Pope Saint Boniface I (Bonifacius) governs the Church of Rome from 28 or 29 December 418 to 4 September 422. The Holy See presents him as the 42nd pope of the Catholic Church, born in Rome, successor of Saint Zosimus and predecessor of Saint Celestine I.[1]
His pontificate begins in an open crisis: at the death of Zosimus, two rival elections take place almost simultaneously. The archdeacon Eulalius occupies the Lateran with the group of deacons; the next day, a large part of the presbyterium elects the old priest Boniface in the church of Theodora. Emperor Honorius first recognises Eulalius, then reverses his decision after the latter's insubordination during Holy Week 419.[2][3]
Boniface is therefore not just a name in a list of popes. He is the pope of a Roman Church still fragile in its electoral procedures, yet already conscious of its universal charge: he writes to the emperor to prevent a new schism, takes up the African dossiers left by Zosimus, supports Saint Augustine against the Pelagians, and defends the Roman vicariate of Thessalonica (the office by which the bishop of that city represents the pope in the region, Illyricum) against the ambitions of Constantinople.[4][5]
"You who do not set your mind on high things, high-placed as you are, have not disdained to be the friend of the humble [...]" — Saint Augustine, to Boniface I, Against Two Letters of the Pelagians, book I, chap. 1[6]
Why does Boniface I matter?
The pope of a disputed but pacified election
Boniface is elected in one of the best-documented Roman crises of the early fifth century. Unlike many ancient episodes handed down only through late notices, the Boniface-Eulalius affair is illuminated by a series of official letters preserved in the Collectio Avellana (an ancient collection gathering the letters exchanged between the popes and the emperors of that time) and summarised by modern historians.[7][8]
The stakes are not merely biographical. The crisis reveals three realities of the ancient Roman Church: the weight of the local clergy in the election, the still very strong role of the Western imperial power, and the need for clear rules when two groups claim to elect the same bishop. Boniface emerges victorious not because he manoeuvres better than his rival, but because Eulalius violates the conditions laid down during the inquiry.
A pontificate of continuity after Zosimus
Zosimus had left several burning dossiers: the reception of the Tractoria (the circular letter by which Zosimus had had Pelagius condemned by all the bishops), the appeal of the African priest Apiarius, the question of the canons attributed to the Council of Nicaea (325) but which in reality came from the Council of Sardica (343), and the vicariate of Arles in Gaul.[9][10]
Boniface does not break with his predecessor on doctrinal substance. He continues the condemnation of Pelagianism. But he corrects or limits certain orientations of government: he does not renew the exceptional power given to Patroclus of Arles and restores to the Gallic metropolitans a share of their ordinary jurisdiction.[11]
The pope, friend of Augustine
Boniface receives two Pelagian letters attacking Saint Augustine and the Catholics. Instead of answering alone, he forwards them to the bishop of Hippo. Augustine then writes the four books of the Contra duas epistolas Pelagianorum, dedicated to Boniface.[12]
This exchange gives a sound image of Catholic communion: Rome exercises a responsibility of vigilance; Africa supplies the sharpest theological intelligence; error is fought through the cooperation of bishops, not through the solitude of a single man.
The principal sources on Boniface I
Table of witnesses
| Source | Date | What it contributes | Caution |
|---|---|---|---|
| Holy See | present state | 42nd pope, dates 28/29.XII.418 - 4.IX.422, birth in Rome | Very brief notice |
| Liber Pontificalis | 6th century | Roman origin, father Jocundus, election, burial, disciplinary traditions | Late notice, to be cross-checked with the contemporary letters |
| Letters of the Eulalius affair | 418-419 | Symmachus, Honorius, Ravenna, expulsion of Eulalius | Political and ecclesial dossier, transmitted through collections |
| Letters of Boniface | 419-422 | Electoral schism, Africa, Illyricum, Rufus of Thessalonica | Latin text preserved, sometimes technical context |
| Council of Carthage 419 | May 419 | Apiarius, Nicaea/Sardica canons, Roman legates | African source, irritated tone but communion maintained |
| Augustine | c. 420 | Personal relationship with Boniface and anti-Pelagian struggle | Major doctrinal source, avowed polemic |
| Catholic Encyclopedia / New Catholic Encyclopedia | 20th century | Critical synthesis of the pontificate | Useful secondary sources, not to be substituted for the texts |
The Boniface dossier is therefore less meagre than it appears. Little is known of his youth, but his pontificate can be read through documents of government: imperial letters, Roman decisions, African councils, Augustinian correspondence and letters on Illyricum.
The Holy See and the official chronology
The Holy See entry gives Boniface as the 42nd pope, born in Rome, with a pontificate beginning noted 28,29.XII.418 and ending 4.IX.422.[13] This double notation reflects the disorder of the first days: the election of Boniface takes place on 28 December, his consecration on Sunday 29 December, while Eulalius claims the Lateran.
The Catholic Encyclopedia gives the same general line: Boniface is elected on 28 December 418 and dies in Rome on 4 September 422.[14] Modern lists therefore retain a pontificate of a little under four years, entirely situated between the death of Zosimus and the election of Celestine I.
The Liber Pontificalis
The Liber Pontificalis calls Boniface a Roman and son of the priest Jocundus.[15] The notice also attributes to him a burial in the cemetery of Saint Felicity, on the Via Salaria, in an oratory he is said to have built — a place which modern notices identify as the cemetery of Maximus, near the tomb of Saint Felicity. This point is confirmed by modern syntheses, even if the exact location of the tomb is no longer identified with certainty.[16]
As with the neighbouring popes, the Liber Pontificalis must be read with discernment. Its Roman memory is precious; its details may blend ancient facts, liturgical traditions and later reconstructions.
Before the election: an old Roman priest
Origin and ordination
Ancient tradition gives almost nothing on the youth of Boniface. The Liber Pontificalis calls him a Roman, son of the priest Jocundus; the Catholic Encyclopedia adds that he is generally held to have been ordained by Damasus I and to have served as representative of Innocent I at Constantinople around 405.[17][18]
These two elements sketch a plausible profile: Boniface belongs to the old generation of the Roman clergy, formed before the Pelagian crises, close to Eastern dossiers, and esteemed enough for the presbyterium to choose him in a crisis situation.
A priest esteemed for his charity and learning
The Catholic Encyclopedia presents him, at the time of his election, as an aged priest, elected against his will, esteemed for his charity, learning and character.[19] This formula is not a complete hagiographical proof; it is nevertheless consistent with the portrait given by Augustine: a high-placed pope, yet capable of humble and sincere friendship.
"[...] I had learned from many trustworthy messengers how full you were of the grace of God, most blessed and venerable Pope Boniface." — Saint Augustine, Against Two Letters of the Pelagians I, 1[20]
This word of Augustine is not a conventional eulogy without weight. It comes from a bishop who knows how to argue firmly with Rome when doctrine or discipline requires it. His personal esteem for Boniface makes the dossier more human.
The Boniface-Eulalius crisis
Two elections in Rome
Zosimus dies on 26 December 418. The next day, returning from the funeral, the archdeacon Eulalius and his group seize the basilica of the Lateran, a major symbolic place of the Roman Church, and proceed to his election.[21][22]
The priests and a large part of the people refuse this takeover. On 28 December, they meet in the church of Theodora and elect Boniface. On Sunday 29 December, both men are consecrated: Boniface at Saint Marcel, supported by nine provincial bishops and about seventy priests; Eulalius at the Lateran, with the deacons, a few priests and the bishop of Ostia brought along despite his illness.[23]
| Element | Eulalius camp | Boniface camp |
|---|---|---|
| Initial place | Lateran | Church of Theodora, then Saint Marcel |
| Driving group | Archdeacon and deacons | Presbyters and large part of the people |
| Main argument | First occupant of the Lateran, swift election | Majority of the presbyterium, broader popular support |
| Initial civil support | Symmachus, prefect of Rome | Later appeal to Honorius |
| Outcome | Loss through violation of the conditions | Imperial recognition on 3 April 419 |
Symmachus and Honorius
The prefect of Rome, Aurelius Anicius Symmachus, first reports the affair to Emperor Honorius in favour of Eulalius. Honorius confirms Eulalius on 3 January 419 and orders the expulsion of Boniface.[24]
The partisans of Boniface then produce a counter-narrative: they claim that the Lateran was occupied by a small faction and that the election of Boniface gathered the majority of the clergy. Honorius suspends his first decision, convenes a meeting at Ravenna for February 419, then envisages a broader synod at Spoleto.[25][26]
Holy Week 419
Both claimants must leave Rome while awaiting the decision. Bishop Achilleus of Spoleto is charged with presiding over the Easter ceremonies. But Eulalius returns to Rome on 18 March 419, gathers his partisans and seizes the Lateran on Holy Saturday.[27][28]
This disobedience changes everything. Honorius, irritated, orders his expulsion and recognises Boniface as the legitimate bishop of Rome on 3 April 419. Boniface returns to the city on 10 April and receives the acclamation of the people.[29]
A law against future double elections
The crisis leaves a lasting fear. In 420, Boniface falls gravely ill; the partisans of Eulalius hope for a revival of the schism. After his recovery, Boniface writes to Honorius on 1 July 420 to ask for a guarantee against the repetition of such disorder.[30]
Honorius replies with a strong rule: in the event of a new double election, neither of the two candidates will be recognised; a new, more consensual election will have to take place.[31][32]
This rescript protects Roman peace, but it also shows how far the emperor still intervenes in the affairs of the Church. The fifth-century papacy is already spiritually central; it is not yet juridically freed from the imperial order.
Pelagianism under Boniface
The Tractoria to be received
Boniface inherits the Tractoria of Zosimus, the circular letter condemning Pelagius and Celestius. The problem is no longer only whether Pelagius is orthodox; it is getting the condemnation accepted by the bishops who resist, particularly around Julian of Eclanum.[33][34]
Emperor Honorius publishes on 9 June 419 an edict asking the bishops to subscribe to the Tractoria. Boniface follows this line and supports the Catholic response, but his most precious role is to have solicited Augustine when the Pelagians attack the bishop of Hippo.[35]
The two Pelagian letters sent to Augustine
Augustine himself explains the genesis of his treatise: Boniface, having received two letters from Pelagians in which the name of Augustine was slandered, forwards them to him. Augustine replies with four books addressed to the pope.[36]
"I composed four books to Boniface, bishop of the Roman Church, against two letters of the Pelagians, because, having received them, he had sent them to me: he found in them a slanderous mention of my name." — Saint Augustine, Retractations II, 61[37]
The gesture of Boniface is sober: he does not turn the papacy into an anti-intellectual authority; he hands the dossier to the most competent theologian. Rome loses nothing by listening to Augustine. It shows on the contrary that Catholic primacy is exercised in the truth received by the whole Church.
The doctrine at stake
In the fourth book of the treatise, Augustine summarises the Pelagian traps: they praise the creature, marriage, the law, free will and the saints, but in order to smuggle in three errors: denying original sin, affirming that grace is given according to merits, and claiming that the saints can live without sin in this life.[38]
| Pelagian praise | What it conceals | Catholic Augustinian answer |
|---|---|---|
| The creature | Minimising the wound of Adam | Nature is good but needs the Saviour |
| Marriage | Denying the transmission of original sin | Marriage is good, but the child must be reborn |
| The law | Believing the commandment suffices | The law shows sin; grace heals it |
| Free will | Making salvation a natural capacity | Freedom exists, but it must be freed by grace |
| The saints | Imagining sinless perfection here below | The saints have true justice, yet still ask for pardon |
"Free will indeed belongs to the nature of man; but now it is so enslaved that it avails nothing for fulfilling righteousness, unless it is set free by grace." — Saint Augustine, Against Two Letters of the Pelagians IV[39]
Boniface appears here as the pope of a doctrinal reception: he does not himself compose the great anti-Pelagian synthesis, but he provokes it, encourages it and receives it.
Africa, Apiarius and Antoninus of Fussala
The Apiarius dossier
The priest Apiarius of Sicca Veneria had been excommunicated by his bishop Urbanus for grave faults and had appealed to Rome under Zosimus. Boniface receives the continuation of the dossier. At the council of Carthage of 25 May 419, the African bishops examine the affair with the Roman legates, notably Faustinus.[40][41]
The main difficulty concerns the canons invoked by Rome. The legates present them as Nicene; the Africans do not find them in their copies of Nicaea. They provisionally accept observing the procedure, but ask for verification from the Churches of Constantinople, Antioch and Alexandria.[42]
African irritation without schism
The letter sent to Boniface on 31 May 419 is often used to present Africa as hostile to Rome. The Catholic Encyclopedia, citing Dom Chapman, gives a fairer formula: the letter is written with considerable irritation, but in a studied tone of moderation.[43]
The distinction matters. The African bishops do not deny all Roman authority; they dispute the application of a procedure, the arrogance of certain legates and the identification of the canons. Communion remains, even if it is strained.
| Question | Rome | Africa | Outcome under Boniface |
|---|---|---|---|
| Should Apiarius be heard? | Yes, appeal accepted | Yes, but according to canonical order | Conditional reinstatement and transfer |
| Are the cited canons from Nicaea? | Latin tradition attributes them to Nicaea | The African copies do not contain them | Verification requested in the East |
| Is Faustinus acting well? | Mandated Roman legate | Judged arrogant by the Africans | Diplomatic tension |
| Communion with Rome? | Maintained | Maintained | Debate without rupture |
Antoninus of Fussala
A second African dossier directly touches Augustine: Antoninus of Fussala, a young bishop installed in a community dependent on Hippo, is deposed by an African council for grave faults and appeals to Rome. Boniface agrees to hear the appeal and sends a commission of inquiry.[44]
Augustine is deeply upset, for he knows the dossier at first hand. The death of Boniface will prevent the Roman procedure from running its full course; the envoys will end up deferring to the African judgment, which will confirm the condemnation of Antoninus.[45]
This case shows once again that the ancient Roman primacy is not an abstract mechanism. It passes through concrete appeals, imperfect information, local tensions and adjustments. The Church learns to judge together.
Gaul: limiting the vicariate of Arles
The legacy of Patroclus
Zosimus had granted Patroclus of Arles extensive rights in the Gallic provinces, notably Viennensis and the Narbonenses, making him a privileged intermediary between these regions and the Apostolic See.[46]
Boniface reduces this orientation. He does not suppress all idea of a regional relay, but he refuses to let the Arlesian exception crush ordinary metropolitan rights. In 422, he supports Hilary of Narbonne in the choice of a bishop for Lodève against the intrusion attempted by Patroclus.[47]
Maximus of Valence
Boniface also intervenes in the case of Maximus of Valence, accused of faults. He insists that the bishop be judged not by an isolated primate, but by a synod of the bishops of Gaul, and promises to support their decision.[48]
This policy is balanced: Rome does not renounce its role of confirmation; at the same time it refuses to concentrate all regional justice in the hands of a single favoured bishop.
Illyricum and Constantinople
The edict of Theodosius II
On 14 July 421, the Eastern emperor Theodosius II publishes an edict ordering that the ecclesiastical affairs of Illyricum be settled only with the knowledge of the bishop of Constantinople, on the grounds that Constantinople enjoys the prerogatives of old Rome.[49]
For Rome, the stakes are grave. Eastern Illyricum depends politically on the East, but Rome has long claimed ecclesiastical jurisdiction there exercised through the vicar of Thessalonica. Boniface obtains from Honorius an intervention with Theodosius II to have the edict revoked.[50]
Rufus of Thessalonica
Boniface writes to Rufus of Thessalonica and to the bishops of Macedonia, Achaia, Thessaly, Old Epirus, New Epirus, Prevalitana and Dacia. In these letters, he confirms the powers of Rufus as representative of Rome and strongly affirms the authority of the Apostolic See.[51]
"The constitution of the universal Church in its beginning took its principle from the honour of blessed Peter: in him reside its government and its summit." — Boniface I, letter to the bishops of Thessaly[52]
"It is certain that this Church is to the Churches spread throughout the universe as the head is to its members; whoever cuts himself off from it becomes a stranger to the Christian religion." — Boniface I, letter to the bishops of Thessaly[53]
These formulas are strong. They must not be isolated from their context: Boniface is here defending a concrete canonical order, that of the Roman vicariate of Thessalonica, against bishops tempted to seek another support. But they show unambiguously the Roman consciousness of Petrine primacy at the beginning of the fifth century.
Perigenes of Corinth
In another letter, Boniface defends the ordination of Perigenes at Corinth and forbids the bishops of Illyricum to call into question a decision already confirmed by Rome. If there is then a new accusation against him, Rufus will have to hear it and refer the dossier to Rome for confirmation.[54]
The logic is clear: the Roman judgment stabilises communion; new facts may be examined locally; the sentence must be reported to the Apostolic See. This is neither arbitrary centralisation nor absolute provincial independence.
Death, burial and memory
4 September 422
Boniface dies in Rome on 4 September 422, the date retained by the Holy See and modern syntheses.[55][56] The old Roman tradition nevertheless knows variants: Encyclopedia.com notes that the Hieronymian martyrology correctly gives 4 September, while the traditional Roman martyrology transmitted 25 October following the Liber Pontificalis.[57] The current edition of the Roman martyrology (Martyrologium Romanum, 2nd edition, 2004) indeed lists Boniface I on 4 September (no. 3); the mention on 25 October belongs to the old Roman martyrology, which followed the Liber Pontificalis.[58] The usages can thus be dated: the Catholic Encyclopedia (1907, reprinted 1913) still indicated the feast on 25 October; current calendars (EWTN/CNA) carry 4 September, in accordance with the 2004 martyrology.[59][60]
Historical prudence therefore consists in distinguishing the surest date of death, 4 September, from the liturgical traditions that circulated.
The cemetery of Maximus, near Saint Felicity
Boniface is buried in an oratory he had built in the cemetery of Maximus, near the tomb of Saint Felicity, on the Via Salaria.[61][62][63] The place belongs to a Christian Rome still deeply structured by the martyrial cemeteries: popes are not only administrators; they want to be buried near the witnesses of Christ.
A saint of government
Boniface has left neither the image of a great doctor nor that of a spectacular martyr. His sanctity is that of a difficult government: accepting a contested election without losing peace, asking for a rule against double elections, maintaining doctrinal unity against Pelagius, not humiliating Africa while keeping the principle of Roman appeal, defending Illyricum against Constantinopolitan absorption.
His life recalls a sober truth: the sanctity of a pope is often played out in letters, procedures and canonical decisions that seem dry. The visible order of the Church is also a service of charity.
Questions and objections
Was Boniface truly pope if Eulalius was first recognised?
Yes. Honorius first recognises Eulalius on the report of Prefect Symmachus, but he then suspends his decision, convenes the inquiry, and recognises Boniface on 3 April 419 after the disobedience of Eulalius.[64][65] Catholic tradition receives Boniface as the legitimate pope and Eulalius as antipope.
The delicate point is that the final recognition passes through the emperor. This fact does not mean that the emperor confers the priesthood or the primacy; it shows that, in the late Christian Empire, public order intervenes heavily when Rome is divided.
Did the law of Honorius subject the papacy to the State?
It manifested a real imperial intervention, but in a precise context of civil crisis. Honorius does not define the faith; he seeks to prevent a double election from throwing the city into violence. The rule according to which two competing claimants would both be set aside answers a practical problem: preventing the most violent faction from imposing its candidate.[66]
One may see in it both a protection of ecclesial peace and a trace of a still imperfect balance between Church and imperial power.
Did the Africans refuse Roman authority under Boniface?
No. They strongly discuss the attitude of the legates and the reference to the supposedly Nicene canons, but they write to Boniface, provisionally accept the procedure and ask for a verification of the texts.[67][68]
The Apiarius affair proves neither a schismatic Africa nor a papacy already medieval in the strict sense. It shows a real communion, strained by questions of procedure and canonical collections.
Is Boniface important for the history of the Roman primacy?
Yes, above all through his letters on Illyricum. The formulas addressed to Rufus and to the bishops of Thessaly clearly express that the Roman Church understands itself as the head of the Churches spread throughout the world, by reason of the honour given to Peter.[69][70]
These texts must not be turned into an isolated slogan; they take their meaning in a precise jurisdictional conflict. But they are an important milestone between the letters of Innocent I and the great Roman doctrine of Leo the Great.
What to retain
The surest facts
| Point | Degree of certainty | Principal source |
|---|---|---|
| Boniface I is the 42nd pope according to the Holy See | Very certain | Holy See |
| His pontificate runs from late December 418 to 4 September 422 | Very certain | Holy See, Catholic Encyclopedia |
| He is a Roman and son of the priest Jocundus according to tradition | Solid but handed down by an ancient notice | Liber Pontificalis |
| His election is disputed by Eulalius | Very certain | Contemporary letters, Catholic Encyclopedia |
| Honorius recognises Boniface on 3 April 419 | Very certain | Eulalius/Honorius dossier |
| He asks for a rule against future double elections | Very solid | Catholic Encyclopedia, New Catholic Encyclopedia |
| He supports Augustine against the Pelagians | Very certain | Augustine, Retractations and Contra duas epistolas |
| He receives the continuation of the Apiarius and Antoninus dossiers | Very certain | Carthage 419, modern syntheses |
| He defends the Roman vicariate of Thessalonica | Very certain | Letters of Boniface |
| He is buried in the cemetery of Maximus, near Saint Felicity, Via Salaria | Solid | Liber Pontificalis, Catholic Encyclopedia, Martyrologium Romanum (2004) |
The synthesis formula
Saint Boniface I is the pope of peace recovered after a broken election. His pontificate is not summed up in the victory over Eulalius: it shows Rome learning to settle its successions, to dialogue with the emperor without dissolving into the State, to receive the African intelligence of Augustine against Pelagius, to discuss with irritated bishops without breaking communion, and to defend the rights of the Apostolic See in Illyricum.
He does not have the doctrinal stature of Augustine nor the future majesty of Leo the Great. But he has a greatness of his own: that of a pope who holds the Church together when procedures, provinces and ambitions collide. His memory is therefore less spectacular than structuring.
To go further
- Pope Saint Zosimus (417-418) — immediate predecessor of Boniface, at the heart of the Pelagian crisis.
- Pope Saint Innocent I (401-417) — pope of the first Roman confirmation against Pelagius.
- Saint Augustine — author of the treatise addressed to Boniface against the two Pelagian letters.
- The heresies of the early centuries — doctrinal context of Pelagianism.
- Papal infallibility — to distinguish primacy, discipline, prudence and definitive magisterium.
- Pope Saint Damasus I — Roman background of disputed elections and of the authority of the Apostolic See.
Notes and References
Holy See, official entry "Boniface I": 42nd pope of the Catholic Church, pontificate beginning "28,29.XII.418", end 4.IX.422, birth in Rome. Page rechecked on 4 October 2026, exact labels of the Biography section: "42nd Pope of the Catholic Church", "Beginning Pontificate 28,29.XII.418", "End Pontificate 4.IX.422", "Birth Rome": https://www.vatican.va/content/vatican/en/holy-father/bonifacio-i.html.
1 13 55John Bertram Peterson, "Pope St. Boniface I", The Catholic Encyclopedia, vol. 2, New York, Robert Appleton Company, 1907; text reprinted on New Advent: https://www.newadvent.org/cathen/02658a.htm. Full text checked on 4 October 2026: election 28 Dec. 418, consecrations 29 Dec., 18 March / Holy Saturday 29 March / Easter 30 March 419, recognition 3 April 419 (the "3 April, 418" misprint of the source is not reproduced), 1 July 420, Carthage 31 May 419, 14 July 421, 11 March 422; this edition gives the feast on 25 October.
2 11 14 17 19 21 23 27 29 30 31 43 47 48 56 59 65 66 68Henry Wace and William Coleman Piercy (eds.), "Eulalius, an antipope", Dictionary of Christian Biography and Literature to the End of the Sixth Century, London, John Murray, 1911: dossier of the official letters of 418-419, Symmachus, Honorius, Ravenna, Spoleto and final recognition of Boniface. Wikisource text: https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Dictionary_of_Christian_Biography_and_Literature_to_the_End_of_the_Sixth_Century/Eulalius,_an_antipope.
3 7 22 24 25 28 64New Catholic Encyclopedia, notice "Boniface I, Pope, St.", reprinted on Encyclopedia.com: pontificate 28/29 December 418 - 4 September 422, Eulalius affair, Apiarius, Antoninus of Fussala, Pelagianism, Illyricum, burial in the cemetery of Saint Felicity. https://www.encyclopedia.com/religion/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/boniface-i-pope-st.
4 16 32 35 41 44 45 49 50 57 62Boniface I, Epistolae et decreta, letters to the bishops of Thessaly, to Rufus of Thessalonica and to the bishops of Illyricum, Latin text in Patrologia Latina 20, reprinted on Wikisource: https://la.wikisource.org/wiki/Epistolae_et_decreta_%28Bonifacius_I%29.
5 51Saint Augustine, Contra duas epistolas Pelagianorum I, 1: "Neque enim dedignaris, qui non alta sapis, quamvis altius praesideas, esse amicus humilium, et amorem rependere impensum" (Patrologia Latina 44, col. 549-551; Latin checked word for word on 4 October 2026, chap. I, § 1, on the synchronised Latin-English edition: https://catholiclibrary.org/library/view?docId=/Synchronized-EN/Augustine.AgainstTwoLettersPelagians.en.html). English translation of the article after the Latin (no paginated English edition identified online other than NPNF); NPNF English text on New Advent: https://www.newadvent.org/fathers/15091.htm.
6Fourth Century Christianity, "Council of Ravenna (AD 419)": council convened by Honorius to resolve the disputed Boniface-Eulalius election; the insubordination of Eulalius leads to the recognition of Boniface. Page updated on 11 February 2025: https://www.fourthcentury.com/council-of-ravenna-ad-419/.
8 26See the Ignispedia article Pope Saint Zosimus (417-418), sections on Patroclus of Arles, the Tractoria and the Apiarius affair; principal sources: Catholic Encyclopedia, Liber Pontificalis, Carthage 418/419.
9 46Council of Carthage, 419, Apiarius dossier, reply to the commonitorium of Zosimus and discussion of the canons attributed to Nicaea but corresponding to Sardica. NPNF English text on New Advent: https://www.newadvent.org/fathers/3816.htm.
10 40 42 67Saint Augustine, Retractations, II, 61, on the four books written to Boniface, bishop of Rome, against two letters of the Pelagians (excerpt reproduced at the head of the page). Passage checked on 4 October 2026: "Then follow four books which I wrote to Boniface, bishop of the Roman Church, in opposition to two letters of the Pelagians, because when they came into his hands he had sent them to me, finding in them a calumnious mention of my name"; English translation of the article after this text. English NPNF translation, New Advent text: https://www.newadvent.org/fathers/1509.htm.
12 33 36 37Liber Pontificalis, notice XLIV, Bonifatius (418-422): Roman origin, father Jocundus, disputed election with Eulalius, burial in the cemetery of Saint Felicity; ed. Louis Duchesne, Paris, 1886, vol. I, p. 227-229. English translation Louise Ropes Loomis, The Book of Popes, New York, Columbia University Press, 1916, p. 90-93: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/23/The_book_of_the_popes_%28Liber_pontificalis%29_I-_%28IA_cu31924006163897%29.pdf.
15 18 61Saint Augustine, Contra duas epistolas Pelagianorum I, 1: "Noveram te quidem fama celeberrima praedicante, et frequentissimis atque veracissimis nuntiis quanta esses Dei gratia plenus acceperam, beatissime atque venerande papa Bonifaci" (Patrologia Latina 44, col. 549; Latin checked word for word on 4 October 2026 on the synchronised Latin-English edition: https://catholiclibrary.org/library/view?docId=/Synchronized-EN/Augustine.AgainstTwoLettersPelagians.en.html). English translation of the article after the Latin (no paginated English edition identified online other than NPNF); NPNF English text on New Advent: https://www.newadvent.org/fathers/15091.htm.
20Saint Augustine, Contra duas epistolas Pelagianorum IV, opening argument: the five Pelagian praises and the three hidden doctrinal errors; Catholic doctrine on nature, marriage, law, free will and the saints. NPNF English translation, New Advent text: https://www.newadvent.org/fathers/15094.htm.
34 38 39Boniface I, letter XIV to the bishops of Thessaly, no. 1: "Institutio universalis nascentis Ecclesiae de beati Petri sumpsit honore principium, in quo regimen ejus et summa consistit" (Latin checked word for word on 4 October 2026, after PL 20). English translation in the body of the article; Latin text: https://la.wikisource.org/wiki/Epistolae_et_decreta_%28Bonifacius_I%29.
52 69Boniface I, letter XIV to the bishops of Thessaly, no. 1: "Hanc ergo Ecclesiis toto orbe diffusis velut caput suorum certum est esse membrorum" (Latin checked word for word on 4 October 2026, after PL 20). English translation in the body of the article; Latin text: https://la.wikisource.org/wiki/Epistolae_et_decreta_%28Bonifacius_I%29.
53 70Boniface I, letter XV to Rufus and to the bishops of Macedonia, Achaia, Thessaly, the Epiruses, Prevalitana and Dacia, no. 7-8: defence of Perigenes of Corinth, competence of Rufus and final referral to Rome. Latin text: https://la.wikisource.org/wiki/Epistolae_et_decreta_%28Bonifacius_I%29.
54Catholic Church, Martyrologium Romanum, 2nd typical edition, Vatican City, Libreria Editrice Vaticana, 2004: on 4 September, no. 3 — "At Rome, in the cemetery of Maximus on the Via Salaria, the burial of Saint Boniface the First, pope, who resolved many controversies concerning ecclesiastical discipline" (2004 English edition, Boston Catholic Journal transcription checked on 4 October 2026). The mention on 25 October belonged to the old Roman martyrology, which followed the Liber Pontificalis (cf. New Catholic Encyclopedia).
58 63EWTN / Catholic News Agency, "Saint Boniface I, Pope", feast indicated on 4 September: https://ewtn.co.uk/article-saint-boniface-i-pope/.
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