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Little is known of Anastasius' life before becoming pope. He was born in Rome, but the date of his birth is unknown. His election as Pope of Rome took place in November 496 less than a week after the death of his predecessor, Gelasius I. He came to the [[see]] of Rome at the time the Christian world was divided over the attempt by emperor [[Zeno (emperor)|Zeno]] to reconcile the dispute following the [[Fourth Ecumenical Council]] decisions concerning [[Monophysitism]] by promulgating the [[Henoticon]] that was prepared by Patriarch [[Acacius of Constantinople]] in an attempt to pacify the two opposing positions. The dispute became known as the Acacian [[Schism ]] between Rome and Constantinople that was not healed until 519.

A man of kindly and peaceable disposition, Pope Anastasius apparently sought to heal the differences between Rome and Constantinople. This led to a conflict with the Roman clergy that thought he was making conciliatory moves with the heretical Monophysites although in his attempts at mediation Anastasius maintained his principals and continued to demand the condemnation of Patr. Acacius. The Romans, however, did not recognize this. Adding fuel to the dispute for the disgruntled Romans was that Pope Anastasius had also received back into communion Archbishop Andrew of [[Thessalonica]], formerly was an ardent partisan of Acacius, who had repented and repudiated Acacius. This act, however, brought tensions to a new height, and he was denounced by the clergy and was called a traitor.