Damasus I

Pope Damasus I (c. 305–384) was the Bishop of Rome from 366 until his death, a pontificate notable for its promotion of Rome's apostolic heritage and its decisive support for the biblical scholarship that produced the Latin Vulgate Bible. Damasus became pope amid violent controversy — his election was contested by the faction supporting the deacon Ursinus, resulting in bloody riots in which dozens were killed. Despite this turbulent beginning, Damasus proved an energetic and effective pontiff who permanently shaped the character of the Roman Church. His most consequential act was commissioning his secretary, Jerome, to produce a reliable Latin translation of the Bible — a project that resulted in the Vulgate, the standard Bible of Western Christianity for over a millennium. Damasus also presided over the Council of Rome in 382, which produced the first authoritative list of the canonical books of Scripture in the form later adopted by the Western Church. Damasus was a passionate promoter of the cult of the Roman martyrs, composing elegant verse inscriptions (epigrammata) in a distinctive calligraphic style (the 'Filocalian' or 'Damasine' script) to mark the tombs of the early martyrs in the Roman catacombs. Many of these inscriptions survive and remain important historical and archaeological documents. He was also instrumental in establishing Latin as the primary liturgical language of the Western Church, replacing Greek.