Pope Sixtus III: Difference between revisions

Pope Sixtus III
Installed	July 31, 432
Term ended	August 18, 440
Predecessor	Celestine I
Successor	Leo I
Personal details
Born	??? ???
Died	August 18, 440
Other popes named Sixtus

Papal styles of Pope Sixtus III
Reference style	His Holiness
Spoken style	Your Holiness
Religious style	Holy Father
Posthumous style	Saint

Pope Sixtus III (d. 440) was pope from July 31, 432 to August 18, 440.

The name of Sixtus is often connected with a great building boom in Rome: Santa Sabina on the Aventine Hill was dedicated during his pontificate and he built Santa Maria Maggiore, whose dedication to Mary the Mother of God reflected his acceptance of the Ecumenical council of Ephesus which closed in 431. At that council the debate over Christ's human and divine natures turned on whether Mary could be called the "Mother of Jesus" as a human only or the "Mother of Christ" as both God and Man. The council gave her the Greek title Theotokos ("God-bearer"), and the dedication of the large church in Rome is a response to that.

Prior to being made pope Sixtus was a patron of Pelagius, who was later condemned as a heretic.

One of his main concerns was in restoring peace between Cyril of Alexandria and the Syrians.

He also maintained the rights of the pope over Illyria and the position of the archbishop of Thessalonica as head of the Illyrian church.

Sixtus III is credited with many major critical turning points in Church history among some Protestant and Jewish thinkers. Sixtus III promotion of the MOTHER OF GOD deification of Mary is seen as a major point of apostacy among some and the obvious connection of the name SIX III to the famous prophecy in Revelation specifying the number of a man's name being 666.

After Sixtus III and the council of Ephesus, a number of anti-semitic programs were underway. One of which was the criminalization of Jewish expressions of New Testament practicies which had been conducted for 3 centuries prior. Under Theodosius II, the Ceasar of Six III, the Codex Theodosianus was implemented marking the beginning of officially sanctioned anti-semtic violence.

The fact that his death was mysterious and unexplainable and occured within 7 to 8 years after assuming the Pontificate was seen as a fulfillment of the prophecy that the "man of perdition" would be struck down by God, given in 2 Thess 2:8. The English translated the Greek word PAROUSIA into COMING rather than it's more literal meaning PRESENCE, which would not necessarily connect it with any "second coming" eschatology.

Catholic theologians have addressed this issue as part of their theological apologetics for years and most Catholic written histories prefer to minimize any information about this period due to the controversy involved with the name and it's key events.

The obvious connection with the name SIX III, however to many, the anti-semitic doctrines and policies, the violence persecutions, along with the distinctly Roman extra-Biblical Maryology growing out of the council of Ephesus, have led some to conclude, this was in fact the fulfillment of the prophecy of the man named 666; SIXTUS III.

References

2. The Christmas Lie