Pope Gregory I (pope from 590-604) was born a Roman aristocrat at a time when
Rome was no longer the political center of the
Italian Peninsula, but still an important urban center. He is most famous for establishing the
primacy of Rome in the Church. He was an advocate of
monasticism and cultivated monastic associates in the
Benedictine tradition. He wrote a biography of
St. Benedict, many important letters, and an instructional for priests and bishops entitled
Pastoral Care (which combined strong Christian morals with an understanding of human frailty).
Pope Gregory I (or Gregory the Great or Pope Saint Gregory) was also known for his magnum opus Moralia in Iob (or Morals on Job or Morals on the Book of Job).
In this work, made up of 35 books, Gregory explores the book of Job on four different levels: literal or historical, moral, metaphorical or allegorial, and anagogical or eschatalogical.
Gregory's Moralia took Medieval biblical exegesis to a new level, applying ideas by other theological greats like Saints Ambrose, Augustine, and Jerome. Gregory (like Ambrose, Augustine, and Jerome) is considered a Father of the Church and a Doctor of the Church.