Pope St. Anastasius I

Pope St. Anastasius I (reigned 399–401) was a Roman by birth who governed the Church at the turn of the fifth century. Though his pontificate was brief, he was held in the highest esteem by the great figures of his age. St. Jerome, his contemporary, praised him warmly as a man of outstanding holiness and apostolic zeal, and St. Augustine and St. Paulinus of Nola likewise honored him.

His chief concern was the defense of orthodoxy against the controversial teachings drawn from the works of the Alexandrian theologian Origen, then being translated and spread in the West; Anastasius condemned certain of these errors and cautioned the faithful against them, upholding the purity of doctrine. He also worked to combat the lingering Donatist schism in Africa and encouraged the bishops there in their labors. He died in 401 and was succeeded by his son, Pope St. Innocent I; he is venerated as a saint, remembered for his holiness and vigilance for the faith.