Hippolytus of Rome, Saint

Hippolytus of Rome, Saint

born c. 170
died c. 235, , Sardinia; Western feast day August 13, Eastern feast day January 30

      Christian martyr who was also the first antipope (217/218–235).

      Hippolytus was a leader of the Roman church during the pontificate (c. 199–217) of St. Zephyrinus (Zephyrinus, Saint), whom he attacked as being a modalist (one who conceives that the entire Trinity dwells in Christ and who maintains that the names Father and Son are only different designations for the same subject). Hippolytus, rather, was a champion of the Logos doctrine that distinguished the persons of the Trinity. He conceived of God as a unit who, while indivisible, was plural. In ethics he was conservative—being scandalized when Calixtus (successor of Zephyrinus) took measures to extend absolution to graver sins such as adultery—and he regarded the church as a society composed exclusively of the just.

      Although Hippolytus' reputation as a scholar and his literary talent were assets to his cause, the church chose Calixtus (Calixtus I, Saint) for the papacy when Zephyrinus died. In disgust, Hippolytus withdrew from the Roman community and headed a dissident group that consecrated him. He reigned in opposition to the succeeding pontificates of Saints Urban I (222–230) and Pontian (Pontian, Saint) (230–235), with whom he was exiled to the mines of Sardinia in 235 during the persecution of Christians by the Roman emperor Maximinus. There he became reconciled with Pontian and exhorted his supporters to unite with Rome. Before dying as martyrs, both resigned to allow for a successor, St. Anterus (Anterus, Saint) (235–236), thus ending the schism. Pope St. Fabian (236–250) had their corpses brought to Rome for solemn burial.

      Rather than an original theologian, Hippolytus was a laborious, learned compiler whose writings were often marred by an embittered, controversial tone. The West soon forgot him because he was a schismatic and because he wrote in Greek. His most important work is considered to be Philosophumena (one part of a larger work called Refutation of All Heresies), which seeks to show that the various Christian heresies are traceable to false pagan philosophies. The church order, known as the Apostolic Tradition (extant only in later versions; Eng. trans. by G. Dix, 1937), is now generally attributed to him and illuminates the rites and liturgies in use at Rome in the early 3rd century AD.

* * *


Universalium. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Нужна курсовая?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Hippolytus of Rome, Saint — • Presbyter, antipope, martyr, died about 236 Catholic Encyclopedia. Kevin Knight. 2006 …   Catholic encyclopedia

  • Hippolytus of Rome — For places named after the saint, see Saint Hippolyte Infobox Saint name=Saint Hippolytus of Rome birth date=c. 170 death date=c. 236 feast day=Roman Catholic Church: 13 August Eastern Orthodox Church: 30 January venerated in=Roman Catholic… …   Wikipedia

  • Hippolytus, Canons of Saint — ▪ Christian literature formally  Canons of the Church and Precepts Written by Hippolytus, Archbishop of Rome, According to the Ordinances of the Apostles        a collection of 38 canons (church regulations) preserved in an Arabic translation.… …   Universalium

  • St. Hippolytus of Rome —     St. Hippolytus of Rome     † Catholic Encyclopedia ► St. Hippolytus of Rome     Martyr, presbyter and antipope; date of birth unknown; d. about 236. Until the publication in 1851 of the recently discovered Philosophumena , it was impossible… …   Catholic encyclopedia

  • Saint Hippolytus — is usually understood to mean Hippolytus of Rome, a Roman priest celebrated in a common feast with Pope Pontian on 13 August as having both won the martyr s crown after being exiled to Sardinia after a period in which the priest had opposed the… …   Wikipedia

  • Hippolytus, Saints — • Several mentions of a saint or saints named Hippolytus occur in the Roman Martyrology. Some must be identified with Hippolytus of Rome, but at least one (a Greek martyr ) cannot possibly be the same person as the Roman presbyter Catholic… …   Catholic encyclopedia

  • Saint Andrew — For other uses, see Saint Andrew (disambiguation). Saint Andrew the Apostle Saint Andrew, by José de Ribera Apostle, First called Born early 1st cent …   Wikipedia

  • Saint Matthias — For other uses, see Saint Matthias (disambiguation). Saint Matthias Workshop of Simone Martini Apostle Born 1st century AD Judaea …   Wikipedia

  • Rome — • The significance of Rome lies primarily in the fact that it is the city of the pope Catholic Encyclopedia. Kevin Knight. 2006. Rome     Rome     † …   Catholic encyclopedia

  • ancient Rome — ▪ ancient state, Europe, Africa, and Asia Introduction       the state centred on the city of Rome. This article discusses the period from the founding of the city and the regal period, which began in 753 BC, through the events leading to the… …   Universalium

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”