For the next few years we have official documents, but only glimmers of what city life was like. There was street violence at times, and something not quite short of gangster rivalry between supporters of the two claimants to the papacy. This split divided the senate itself; grave, dignified leaders of important families sided with one churchman or the other, offering financial support and their visible presence. In 502, Symmachus felt strong enough to call together the local clergy for a series of synods at various churches in the city, playing the chess required to reassert his authority. Early in the year, at the church of Saint Mary in Trastevere, just across the river from the heart of the city, Symmachus convoked an assembly to remonstrate with the king for support. None was forthcoming: the pope had overplayed his hand.

Months later, at the basilica of Santa Croce in Gerusalemme, on the eastern edge of the city, a second synod was held, one which Symmachus barely survived, after being attacked by partisans on the streets as he made his way home. We cannot at this distance tell whether it felt like a victory, because he showed that he could make his way through the city and survive; or like a defeat, because he was so brazenly attacked. Two more such sessions were held in October and November, and Symmachus eventually had his way with his own churchmen at least. He took the opportunity to replace the city prefect's decree of twenty years earlier regulating the man-agement of church property and installed his own law on the subject—one doubtless designed to justify his own controversial practices.

Success was only partial. For another four years, Symmachus reigned from Saint Peter's, Laurentius from the Lateran. Supporters of Symmachus "discovered" (that is to say, fabricated) precedent documents to support his cause, such as ecclesiastical acts and martyr stories supposedly from two centuries earlier supporting aspects of his legal and religious claims. One told a colorful but quite fictional story of Pope Xystus, who was accused in the time of the emperor Valentinian of misappropriating property and misbehaving with a nun. The Roman clergy held a synod to debate Xystus's case in the Sessorian basilica, and the matter was resolved when a distinguished ex-consul observed that popes are immune to the condemnations of synods. If you believed that this document was authentic, then you also had precedent for what to think about Symmachus balkan tours.

Between Symmachus and Laurentius

Both sides also published their official versions of history in something called the Book of Pontiffs—Liber Pontificalis. That book, and its later editions through the middle ages, listed the names and short biographies of all the bishops of Rome from Peter forward (with a new biography added on the death of each pontiff). Bishops of Rome for fifty years before the crisis between Symmachus and Laurentius had been promoting themselves in various ways as successors of Peter with authority that ran far beyond the city where he was martyred. The word papa, long used affectionately of the paternal authority of bishops in several major cities of the emperor, was now increasingly limited in application to the Roman bishop—and gives us the word "pope," in consequence. We have, then, versions of the pontifical book from both parties in the first years of the sixth century, showing how each presented its candidate as Peter's official successor.

Symmachus struggled at Rome but did a good job of brokering the support of dignitaries up and down Italy. The ambitious Ennodius, however, was embarrassed when he had to submit a bill to the papal court to recover funds he had "advanced" for defending Symmachus's cause at court in Ravenna.9 ("Bribery" is such an ugly word, as I'm sure Ennodius would have agreed.) There's no sign Ennodius ever got his money back, but Symmachus did prevail, and in 506 Theoderic finally came out with a reaffirmation of his earlier support for Symmachus and put the force of law and the law of force behind his claims. He took only measured steps, however, and Laurentius continued with at least some of his pretensions until Symmachus's death in 514. The election then of Pope Hormisdas marked the final reunification of the church.

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