| Gregory's transformation from reformer to revolutionary mirrors his use of particular scriptures in the Register, notably Old Testament prophetic passages during the reformer phase and the coercive I Samuel 15:22-23 and Matthew 16:16-19 passages during the revolutionary phase. The key shift occurs at the time of the Lenten Synod of 1076, when Gregory not only excommunicates but also deposes King Henry IV. It is this act, the act of deposing the king, which moves Gregory from reformer to revolutionary, for it is a true break with the past actions of the church.;The prophetic and reforming phase of the papacy occurs during the first two years of the papacy, as Gregory attempts to continue the reforms begun in the decades before his ascension of the papal see. As did the previous reformers, Gregory sought to extirpate the three canonical abuses of clerical marriage, simony, and lay investiture. In these first two years he highlights this reform effort by attempting to lead the people to repentance and renewal, often using passages from the Old Testament Prophets, most notably Jeremiah, Ezekiel and Isaiah, to shape their conduct.;The difficulties between Pope Gregory VII and King Henry IV, problematic but not wholly contentious in the first two years of Gregory's papacy, grows ever more contentious, and responding to Henry's demands that Gregory step down from the papacy in late 1075 and very early in 1076, Gregory excommunicates and deposes Henry at the Lenten Synod of 1076. After this break between Gregory and Henry, the use of scripture shifts in the Register, reflecting a much more coercive sentiment. Whereas Gregory had attempted to lead the people toward repentance and renewal, he now drove them with stern calls for obedience and papal preeminence. This shift, from prophetic to coercive voice, understood through Gregory's use of scripture in the Register, mirrors his shift from reformer to revolutionary. |
