Archive for the ‘Saints of 200-249’ Category
Above: Ancient Alexandria
Image in the Public Domain
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
SAINT DIONYSIUS OF ALEXANDRIA (CIRCA 190-265)
Patriarch of Alexandria, and Church Father
Also known as Saint Dionysius the Great
His feast transferred from April 8 and November 17
mentor of
SAINT EUSEBIUS OF LAODICEA (DIED CIRCA 268)
Bishop of Laodicea
Also known as Saint Eusebius of Alexandria
His feast days = July 3 and October 4
predecessor of
SAINT ANATOLIUS OF ALEXANDRIA (DIED 283)
Bishop of Laodicea
Also known as Saint Anatolius of Laodicea
His feast = July 3
St. Dionysius of Alexandria/the Great mentored St. Eusebius of Laodicea and St. Anatolius of Alexandria/Laodicea.
These three saints lived during times of imperial persecution and doctrinal formation. Doctrines did not descend fully-formed from Heaven. No, people, debated them. Councils and synods convened and issued statements, thereby defining orthodoxy.
We modern Christians stand on the shoulders of Sts. Dionysius, Eusebius, and Anatolius, who, in turn, stood on the shoulders of others.
St. Dionysius the Great, born in Alexandria, Egypt, circa 190, learned the Christian faith there. He studied under Origen (185-254) at the catechetical school. St. Dionysius, a priest, succeeded Origen as the head of that school. After Origen returned from a visit to Pope St. Zephyrinus (reigned 198/199-217) in Rome, St. Dionysius encouraged Origen to resume teaching at the catachetical school. St. Dionysius served as the Patriarch of Alexandria, starting in 248.
St. Dionysius maintained orthodoxy while remaining gentle toward penitent heretics. He argued against baptizing former heretics; laying on hands then welcoming penitent heretics back into the fold sufficed for our saint. The heresies du jour were Novatianism, Sabellianism, and Adoptionism.
Novatianism led to a schism. Circa 250, Novatian argued that the church had no power to pardon mortal sins, therefore there was no forgiveness after baptism. He also held a subordinationist view of the relationships within the Trinity. The second point was not unique to Novatian; literal readings of certain Pauline passages supported subordinationism. And some of the Ante-Nicene Fathers, orthodox according to the standards of their time, were subordinationists. The greater issue was the Novatianist schism, which persisted into the 500s. St. Dionysius wrote to Novatian to encourage him to return to the fold. Our saint also wrote to Fabian, the Bishop of Antioch, to discourage him from supporting the Novatianist schism. St. Dionysius’s efforts partially healed the schism.
Sabellianism was a variety of Modalistic Monarchianism, another Trinity-related heresy. Circa 215, Sabellius defined the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit as temporal projections, or “dilations” in an attempt to maintain strict monotheism. St. Dionysius wrote against this heresy, too.
St. Dionysius, as the Patriarch of Alexandria, endured imperial persecutions. Decius (reigned 249-251) persecuted the church. Our saint, incarcerated in 250, went on to live as a fugitive in the desert until 251. A few years later, Gallienus (reigned 253-268) launched another persecution. St. Dionysius spent 257-260 in exile in the Mareotis desert.
St. Dionysius left a written legacy. Repentance was a favorite theme in many letters. He also composed a commentary on Revelation.
St. Dionysius died of natural causes in Alexandria in 265.
St. Eusebius of Alexandria/Laodicea had been a deacon under St. Dionysius. Circa 255, during the Valerian persecution, the imperium sentenced St. Eusebius to Kefro, Libya. He avoided his sentence by going on the lam. Years later, in 260, our saint risked his life as he ministered to the sick of Alexandria during a plague.
St. Dionysius was till ill to travel to the Second Council of Antioch (264), so he sent St. Eusebius in his stead. The purpose of the council was to condemn Adoptionism, a heresy from the previous century. As Paul of Samosota wrote in 260,
Mary did not bear the Word, for Mary did not exist before the ages. Mary is not older than the Word; what she bore was a man equal to us, but superior in all things as a result of the Holy Spirit.
–Quoted in Linwood Urban, A Short History of Christian Thought (1995), 76
In other words, according to Adoptionists and Paul of Samosota in particular, Mary was not the Theotokos, the Bearer and Mother of God, for Jesus became the Son of God when God adopted him. Adoptionists disagreed about when God adopted Jesus.
Sts. Dionysius and Eusebius disagreed with the Adoptionists.
St. Eusebius did not return to Alexandria. Shortly after the Second Council of Antioch (264), he became the Bishop of Laodicea (now Latakia, Syria), near Antioch. He died in Laodicea in Syria circa 268.
Above: The Tetraporticus (Erected in 183), Latakia, Syria
Photographer = Allamlatakia
St. Anatolius of Alexandria/Laodicea was a polymath. He was a famous writer, mathematician, scientist, philosopher, and teacher. Our saint, an erstwhile public servant in Alexandria, was also the founder and head of the Aristotelean school in that great city. During a Roman military siege of Alexandria in 263, Sts. Eusebius and Anatolius successfully negotiated with the army for the release of innocents. In so doing, St. Anatolius became persona non grata in Alexandria.
St. Anatolius found greener political pastures in Caesarea, Palestine. There he was the assistant to the bishop. In that capacity, our saint was passing through Laodicea in Syria, en route to the Third Council of Antioch, in 268. St. Eusebius had died recently. St. Anatolius, much to his surprise, became the next Bishop of Laodicea. He remained in that office for the rest of his life, until 283.
Emphasizing relationships and influences is one goal of mine here at the Ecumenical Calendar. A particular chain of influences germane to this post follows: St. Clement of Alexandria (circa 150-circa 210/215) to St. Alexander of Jerusalem (died 251) and Origen (185-254) to St. Dionysius the Great/of Alexandria (circa 190-265) to St. Eusebius of Alexandria/Laodicea (died circa 268) and St. Anatolius of Alexandria/Laodicea (died 283). It is a chain of influences worth celebrating.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
THE FEAST OF JOHANN OLAF WALLIN, ARCHBISHOP OF UPPSALA, AND HYMN WRITER
THE FEAST OF SAINT GENNARO MARIA SARNELLI, ITALIAN ROMAN CATHOLIC PRIEST AND MISSIONARY TO THE VULNERABLE AND EXPLOITED PEOPLE OF NAPLES
THE FEAST OF HEINRICH LONAS, GERMAN MORAVIAN ORGANIST, COMPOSER, AND LITURGIST
THE FEAST OF PAUL HANLY FURFEY, U.S. ROMAN CATHOLIC PRIEST, SOCIOLOGIST, AND SOCIAL RADICAL
THE FEAST OF SAINT PHILIP POWEL, ENGLISH ROMAN CATHOLIC PRIEST AND MARTYR, 1646
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
God of compassion, you have reconciled us in Jesus Christ, who is our peace:
Enable us to live as Jesus lived, breaking down walls of hostility and healing enmity.
Give us grace to make peace with those from whom we are divided,
that, forgiven and forgiving, we may ever be one in Christ;
who with you and the Holy Spirit reigns for ever, one holy and undivided Trinity. Amen.
Genesis 8:12-17, 20-22
Psalm 51:1-17
Hebrews 4:12-16
Luke 23:32-43
—Holy Women, Holy Men: Celebrating the Saints (2010), 737
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Above: Carthage and Rome
Image in the Public Domain
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
SAINT CYPRIAN OF CARTHAGE (190/210-SEPTEMBER 14, 258)
Bishop of Carthage, and Martyr
Born Thascius Caecillianus Cyprianus
His feast day = September 16
Alternative feast days = August 31, September 15, September 26, and October 2
+++++++++++++
SAINT CORNELIUS OF ROME (DIED IN JUNE 253)
Bishop of Rome
His feast day = September 16
+++++++++++++
SAINT LUCIUS I OF ROME (DIED MARCH 5, 254)
Bishop of Rome
His feast transferred from March 4
+++++++++++++
SAINT STEPHEN I OF ROME (DIED AUGUST 2, 257)
Bishop of Rome
His feast transferred from August 2
+++++++++++++
Whoso stands aloof from the Church and is joined to an adulteress [a schismatic sect] is cut off from the promises given to the Church; and he that leaves the Church of Christ attains not to Christ’s rewards. He is an alien, an outcast, an enemy. He cannot have God for his father who has not the Church for his mother.
–St. Cyprian of Carthage, On the Unity of the Church; quoted in Henry Bettenson and Chris Mander, eds., Documents of the Christian Church, 3d. ed. (1998), 80
+++++++++++++
September 15 is the Feast of St. Cyprian of Carthage in The Episcopal Church. The saint has more than one feast day, not one of them September 14, the anniversary of his death. September 14 is, after all, the Feast of the Holy Cross. Of all the feast days of St. Cyprian September 16 makes the most sense for my purposes as I continue to renovate my Ecumenical Calendar of Saints’ Days and Holy Days because (1) September 16 is the Feast of St. Cornelius of Rome, and (2) one cannot explain the lives of either St. Cyprian or St. Cornelius properly in isolation from each other.
Most persecution of Christianity in the Roman Empire was local and sporadic. Sometimes, however, an emperor launched an empire-wide persecution. Roman pagan orthodoxy, such as it was, mixed politics, religion, and civic duty. The reasoning was that the empire would prosper as long as the gods allowed. A civic duty, therefore, was to sacrifice to the gods on behalf of the empire. Jews were exempt from this obligation, but had to pay a tax instead. Gentiles who refused to make such a sacrifice were not fulfilling their civic duty, as the government defined it. As Christianity grew, more and more Gentiles refused. Was Christianity a threat to the future of the empire? Were Christians threats to imperial security?
Above: St. Cyprian of Carthage
Image in the Public Domain
St. Cyprian, born in Carthage between 190 and 210, was a pagan rhetorician until he converted to Christianity circa 246. Within two years he had progressed from convert to deacon to priest then, in 248, to Bishop of Carthage, a post he held for the rest of his life, that is, until 258. St. Cyprian was one of the most influential Christian leaders of the 250s.
The Emperor Decius (reigned 249-251), unlike his tolerant predecessor, Philip I (reigned 244-249), considered Christianity to be a threat to the future of the Roman Empire. Decius forced St. Cyprian to flee Carthage; the bishop governed his diocese remotely. St. Fabian, Bishop of Rome from 236 to 250, became a martyr. A committee of clergymen, with Novatian (circa 200-258) as the spokesman, governed the Church for fourteen months. In March 251, toward the end of the reign of Decius, a papal election was finally safe. Novatian expected to win, but St. Cornelius did instead.
Above: St. Cornelius of Rome
Image in the Public Domain
In 251, when St. Cyprian returned to Carthage, he had to contend with the question of how to deal with people who had committed apostasy by renouncing their Christian faith during the Decian persecution. Some confessors were overly eager to readmit the lapsed on the grounds of the merits of the martyrs. This displeased St. Cyprian, who insisted that apostates must perform penance in order for reconciliation to occur. This penance, the Bishop of Carthage said, must be suitably long. St. Cornelius agreed. The policy would become the policy church-wide, the Bishop of Rome decreed.
Novatian disagreed. In March 251, via a schismatic papal election, he established himself as a rival Bishop of Rome. St. Cornelius excommunicated Novatian and his followers. The Novatianist sect was ridiculously morally rigorous, teaching that there was no forgiveness for serious sins one committed after one’s baptism. The schism persisted in Armenia and Mesopotamia until the 400s, and later elsewhere.
Sts. Cyprian and Cornelius did not always have friendly relations. The Bishop of Carthage had initially been dubious about the election of St. Cornelius, but had quickly accepted it. St. Cyprian even helped St. Cornelius to win the support of many Roman clergymen who might otherwise have supported Novatian. In the summer of 252, however, St. Cornelius received envoys of Fortunatus, a bishop rival to St. Cyprian. The Bishop of Rome did not side with Fortunatus, but St. Cyprian complained in writing about the meeting.
The next emperor was Gallus (reigned 251-253), initially tolerant of Christianity. The reign of Gallus was one disaster after another. A plague swept through the empire. In Carthage Christians became scapegoats for the plague. There were also barbarian invasions as well as military defeats on the Persian frontier. Gallus distracted much criticism of him by resuming the persecution of Christianity in June 252. That month the imperial government forced St. Cornelius into exile at Centumcellae (now Civitavecchia, the port of Rome). The Bishop of Rome died in June 253. The empire seemed to be coming apart; a civil war seemed unavoidable. Gallus had two rivals (both generals) for the imperial throne. In July 253 he died at the hands of his soldiers, who preferred assassinating their emperor to fighting a losing battle in which they would die in vain. Aemilian, the next emperor, reigned for a few months until dying the same way.
The next emperor was Valerian (reigned 253-260), initially tolerant of Christianity.
Above: St. Lucius I
Image in the Public Domain
St. Lucius I, elected Bishop of Rome on June 23, 253, had been in exile during the persecution under Gallus. St. Cyprian wrote to St. Lucius I, who maintained the policy of St. Cornelius vis-á-vis repentant apostates. The Bishop of Carthage congratulated the new Bishop of Rome for faithful suffering, and welcomed him back to Rome. St. Lucius I died of natural causes on March 5, 254.
Above: St. Stephen I
Image in the Public Domain
St. Stephen I, elected Bishop of Rome on May 12, 254, had conflicts with St. Cyprian.
St. Stephen I readmitted two lapsed Spanish bishops to the Church. St. Cyprian did not agree that the Spanish bishops had repented of their apostasy. He convened a synod of north African bishops. The synod decreed that the Spanish bishops were still apostates, and that they had deceived the Bishop of Rome.
Marcian, Bishop of Arles, was, like Novatian, a moral rigorist who refused forgiveness and reconciliation, to repentant apostates–even on deathbeds. Some local bishops petitioned St. Stephen I to depose Marcian. St. Cyprian urged the Bishop of Rome to excommunicate and depose Marcian. St. Stephen I refused on all counts.
Sts. Stephen I and Cyprian disagreed about the rebaptism of people baptized by heretics, i.e., Novatianists. The Bishop of Carthage argued that such baptisms were almost always invalid. He contended that the sacrament was valid only within the Church, so rebaptism was necessary in most of these cases. The Bishop of Rome, however, regarded baptisms by heretics as generally valid. Therefore, according to St. Stephen I, absolution via the laying on of hands was the only requirement for reconciliation of heretics. He refused to permit the churches in Asia Minor to hold valid Eucharists due to their practice of rebaptizing heretics. However, St. Cyprian convened two synods (in 255 and 256) that reaffirmed his position. Ironically, Novatian and St. Cyprian had something in common, for Novatian refused to accept orthodox Catholic baptisms, just as St. Cyprian refused to accept Novatianist baptisms.
St. Stephen I was doing something new; he became the first Bishop of Rome to claim the primacy of his office based on succession from St. Simon Peter. What the Bishop of Rome said, went. St. Cyprian was having none of it, despite his acknowledgment of St. Simon Peter as the rock upon which Jesus founded the Church.
One may wonder what the long-term consequences of the dispute between Sts. Stephen I and Cyprian would have been. One must, however, consign those thoughts to the realm of the counterfactual. One should also consider St. Cyprian’s condemnation of schism as sinful.
Circumstances ended the dispute. St. Stephen I died of natural causes on August 2, 257. The next Bishop of Rome was St. Sixtus II. In August 257 Valerian, seeking to distract attention from ample imperial woes, resumed the empire-wide persecution of Christianity. St. Cyprian, forced into exile again, eventually returned to Carthage, where he became a martyr on September 14, 258.
Novatian also died in 258, perhaps as a martyr during the persecution under Valerian.
Valerian’s persecution did much to damage the Church, which survived, of course. St. Sixtus II and many clergy died. The empire also confiscated Church property. Nevertheless, St. Dionysius, the Bishop of Rome from 260 to 268, rebuilt the Church. He also had to contend with the issue of rebaptism. Valerian failed.
The position of the Roman Catholic Church on baptism is that all Christian baptisms are valid. Defects in the intentions of those who administer baptism render a baptism invalid, hence the Church’s refusal to accept Mormon baptisms.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
AUGUST 14, 2018 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF WILLIAM CROFT, ANGLICAN ORGANIST AND COMPOSER
THE FEAST OF MATTHIAS CLAUDIUS, GERMAN LUTHERAN WRITER
THE FEAST OF SAINT MAXIMILIAN KOLBE, ROMAN CATHOLIC PRIEST AND MARTYR, 1941; AND JONATHAN MYRICK DANIELS, EPISCOPAL SEMINARIAN AND MARTYR, 1965
THE FEAST OF SARAH FLOWER ADAMS, ENGLISH UNITARIAN HYMN WRITER; AND HER SISTER, ELIZA FLOWER, ENGLISH UNITARIAN COMPOSER
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Heavenly Father, Shepherd of your people, we thank you for your servants
Saint Cyprian of Carthage,
Saint Cornelius of Rome,
Saint Lucius I of Rome, and
Saint Stephen I of Rome,
who were faithful in the care and nurture of your flock;
and we pray that, following their examples and teachings of their holy lives,
we may by your grace grow into the stature of the fullness of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ;
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
Ezekiel 34:11-16
Psalm 23
1 Peter 5:1-4
John 21:15-17
–Adapted from Holy Women, Holy Men: Celebrating the Saints (2010), 718
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Above: Martyrdom of Sixtus II
Image in the Public Domain
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
SAINT CYRIACA (DIED 249)
Roman Widow and Martyr
Her feast transferred from August 21
++++++++++++++
SAINT SIXTUS II (DIED AUGUST 6, 258)
Bishop of Rome, and Martyr
His feast transferred from August 7
His former feast day = August 6
++++++++++++++
SAINTS JANUARIUS, VINCENTIUS, MAGNUS, STEPHANUS, FELICISSIMUS, AND AGAPITIUS (DIED AUGUST 6, 258)
Deacons at Rome, and Martyrs
Their feast transferred from August 7
Their former feast day = August 6
++++++++++++++
SAINT LAURENCE OF ROME (DIED AUGUST 10, 258)
Archdeacon of Rome, and Martyr
Also known as Saint Lawrence of Rome
His feast = August 10
++++++++++++++
Persecution of Christians in the Roman Empire was off-and-on, usually local, and occasionally empire-wide. Being a Christian could be risky. And, to jump the chronology, after Emperor Constantine I “the Great” (reigned 306-337) made Christianity legal (alongside the other legal religions), being a type of Christian other than the type the Emperor was could be perilous. But for now, back to the time prior to Constantine the Great…..
St. Cyriaca (d. 249) was a wealthy widow. She gave shelter to persecuted Christians. St. Laurence, Archdeacon of Rome, responsible for dispensing alms, distributed from her home until she became a martyr (via scourging). St. Laurence was quite aware of the perils of being a Christian.
Emperor Valerian (reigned 253-260) presided over a troubled empire. Plagues afflicted various provinces, civil strive existed, the Persian army invaded the empire on one part of the frontier, and Germanic tribes were invading elsewhere along the long border. In 258-260 Valerian did what many potentates have done when woes have piled high; he distracted people. He invited people to look over there, not over here. Valerian persecuted Christians. He seized church property (including cemeteries), forbade Christians to gather in cemeteries, and required Christians to participate in state pagan rituals. One rationale for requiring people to participate in such rites was patriotic. The idea was that the empire would thrive as long as the gods blessed it. Therefore, the reasoning went, if more and more people ceased to bless the gods, the empire was doomed. Thus Christians were allegedly threats to imperial security. (How many violations of human rights have governments ordered in the name of national security since the beginning of the keeping of historical records?)
If such violations of human rights are indeed necessary for a state or empire to continue to exist, that state or empire should fall, for the good of the people. The existence of such states and empires is morally repugnant. States and/or empires that respect human rights should replace them.
The Bishop of Rome for slightly less than a year (August 30, 257-August 6, 258) was St. Sixtus II, properly Xystus. He spent part of his pontificate dealing with the thorny issue of how to relate to holier-than-thou northern African Christians who were rebaptizing those originally baptized by heretics. This matter predated his pontificate and continued afterward. St. Sixtus II upheld the Roman Catholic orthodoxy that the validity of a baptism depended on the intentions of the baptized, not of the baptizer, so no rebaptism was necessary. One Lord, one faith, one baptism, with the emphasis on “one.”
The hammer fell on August 6, 258. (August 6 was not the Feast of the Transfiguration until 1457, by the way.) St. Sixtus II, the seven deacons in Rome, and a congregation had gathered illegally in the cemetery of Praetextatus. Imperial forces beheaded the Pope and four deacons. By the end of the day two more deacons had become martyrs. St. Laurence escaped–for a few days.
St. Laurence spent his final days giving all the Church’s money to poor people in Rome. When he stood before a prefect on August 10, the prefect demanded that St. Laurence hand over the treasures of the Church. According to St. Ambrose of Milan (337-397), St. Laurence presented the poor people to whom he had given money. He said,
These are the treasures of the Church.
The prefect disapproved of that reply. St. Laurence cooked to death on a gridiron.
Valerian’s persecution disrupted the Church for a few years. However, his son, Gallienus (reigned 253-268), ceased the persecution of Christians and returned seized property. The next Pope was St. Dionysius (in office July 22, 260-December 26, 268; feast day = December 26), who had to rebuild the Church and to contend with rebaptizers.
With this post I merge three feasts into one. This makes sense, for each feast relates to the other in a narrative sense. One of my goals in renovating my Ecumenical Calendar of Saints’ Days and Holy Days, after all, is to emphasize relationships and influences.
I have written enough hagiographies to recognize religious persecution when I see it. Sometimes it comes from within a tradition; one branch targets another. On other occasions such persecution comes from adherents of another tradition. Another option is atheists persecuting the devout. Persecution takes various forms, including incarcerations and martyrdoms. I think of the Gestapo hunting down Roman Catholic priests in Poland during World War II, for example. Priests dying in German concentration camps was another example of persecution. I am aware of examples of religious persecution in the United States, for I recall, for example, reading about the incarceration of Amish and Mennonite conscientious objectors during World War I. “Persecution” is a strong word, which one should use cautiously. I am not aware of any government-sponsored religious persecution in the United States in 2018, yet I hear of persecution fantasies among certain members of the so-called Religious Right in the U.S.A. Nobody is forcing me to participate in pagan ceremonies. No government agents are arresting priests for simply being priests. Governments are not seizing control of churches. None of this is happening in the U.S.A. in 2018. I thank God for my religious freedom, which I use.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
JUNE 14, 2018 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF CHARLES AUGUSTUS BRIGGS, U.S. PRESBYTERIAN MINISTER, EPISCOPAL PRIEST, AND ALLEGED HERETIC; AND HIS DAUGHTER, EMILIE GRACE BRIGGS, BIBLICAL SCHOLAR AND “HERETIC’S DAUGHTER”
THE FEAST OF SAINT METHODIUS I OF CONSTANTINOPLE, DEFENDER OF ICONS AND ECUMENICAL PATRIARCH OF CONSTANTINOPLE; AND SAINT JOSEPH THE HYMNOGRAPHER, DEFENDER OF ICONS AND THE “SWEET-VOICED NIGHTINGALE OF THE CHURCH”
THE FEAST OF WILLIAM HIRAM FOULKES, U.S. PRESBYTERIAN MINISTER AND HYMN WRITER
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Gracious God, in every age you have sent men and women
who have given their lives in witness to your love and truth.
Inspire us with the memory of
Saints Cyriaca, Sixtus II, Januarius, Vincentius, Magnus, Stephanus, Felicissimus, Agapitus, and Laurence of Rome,
whose faithfulness led to the way of the cross,
and give us courage to bear full witness with our lives to your Son’s victory over sin and death,
for he lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.
Ezekiel 20:40-42
Psalm 5
Revelation 6:9-11
Mark 8:34-38
–Adapted from Evangelical Lutheran Worship (2006), 59
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Above: St. Alban
Image in the Public Domain
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
SAINT ALBAN (DIED CIRCA 209 OR 305)
First British Martyr
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
The Church has always held the firm conviction that those who suffer death for the sake of the faith without having received baptism are baptized by their death for and with Christ. This Baptism of blood, like the desire for Baptism, brings about the fruits of baptism without being a sacrament.
—The Catechism of the Catholic Church (1994), paragraph 1258
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Albanum egregium fecundia Britannia profert.
++++++++++
In fertile Britain’s land
was noble Alban born.
–St. Venantius Honorius Clementius Fortunatus (circa 530-circa 610)
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
The traditional year of the martyrdom of St. Alban was circa 305. More recent scholarship has preferred 209 or so, however.
St. Alban was a convert to Christianity and the first British martyr. He, born and raised a pagan at Verulamium (now St. Albans, England), sheltered a fugitive priest for a few days. During that time the priest converted our saint to Christianity. When the Roman soldiers seeking the priest searched St. Alban’s home, they found our saint, wearing the priest’s cloak. The priest was elsewhere. The soldiers arrested St. Alban. At his trial he admitted to sheltering the priest and to being a Christian. The judge sentenced St. Alban to death. During the process of becoming a martyr our saint, by his conduct, converted two of his would-be executioners, Aaron and Julius, who also became martyrs shortly thereafter. According to tradition, soldiers caught up with the priest, whom they stoned to death at Redbourn a few days after the capture of St. Alban.
Were the sacrifices of Sts. Alban, Aaron, and Julius worthwhile? Yes, they were. These men demonstrated great courage as well as fidelity to God during their brief periods of being Christians. They were more committed Christians for the few days of their Christian lives than many longterm Christians have been.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
JANUARY 26, 2018 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF SAINTS TIMOTHY, TITUS, AND SILAS, COWORKERS OF SAINT PAUL THE APOSTLE
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Almighty God, by whose grace and power your holy martyr Alban
triumphed over suffering and was faithful even to death:
Grant us, who now remember him in thanksgiving,
to be so faithful in our witness to you in this world,
that we may receive with him the crown of life;
through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with
you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
Wisdom of Solomon 3:1-9
Psalm 31:1-5
1 John 3:13-16
Matthew 10:34-42
—Holy Women, Holy Men: Celebrating the Saints (2010), page 435
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Above: The Martyrdom of Sts. Perpetua, Felicity, and Their Companions
Image in the Public Domain
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
SAINT VIBIA PERPETUA (BORN IN 181)
SAINT FELICITAS, ALSO KNOWN AS SAINT FELICITY
SAINT REVOCATUS
SAINT CATHAGINIANS SECUNDULUS
SAINT SATURNINUS
Martyred at Carthage on March 7, 203
According to some accounts, Roman Emperor Septimius Severus (lived 145-211; reigned 193-211) forbade Christians to convert people. Historian J. G. Davies, author of The Early Christian Church (1965), considered this story dubious, however. Septimius Severus did, however, certainly preside over a vigorous persecution of Christianity in northern Africa in the early 200s. Among the martyrs from that period were the five saints featured in this post.
These martyrs were Christian catechumen at Carthage. Vibia Perpetua was a widow with an infant son. Felicitas and Revocatus were her slaves. Cathaginians Secundulus and Saturninus rounded out the group. These five saints refused to make a mandatory sacrifice to the divinity of the emperor. In so doing they made themselves enemies of the state, which considered such sacrifices essential to the well-being of the empire. Perpetua refused pleas from her father to spare her life. He went on to raise her son. Felicitas, eight months pregnant at the time of her arrest, gave birth to a daughter, whom she entrusted to Christian friends.
Our saints died at Carthage on March 7, 203. Animals killed Revocatus, Cathaginians Secundulus, and Saturninus in the arena. Perpetua and Felicitas died by the sword in the same arena. The soldier who executed Perpetua failed the first time; he pierced her throat between bones. Then she guided the sword to its destination.
Perhaps so great a woman could not else have been slain had she herself not so willed it.
—The Passion of SS. Perpetua and Felicity
The stories of these saints’ martyrdom has encouraged the faith of Christians since 203.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
JANUARY 9, 2017 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF SAINTS PEPIN OF LANDEN, ITTA OF METZ, THEIR RELATIONS, AMAND, AUSTREGISILUS, AND SULPICIUS II OF BOURGES, FAITHFUL CHRISTIANS ACROSS GENERATIONAL LINES
THE FEAST OF SAINT ANTHONY MARY PUCCI, ROMAN CATHOLIC PRIEST
THE FEAST OF JULIA CHESTER EMERY, UPHOLDER OF MISSIONS
THE FEAST OF SAINT PHILIP II OF MOSCOW, METROPOLITAN OF MOSCOW AND ALL RUSSIA AND MARTYR
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
O God, the King of Saints, who strengthened your servants
Perpetua, Felicity, and their companions to make a good confession
and to encourage one another in the time of trial:
Grant that we who cherish their blessed memory may be encouraged by their prayers
to share their pure and steadfast faith and win with them the palm of victory;
through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you
and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
Daniel 6:10-16
Psalm 124
Hebrews 10:32-39
Matthew 24:9-14
—Holy Women, Holy Men: Celebrating the Saints (2010), page 263
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Above: Ichthys
Image in the Public Domain
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
SAINT IGNATIUS OF ANTIOCH (CIRCA 35-107/115)
Bishop of Antioch and Martyr
His feast transferred from October 17
met and wrote to
SAINT POLYCARP OF SMYRNA (69-FEBRUARY 23, 155/156)
Bishop of Smyrna and Martyr
His feast = February 23
met
SAINT IRENAEUS OF LYONS (CIRCA 130-CIRCA 202)
Bishop of Lyons and Martyr
His feast transferred from June 28
++++++++++++++++++
So gird up your loins now and serve God in fear and sincerity. No more of the vapid discourses and sophistries of the vulgar; put your trust in Him who raised our Lord Jesus Christ from the dead, and gave Him glory and a seat at His own right hand. All things in heaven and earth have been made subject to Him; everything that breathes pays Him homage; He comes to judge the living and the dead, and God will require His blood at the hands of any who refuse Him allegiance. And He that raised Him from the dead will raise us also, if we do His will and live by His commandments, and cherish the things He cherished–if, that is to say, we keep ourselves from wrongdoing, overreaching, penny-pinching, tale-telling, and prevaricating, and bear in mind the words of our Lord in His teaching, Judge not, that you be not judged; forgive, and you will be forgiven; be merciful, that you may obtain mercy; for whatever you measure out to other people will be measured back again to yourselves. And again, Happy are the poor and they who are persecuted because they are righteous, for theirs is the kingdom of God.
–St. Polycarp, the Epistle to the Philippians, Logion 2, in Early Christian Writings: The Apostolic Fathers, translated by Maxwell Staniforth and Andrew Louth (New York, NY: Penguin Books, 1987), page 119-120
++++++++++++++++++
This post replaces three older posts and emphasizes the relationships and influences that bound these three saints in faithful witness. After all, one of my goals during the ongoing renovation of my Ecumenical Calendar of Saints’ Days and Holy Days is to emphasize relationships and influences.
Above: St. Ignatius of Antioch
Image in the Public Domain
We know little about the life of St. Ignatius of Antioch, whose other name was Theophorus, or “Bearer of God” or “Borne of God.” He was either the second (if one takes the word of Origen) or the third (if one believes Eusebius of Caesarea) Bishop of Antioch. In 107 or 115 (depending on the source one consults) ten Roman soldiers escorted St. Ignatius on a long route from Antioch to Rome, to die by becoming lion food. The purpose of the extended parading of our saint was to humiliate him. Nevertheless, St. Ignatius conducted himself with dignity and therefore converted many people to Christianity. Along the way St. Ignatius met St. Polycarp of Smyrna and wrote seven epistles:
- To the Ephesians,
- To the Magnesians,
- To the Trallians,
- To the Romans,
- To the Philadelphians,
- To the Smyrnaeans, and
- To Polycarp.
As St. Ignatius wrestled with his anxieties he encouraged others in their faith.
Since I had been impressed by the godly qualities of your mind–anchored, as it seemed, to an unshakable rock–it gave me much pleasure to set eyes on your sainted countenance (may God give me joy of it). But let me charge you to press on even more strenuously in your course, in all the grace with which you are clothed, and to call all your people to salvation. You must do justice to your position, by showing the greatest diligence both in its temporal and spiritual duties. Give thought especially to unity, for there is nothing more important than this. Make yourself the support of all and sundry, as the Lord is to you, and continue to bear lovingly with them all, as you are doing at present. Spend your time in constant prayer, and beg for ever larger gifts of wisdom. Be watchful and unsleeping in spirit. Address yourself to people personally, as is the way of God Himself, and carry the infirmities of them all on your shoulders, as a good champion of Christ out to do. The heavier the labour, the richer the reward.
–St. Ignatius of Antioch, the Epistle to Polycarp, Logion 1, in Early Christian Writings (1987), page 109
St. Ignatius, no advocate of sola scriptura, encouraged the frequent celebration of the Eucharist and considered Christian factionalism to be “the beginning of all evils” (the Epistle to the Smyrnaeans, Logion 8).
Above: St. Polycarp of Smyrna
Image in the Public Domain
We also know little about the life and much about the death of St. Polycarp of Smyrna (69-115/156), who studied under St. John the Apostle/Divine/Evangelist. St. Polycarp, a native and the Bishop of Smyrna, in Asia Minor, was a link between the Apostles of Jesus and St. Irenaeus of Lyons (circa 130-circa 202), the first great Catholic theologian. St. Polycarp defended Christian orthodoxy against heresies, especially Marcionism (which sought to remove Jewish influences from the canon of scripture) and Valentinianism (a variety of Gnosticism).
In 106 or 114 our saint traveled to Rome to meet with Pope St. Anacetus (reigned circa 155-circa 166). They agreed to disagree regarding the issue of Quartodecimanism, the position (dominant in churches in Asia Minor) that the churches ought to celebrate Easter on the date of 14 Nisan (the date of the Passover), regardless of the day of the week upon which that date falls. St. Polycarp favored Quartodecimanism; the Pope thought that the celebration of Easter should always fall on a Sunday.
In 107 or 115, shortly after returning to Smyrna from Rome, St. Polycarp became a martyr. Authorities arrested him at a pagan festival and burned him at a stake.
St. Polycarp’s Epistle to the Philippians, perhaps a composite of two epistles (in the style of 2 Corinthians), has survived, fortunately. (Many ancient documents have not survived, sadly.) One Evarestus wrote The Martyrdom of Polycarp, which has also survived. These two documents have provided much invaluable information about St. Polycarp.
Such then is the record of Polycarp the Blessed. Including those from Philadelphia, he was the twelfth to meet a martyr’s death in Smyrna; though he is the only one to be singled out for universal remembrance and to be talked of everywhere, even in heathen circles. Not only was he a famous Doctor, he was a martyr without a peer; and one whose martyrdom all aspire to imitate, so fully does it accord with the Gospel of Christ. His steadfastness proved more than a match for the Governor’s injustice, and won him his immortal crown. Now, in the fullness of joy among the Apostles and all the hosts of heaven, he gives glory to the Almighty God and Father, and utters the praises of our Lord Jesus Christ–who is the Saviour of our souls, the Master of our bodies, and the Shepherd of the Catholic Church the wide world over.
–Evarestus, The Martyrdom of Polycarp, Logion 19, in Early Christian Writings (1987), page 131
Above: St. Irenaeus of Lyons
Image in the Public Domain
St. Polycarp met a very young St. Irenaeus of Lyons (circa 130-circa 202). We know little about the native of Asia Minor, who studied at Rome and became a priest and Lyons. We do know, however, that St. Irenaeus was a tolerant man. Even as he argued against certain heresies he contended for the lenient treatment of heretics. In the case of the Montanists, apocalyptic ascetics in Asia Minor, St. Irenaeus, who argued against their theology and practices, carried to a letter on their behalf to Pope St. Eleutherius (reigned circa 174-189) in 177/178. Our saint favored toleration fo the Montanists. The Pope, who did not consider them to be threats, did not countenance any actions against them.
In our saint’s absence Pothinus, the Bishop of Lyons, became a martyr. In 178, when St. Irenaeus returned to the city, he became the next bishop. As the Bishop of Lyons our saint wrote to Pope St. Victor I (reigned 189-198) in support of Quartodecimanism. St. Irenaeus, the first great Catholic theologian, also wrote against Gnosticism. Whereas St. Clement of Alexandria (circa 150-circa 210/215) refuted Gnosticism with a Christian Gnosis, St. Irenaeus argued against that heresy by citing the goodness of creation and the resurrection of the dead, quoting scripture, and affirming Apostolic Succession.
Sts. Irenaeus seems to have become a martyr in 200, give or take a few years.
Sts. Ignatius, Polycarp, and Irenaeus were foundational figures in Christianity. They were spiritual giants to whom we who follow Christ in the twenty-first century owe a great debt of gratitude.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
DECEMBER 6, 2016 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF SAINT NICETIUS OF TRIER, ROMAN CATHOLIC MONK, ABBOT, AND BISHOP; AND SAINT AREDIUS OF LIMOGES, ROMAN CATHOLIC MONK
THE FEAST OF SAINT ABRAHAM OF KRATIA, ROMAN CATHOLIC MONK, ABBOT, BISHOP, AND HERMIT
THE FEAST OF HENRY USTICK ONDERDONK, EPISCOPAL BISHOP, LITURGIST, AND HYMN WRITER
THE FEAST OF SAINT NICHOLAS OF MYRA, ROMAN CATHOLIC BISHOP
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Grant, almighty God, that following the teaching of
Sts. Ignatius of Antioch, Polycarp of Smyrna, and Irenaeus of Lyons,
we may know you as the only true God and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent,
that we may be counted worthy ever to be numbered among the sheep who hear his voice;
through the same Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Nehemiah 8:1-8 or Wisdom 7:7-14
Psalm 119:97-104
1 Corinthians 2:6-16
Matthew 13:51-52
–Adapted from The Church of South India, The Book of Common Worship (1963), page 67
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Above: St. Porfirio
Image in the Public Domain
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
SAINT PORFIRIO (DIED IN 203)
Martyr
Among the most notable characteristics of Christian martyrs during the Roman imperial period was the manner in which they died–that is, courageously. They therefore helped to convert many observers. This was the case with regard to St. Porfirio, originally an executioner in the service of the Roman Empire. Our saint came to faith knowing that doing so might cost him his life. It did so at Magnesia, Asia Minor, in 203, during the reign of the Emperor Septimus Severus (193-211).
Those of us who are fortunate enough to live where we have the freedom to practice our religion freely, without the threat of martyrdom, especially at the hand of the state, cannot imagine the courage required for St. Porfirio to confess his Christian faith. Unfortunately, many people can grasp that concept, due to their experiences.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
NOVEMBER 30, 2016 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF SAINT ANDREW THE APOSTLE, MARTYR
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Almighty God, who gave to your servant Saint Porfirio boldness
to confess the Name of our Savior Jesus Christ before the rulers of this world,
and courage to die to for this faith:
Grant that we may always be ready to give a reason for the hope that is in us,
and to suffer gladly for the sake our Lord Jesus Christ;
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
2 Esdras 2:42-48
Psalm 126 or 121
1 Peter 3:14-18, 22
Matthew 10:16-22
–Adapted from Holy Women, Holy Men: Celebrating the Saints (2010), page 713
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Above: St. Fabian
Image in the Public Domain
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
SAINT FABIAN (DIED JANUARY 20, 250)
Bishop of Rome, and Martyr
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++
The glory of his death befitted the purity and holiness of his life.
—St. Cyprian of Carthage, writing to Pope St. Cornelius, quoted in A Great Cloud of Witnesses: A Calendar of Commemorations (2016)
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Pope St. Anterus (reigned November 21, 235-January 3, 236) had died suddenly. A week later, a crowd gathered in Rome as the election of the next Pope took place. A dove alighted upon the head of St. Fabian, a member of that crowd. He was a layman and a farmer from elsewhere in Italy. The dominant interpretation of the dove’s action was that the Holy Spirit had chosen St. Fabian. He was a good choice.
St. Fabian was a capable leader. He sent St. Denis and his companions to Gaul. St. Fabian also restructured the Church; he organized the local clergy into seven districts, each with a deacon and seven subdeacons. This gave the Church a structure suitable for its growing numbers. St. Fabian also opposed the heresy of Bishop Privatus of Lambesa. (I have attempted in vain to locate a summary of that heresy, but I have learned that a church council condemned it.) Furthermore, the Pope repatriated the bodies of Pope St. Callixtus I and Antipope St. Hippolytus, both martyrs who died in the salt mines of Sardinia.
St. Fabian became one of the first victims of the Decian persecution.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
NOVEMBER 20, 2016 COMMON ERA
PROPER 29: THE FEAST OF CHRIST THE KING
THE FEAST OF RICHARD WATSON GILDER, U.S. POET, JOURNALIST, AND SOCIAL REFORMER
THE FEAST OF HENRY FRANCIS LYTE, ANGLICAN PRIEST AND HYMN WRITER
THE FEAST OF PRISCILLA LYDIA SELLON, A RESTORER OF RELIGIOUS LIFE IN THE CHURCH OF ENGLAND
THE FEAST OF THEODORE CLAUDIUS PEASE, U.S. CONGREGATIONALIST MINISTER AND HYMN WRITER
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Almighty God, you called Fabian to be a faithful pastor and servant of your people,
and to lay down his life in witness to your Son:
Grant that we, strengthened by his example and aided by his prayers,
may in times of trial and persecution remain steadfast in faith and endurance,
for the sake of him who laid down his life for us all, Jesus Christ our Savior;
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
2 Esdras 2:42-48
Psalm 126
1 Corinthians 15:31-36, 44b-49
Luke 21:20-24
—Holy Women, Holy Men: Celebrating the Saints (2010), page 179
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Atlas of the Historical Geography of the Holy Land by George Adam Smith and J. G. Bartholomew
Above: Map of the Roman Empire in the Third Century
Image in the Public Domain
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
SAINT CALLIXTUS I (DIED IN 222)
Bishop of Rome
Also known as St. Callistus I
His feast day = October 14
+++++++++++++
SAINT ANTERUS (DIED JANUARY 3, 236)
Bishop of Rome
His feast transferred from January 3
+++++++++++++
SAINT PONTIAN (DIED CIRCA 236)
Bishop of Rome
His feast transferred from August 13
+++++++++++++
SAINT HIPPOLYTUS (DIED CIRCA 236)
Antipope
Feast transferred from August 13
+++++++++++++
INTRODUCTION
+++++++++++++
This is a story of theft, self-righteousness, schism, false witness, forgiveness, repentance, and martyrdom. Repentance, as I tire of having to explain, is far more than saying that one is sorry. No, repentance is turning around or changing one’s mind. To repent is literally to turn one’s back on sin. That definition applies well to Sts. Callixtus I and Hippolytus.
Roman Catholic writer Thomas J. Craughwell notes the value of being honest about the dark episodes in the lives of the saints. He states:
The point of reading these stories is not to experience some tabloid thrill, but to understand how grace works in the world. Every day, all day long, God pours out his grace upon us, coaxing us, to turn away from everything that is base and cheap and unsatisfying, and turn toward the only thing that is eternal, perfect, and true–that is, himself.
—Saints Behaving Badly: The Cutthroats, Crooks, Trollops, Con Men, and Devil Worshippers Who Became Saints (New York, NY: Doubleday, 2006), page xii
Some of the most forgiving people have been those who have known of their need of much mercy and received it. They, having received forgiveness in abundance, have become practitioners of forgiveness–sometimes to the consternation of others, many of whom have thought of themselves as pious and orthodox, as pure. That summary applied well to St. Hippolytus for much of his life.
Roman Catholic tradition tells the stories of two of these men–Sts. Pontian and Hippolytus–together, for they share the same feast day, August 13. I have found that I cannot tell their stores properly without recounting that of St. Callixtus I and, in passing, what little we know of St. Anterus. Each of these two saints has his own feast day on the Roman Catholic calendar. I, for the sake of convenience, have moved three of the four saints to the date for the feast of St. Callixtus I. After all, the Ecumenical Calendar of Saints’ Days and Holy Days is my project; I answer to nobody else with regard to it.
+++++++++++++
SAINT CALLIXTUS I
+++++++++++++
St. Callixtus I was a slave, a bad investor, an embezzler, and an inciter of needless violence before be became a deacon, a pope, and a martyr. As a young man he was the slave of one Carpophorus, a Christian of Rome. Circa 190 Carpophorus founded a bank for the Christians of Rome and made St. Callixtus, who had experience managing money, the administrator thereof. Many of the depositors were of modest means and there was no ancient equivalent of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (F.D.I.C.). St. Callixtus proved to be a bad investor and an eager embezzler, so the bank failed, much to the financial detriment of many of the depositors. The perfidious slave fled Rome and got as far as Portus, where his master captured him. Back in Rome, Carpophorus sentenced St. Callixtus to the hard labor of turning a large stone wheel at a grist mill daily. Nevertheless, some of the defrauded depositors were merciful. They convinced Carpophorus to liberate St. Callixtus, on the condition that the slave try to recover some of the lost funds.
St. Callixtus remained a troublesome character. He attempted to recover some of the lost funds by interrupting a Jewish worship service, demanding money from investors present, and thereby starting a brawl. Legal charges of disturbing the peace and desecrating a holy place ensued. Carpophorus lied in court when he denied that St. Callixtus, a baptized person, was a Christian. (Christianity was not yet legal in the Roman Empire.) The prefect sentenced St. Callixtus to scourging then to hard labor in the salt mines of Sardinia. That was effectively a death sentence.
Marcia, a Christian and the mistress of the Emperor Commodus (reigned 180-192), used her influence to aid her coreligionists. She asked Pope St. Victor I (reigned 189-198; feast day = July 28) for a list of Christians sent to Sardinia. He gave her that list, minus St. Callixtus, whose name he omitted on purpose. Marcia interceded with the governor of Sardinia, who freed all the listed prisoners plus St. Callixtus, who begged his way into freedom. St. Victor, not convinced that St. Callixtus had ceased to be a scoundrel, sent him to live outside the walls of Rome and gave him an allowance. Eventually the pontiff concluded that St. Callixtus, who had remained out of trouble for some time, had indeed repented. St. Victor permitted him to assist St. Zephyrinus, the priest who managed the assignments of priests and deacons in Rome.
St. Zephyrinus became the mentor to St. Callixtus. St. Victor died in 198; St. Zephyrinus succeeded him as pontiff. The new pope ordained St. Callixtus to the diaconate and placed him in charge of the Christian cemetery (now the Catacomb of St. Callixtus) on the Appian Way. St. Callixtus became a powerful figure in the Roman Catholic Church during the papacy of his mentor. Predictably, he succeeded St. Zephyrinus as the Pope upon the death of the latter in 217.
+++++++++++++
SAINTS CALLIXTUS I AND SAINT HIPPOLYTUS
+++++++++++++
The election of St. Callixtus displeased St. Hippolytus, a priest, theologian, and author of treatises and Biblical commentaries. St. Hippolytus, born before 170, practiced a rigorous form of Roman Catholicism. Pope St. Zephyrinus, he was convinced, held heretical views regarding the Holy Trinity. (Ironically, in the context of the Council of Nicaea, 325 C.E., St. Hippolytus was heretic avant le lettre regarding the Holy Trinity, for he held to a subordinationist position.) St. Hippolytus not only spoke out but did something; he became the antipope first to St. Callixtus I (reigned 217-222) then to St. Urban I (reigned 222-230) then to St. Pontian (reigned 230-235) then to St. Anterus (reigned 235-236) and possibly then briefly to St. Fabian (reigned 236-250). St. Hippolytus led a schismatic group as he condemned St. Callixtus for everything from his past crimes to this eagerness to forgive sinners. The latter indicated doctrinal laxity, the antipope argued. St. Hippolytus fumed whenever St. Callixtus forgave an errant and penitent bishop who had committed fornication, for example. The antipope complained whenever St. Callixtus welcomed former members of schismatic sects back into the fold of Holy Mother Church enthusiastically and without requiring any sign of penance. Furthermore, St. Hippolytus falsely accused St. Callixtus of being a modalist.
Modalism is a heresy pertaining to the Holy Trinity. It is, actually, a form of Unitarianism whose proponents argue that the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit are not persons but are really modes of God’s being. God, in modalist thought, is united and indivisible. As Praxeas argued circa 210 C.E., God the Father entered the womb of St. Mary of Nazareth, suffered, died, and rose again. This is false doctrine, as Tertullian (circa 155-225) knew well. He retorted that Praxeas had
put to flight the Holy Spirit and crucified the Father.
–Quoted in Linwood Urban, A Short History of Christian Thought–Revised and Expanded Edition (New York, NY: Oxford University Press, 1995), page 58
St. Callixtus was no modalist. In fact, he excommunicated Sabellius, a prominent modalist. St. Hippolytus replied that the Pope had done that to cover up his own modalism, however.
The life and papacy of St. Callixtus ended in 222, when a pagan mob murdered him. Members of that mob then threw his corpse down a well in Rome.
+++++++++++++
SUBSEQUENT POPES AND SAINT HIPPOLYTUS
+++++++++++++
The persecution of Christianity in the Roman Empire was not continuous. Certain emperors engaged in the practice; others did not. Few persecutions were empire-wide; most were regional and sporadic. For most of the tenure of Pope St. Pontian (July 21, 230-September 28, 235) imperial persecution was not a problem. Other issues dominated the reign of the son of Calpurnius. St. Pontian presided over the synod that ratified the decision of St. Demetrius of Alexandria (126-231) to banish Origen (185-254), to refuse to recognize his priestly ordination, and to excommunicate him. (Nevertheless, Origen found refuge with sympathetic bishops and persuaded heretics to turn to orthodoxy.) In March 235 Maximinus I became emperor. He ended his predecessor’s policy of toleration of Christianity and targeted leaders of the faith first. Authorities arrested Sts. Pontian and Hippolytus, convicted them, and sent them to die in the salt mines of Sardinia. St. Pontian, recognizing the need of continuous leadership of the church, became the first pope to resign. He stepped down on September 28, 235.
The next pope, St. Anterus, of whom we know little, much like his predecessor once removed, St. Urban I (reigned 222-230), took office on November 21, 235. Contrary to the tradition that he died a martyr, St. Anterus seems to have died of natural causes. His pontificate was brief, ending on January 3, 236.
Pope St. Fabian (reigned January 10, 236-January 20, 250) had a longer pontificate. He became one of the first victims of the Decian persecution, one of those empire-wide persecutions of Christianity.
Sts. Pontian and Hippolytus died on Sardinia circa 236–the latter of the hard labor and the former by means of a beating by guards. The antipope renounced schism, reconciled with the Church, and urged his followers to do the same while in prison in Rome or on Sardinia. (The available sources disagree on that point.) In 236 or 237 Pope St. Fabian interred the remains of these two men in Rome. Holy Mother Church forgave him and recognized him as a saint. To paraphrase Thomas J. Craughwell, writing in Saints Behaving Badly, the Church was more like St. Callixtus I than St. Hippolytus.
+++++++++++++
CONCLUSION
+++++++++++++
St. Hippolytus, prior to his repentance, thought of the Church as the assembly of saints, not as the hospital for sinners. He was not the last person to hold that opinion and to start a schismatic movement based on that premise. For example, just a few decades later, in the wake of the Decian persecution, Donatism (in its narrow definition) arose and persisted for centuries, dividing the Church in northern Africa. Donatism, in its broad definition, has never ceased. It has, in fact, led to many ecclesiastical schisms. My studies of church history have revealed that most ecclesiastical schisms have occurred to the right and most ecclesiastical mergers (unions and reunions) have occurred to the left. The self-identified pure of theology have long argued not only with those in the institutions from which they departed but also among themselves. Thus schisms have frequently begat schisms. (I can recall examples of this generalization easily. I think for example, of the formation of the Orthodox Presbyterian Church in 1936, of the subsequent split in that body almost immediately, and of the rending asunder the group that broke away from it.) In that process of bickering and breaking away one casualty has frequently been forgiveness.
I spent the most recent Good Friday in Americus, Georgia, away from home. While in that town I attended the Noontime service at Calvary Episcopal Church. The Rector said in the homily that we Christians stand in the need of forgiveness, at the foot of the cross of Christ. Nevertheless, many non-Christians perceive us as standing in the place of judgment, much like Pontius Pilate. That statement was sadly accurate. I have concluded that the main cause of the perception that we are judgmental is the fact that many of us are indeed judgmental, that many of us seem not to know that we really stand in the need of forgiveness, at the foot of the cross of Christ.
St. Callixtus I knew where he stood. St. Hippolytus eventually learned where he stood. St. Pontian knew where he stood and extended mercy to the antipope. All three men died as martyrs.
+++++++++++++
Holy God, in whom judgment and mercy exist in balance,
thank you for the lived example of Jesus of Nazareth, our Savior and Lord.
May we know that we stand not in the place of judgment
but in need of forgiveness, at the foot of the cross of Christ,
and, by grace, nurture the habit of forgiveness of others and ourselves.
In the Name of God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Amen.
Isaiah 30:15-26
Psalm 130
Romans 12:1-21
Luke 17:1-4
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
JULY 27, 2016 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF BROOKE FOSS WESTCOTT, ANGLICAN SCHOLAR, BIBLE TRANSLATOR, AND BISHOP OF DURHAM; AND FENTON JOHN ANTHONY HORT, ANGLICAN PRIEST AND SCHOLAR
THE FEAST OF CHRISTIAN HENRY BATEMAN, ANGLICAN PRIEST AND HYMN WRITER
THE FEAST OF JOHAN NORDAHL BRUN, NORWEGIAN LUTHERAN BISHOP, AUTHOR, AND HYMN WRITER
THE FEAST OF WILLIAM REED HUNTINGTON, EPISCOPAL PRIEST
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Above: Pontus and Syria in the Roman Empire, 150 Common Era
SAINT GREGORY THAUMATURGUS (CIRCA 213-268)
Also known as Saint Gregory of Neocaesarea and Saint Gregory the Wonder-Worker
Roman Catholic Bishop of Neocaesarea
His feast transferred from November 17
ordained
SAINT ALEXANDER OF COMANA “THE CHARCOAL BURNER” (DIED CIRCA 251)
Roman Catholic Martyr and Bishop of Comana, Pontus
His feast = August 11
St. Gregory Thaumaturgus (circa 213-268) was born at Neocaesarea, Pontus, Asia Minor, where he studied law. About 233 the saint, his brother, his sister, and her husband were en route to Beirut when they stopped at Caesarea, Syria. There they met Origen, who converted them to Christianity. They remained there for years instead of going on to Beirut. And they became disciples of Origen.
About 238 St. Gregory returned to Neocaesarea, where he intended to practice law. But all seventeen Christians there named him their bishop instead. He tended to the flock for three decades, helping his parishioners survive a plague, a siege, and the Decian persecution. And, when the saint died, he still had only seventeen members in his flock.
St. Gregory earned his great reputation. He was allegedly a wonder-worker, hence his surname. But he did argue against two heresies. The first was Tritheism, which was, as the term indicates, three deities instead of one one in the Trinity. The other heresy was Sabellianism, which argued that God the Father projected Himself as God the Spirit on some occasions and as God the Son on others. This understanding of the Holy Trinity contradicted the unchanging, stable divine transcendence upon which Origen insisted. (Origen favored the Son and the Spirit as being generated eternally from the Father.) Speaking of Origen, St. Gregory defended his controversial teacher against strong criticisms.
St. Gregory needed to appoint a Bishop of Comana, Pontus (not to be confused with Comana, Cappadocia), some time prior to 251. He interviewed various candidates and found none of them acceptable. Then someone suggested sarcastically that the Bishop of Neocaesarea speak to St. Alexander the Charcoal Burner. St. Gregory did and behold, he found that St. Alexander was a wise and holy man suited to serve as bishop. St. Alexander died for his faith circa 251, during the Decian persecution.
Sometimes we labor hard for God and do not see spectacular results. How often might St. Gregory have become discouraged because of the lack of church growth, other than to replace people who died, moved away, or fell way? But, as Mother Teresa of Calcutta said, God calls us to be faithful, not successful. Today churches around the world bear the name “St. Gregory the Wonder-Worker.” Perhaps keeping the faith was his greatest wonder. Certainly his legacy has endured.
And, as for St. Alexander, I propose him as the patron of all with unexpected vocations, of everyone whom others underestimate and scorn unjustly. Each of us has a variety of spiritual gifts and vocations, some of them not obvious even to us. The man who suggested sarcastically that St. Gregory interview that charcoal burner had no idea what he setting in motion.
Wherever we are, whomever we are, regardless of the challenges we face, may we find our vocations in God. The may we live into them, for the glory of God and the benefit of others.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
JUNE 29, 2012 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF SAINTS PETER AND PAUL, APOSTLES AND MARTYRS
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Heavenly Father, shepherd of our people,
we thank you for your holy servants
Saints Gregory Thaumaturgus and Saint Alexander of Comana “the Charcoal Burner,”
who were faithful in the care and nurture of your flock.
We pray that, following their example and the teaching of their holy lives,
may by your grace attain our full maturity in Christ,
through the same Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and forever. Amen.
Ezekiel 34:11-16 or Acts 20:17-35
Psalm 84
1 Peter 5:1-4 or Ephesians 3:14-21
John 21:15-17 or Matthew 24:42-47
—Evangelical Lutheran Worship (2006), page 60
SUNDRY THOUGHTS 
You must be logged in to post a comment.