Antiquity","Early Christianity","Rome","Theodosius","Ancient History, Greek and Roman through Late Antiquity","Catholic Studies","History of Religion","History of Religions of Western Origin","Liturgy and Worship"],"dc:title":["The First Pontiff: Pope Damasus I and the Expansion of the Roman Primacy"],"thesis:degree_discipline":["Department of History"],"thesis:degree_level":["Thesis (open access)"],"thesis:degree_name":["Master of Arts in History (M.A.)"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-24T02:28:22Z"}