Pope Pius I

Saint Pius I
Birth name	Pius
Papacy began	c. 140
Papacy ended	c. 154
Predecessor	Hyginus
Successor	Anicetus
Born	c. late 1st century Aquileia, Italy
Died	c. 154 Rome, Italy
Other popes named Pius

Pope Saint Pius I was a bishop of Rome, for about 14 years during the mid-second century. His dates are uncertain due to conflicting sources, with beginning dates rangin from 142 to 146 and ending dates ranging from 15 to the "Annuario Pontificio," from 140 to 146 and ending dates ranging from 154 or 161, respectively.

Pius is believed to have been born at Aquileia in Northern Italy, during the late first century. His father was called Rufinus. He was the brother of Hermas, author of the apocalyptic text known as The Shepherd of Hermas.

Pontificate

Pius I was a leader the Roman church in the middle of the second century during the reigns of the Emperors Antoninus Pius and Marcus Aurelius, although it is probably too early to speak of him as a "pope" in the sense of single ruling bishop.

Pius is one of the first early popes for whom we have a few biographical details other than where he came from and the name of his father. The second-century Muratorial fragment indicates that he was the brother of Hermas, the writer of the apocalyptic text known as The Shepherd, which urged the church to purify itself in preparation for the imminent Second Coming of Christ. Since Hermas identifies himself as a former slave, it is speculated that both Hermas and Pius I were freedmen.

During Pius, time at Rome, Justin Martyr taught Christian doctrine there and the "heretics" Valentinus, Cerdon, and Marcion were also active there.

The Liber Pontificalis indicates that Pius instituted a policy to allows Jewish Christians to be accepted into the church if they renounced the "heresy" of Judaism. This source often attributes policies to the popes anachronistically. However, in this case the other circumstances make this attribution more plausible. For example, Justin's writing indicate strong anti-Judaistic feelings among the Roman Christians. Since the doctrine of the Trinity, or at least of the divinity of Jesus, was now coming to the fore, it is possible that "Judaizers"—meaning Jewish Christians who still practiced the Jewish law or denied the divinity of Christ—might indeed be considered heretics by other Roman Christians.

He is said to have built one of the oldest churches in Rome, Santa Pudenziana.

The Gnostic Valentinus, who was already active in Rome during the time of Pius' predecessor Hyginus, continued continue to teach is doctrine during the time of Pius I. Cerdon, whose teachings anticipated those of Marcio, was also active in Rome during this period, and Marcion himself also arrived in the capital in this period. The late-second century writer Ireneaus of Lyons indicates that Marcion was excommunicated by Pius (Against Heresies III.3), after which Marcion, a wealthy shipbuilder, was able to sustain his own congregation centered on his doctrine. The Christian community in Rome thus seems to have been emerging at this time as an important center of Christian life and controversy.

A later legend refers the foundation of two major churches, the ecclesia Pudentiana and the titulus Praxedis, to the time of Pius. Both Catholic and secular scholarship, however, indicates that these two churches, as such, came into existence in the fourth century. It is possible, however, that these later buildings replaced Christian house churches that had been in operation during Pius' time. The feast of St. Pius I is celebrated on 11 July.

Legacy

A tradition exists that Pius died as a martyr in Rome, and this tradition entered the early editions of the Breviary.However, he is one of the very few popes not identified as a martyr in the Liber Pontificalis, and the 1969 revision of the Roman Catholic Calendar of Saints stated that there were no grounds for his consideration as a martyr. He is thus not presented as such in contemporary the "[Roman Martyrology]].

Pius I's feast day is celebrated on July 11. In the Tridentine Calendar it was given the rank of "Simple" and celebrated as the feast of a martyr. The rank of the feast was reduced to a Commemoration in the 1955 General Roman Calendar of Pope Pius XII and the General Roman Calendar of 1962. Though no longer mentioned in the General Roman Catholic calendar of saints, he may now, according to the rules in the present-day Roman Missal, be celebrated everywhere on his feast day with a "Memorial," unless in some locality an obligatory celebration is assigned to that day.

Roman Catholic Popes
Preceded by: Hyginus	Bishop of Rome Pope 140–154	Succeeded by: Anicetus

References

ISBN links support NWE through referral fees

• "Lives of the Saints, For Every Day of the Year," edited by Rev. Hugo Hoever, S.O.Cist., Ph.D., New York: Catholic Book Publishing Co., 1955, pp 511
• "Annuario Pontificio" (Libreria Editrice Vaticana, 2008 ISBN 978-88-209-8021-4), P. 8
• "Martyrologium Romanum" (Libreria Editrice Vaticana, 2001. ISBN 8820972107)<

External links

• Catholic Encyclopedia: Pope St. Pius I

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