Pope Hyginus
| Saint Hyginus | |
|---|---|
birth_name=Hyginus | |
| Papacy began | ca. 138 |
| Papacy ended | ca. 140 |
| Predecessor | Telesphorus |
| Successor | Pius I |
| Born | ??? Athens, Greece |
| Died | ca. 140 Rome, Italy |
Pope Saint Hyginus was pope from about 138 to about 140. He was born in Athens, Greece at an unknown date. Tradition holds that during his papacy he determined the various prerogatives of the clergy and defined the grades of the ecclesiastical hierarchy. He is said to have died a martyr under the persecution of Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius, though no records verify this. His feast day is commemorated on January 11.
Biography
Like all of the early bishops of Rome, questions arise as to whether Hyginus should truly be considered a "pope" or one of several bishops (episcopi) who governed the Christian church at Rome in a more collective manner. Nothing is known with certainty about Hyginus' background, and even the dates in office are a matter of conjecture. He succeeded Telesphorus, who, according to the fourth century church historian Eusebius (Church History IV.15), died during the first year of the reign of the Emperor Antonius Pius, which would be in 138 or 139. However the chronology of these bishops of Rome cannot be determined with any degree of exactitude. For example, the Liber Pontificalis gives conflicting dates for his reign, one column saying ten years and another saying four. Eusebius (Church History IV. 16) agrees with the second figure. The best estimates of modern scholars, based on the dates of those who preceded and followed him, put his reign at more like two years.
The Liber Ponificalis states that Hyginus was a Greek by birth, although its author admits that "I have not been able to ascertain" his ancestry. This source further states that before assuming office, he had been a philosopher. However, this may be due to the similarity of his name with that of two Latin philosophical writers. Irenaeus of Lyons, writing in the late second century, provides information indicating that the Gnostic teacher Valentinus came to Rome in Hyginus's time, remaining there until Anicetus became pontiff (Against Heresies III.3). Cerdo, another Gnostic and the predecessor of Marcion, also lived at Rome in the reign of Hyginus. Cerdo's career in the church was a checkered one, being apparently expelled and then gaining readmission recanting his errors, and then being expelled again ((Against Heresies III.3). It is not certain, however, what Hyginus' role in these affairs might have been. Most like, he was one of the leading bishops or elders who would have had to make the difficult decisions to begin expelling teachers of gnostic doctrines on grounds of heresy.
The Liber Pontificalis claims that Hyginus organized the church hierarchy and established. However, this same general observation recurs in the biography of Pope Hormisdas three centuries later and is consider to have no historical value, since the Liber routinely assigns the early popes legislative accomplishments in a clearly anachronistic manner.
The most ancient sources contain no information as to his having died a martyr. However, as with all the early popes, later traditions honor him as such. At his death he is said to have been buried on the Vatican Hill near the tomb of Saint Peter. His feast is celebrated on 11 January.
| Roman Catholic Popes | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by: Telesphorus |
Bishop of Rome Pope 136–140 |
Succeeded by: Pius I |
Notes
ReferencesISBN links support NWE through referral fees
External links
"Pope St. Hyginus" in the 1913 Catholic Encyclopedia.- Opera Omnia
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