Sts. Pontian and Hippolytus, Two Martyrs of the 3rd century A.D.

St. Pontian, Pope and Martyr, and St. Hippolytus, Priest and Martyr: died ca. 235 A.D.

A Pope and an AntiPope (reconciled to the Church before death)

A Pope and an AntiPope existed as early as the 3rd century A.D. St. Pontian was a Roman and the son of Calpurnius. He was elected Pope to succeed Pope St. Urban I on July 21, 230 A.D. He held a synod at Rome in 232 A.D. that confirmed the condemnation of Origenism at Alexandria, 231-232 A.D. When the Emperor Maximinus came to power in 235 A.D., this emperor began a new persecution of Christians. He exiled St. Pontian to Sardinia, where the Pope had been forced to work in the mines. Here in the mines, he met the exiled antipope, Hippolytus, and was instrumental in reconciling Hippolytus back to the Church.

St. Pontian resigned from his office on September 28, 235 A.D., to allow the election of a nephew. There are two versions of how he met his end: one tradition says that he died of ill treatment, while another tradition holds that he was beaten to death. The Church celebrates the feast of his martyrdom on August 13.

St. Hippolytus was a priest at Rome known for his learning. Together with his followers, he felt that even orthodox teaching and practice in the Church was not strict enough. In a bold gesture, he censured Pope St. Zephyrinus for being lenient on heresy. He also accused the Pope of being influenced by the deacon Callistus. When Pope St. Zephyrinus died and Callistus was chosen as successor, Hippolytus was enraged. He and his followers eventually accused Pope St. Callistus of being too lenient with sinners. The followers of Hippolytus proceeded to elect him as their pope - serving in this role of "antipope" for eighteen years. His tenure lasted through three popes, the last of whom was Pope St. Pontian.

Although at times, Hippolytus came close to heresy, he nevertheless was one of the most important theologians in the first three centuries of the Church. He was a prolific writer, and it is from his Church Order that all the Eucharistic prayers which are in use today were derived. His other writings include:

• A Refutation of All Heresies;
• commentaries on Daniel,
• commentaries on the Song of Songs,
• commentaries on the The Apostolic Tradition

St. Hippolytus is one of the Greek Fathers of the Church. Though an "antipope", he was one of the leaders of the Church which Emperor Maximinus took special care to target in his persecution of the Christians. So, he was also seized in the roundup and exiled to the mines of Sardinia. While in the mines, the two "popes" (Pontian and Hippolytus) met. What influenced Hippolytus to return to the Church was when he saw the selfless concern of Pope St. Pontian, who resigned the papacy for the good of the Church. Within a few months of Pontian's resignation and Hippolytus's repentance, both men died of the harsh treatment they suffered while doing forced labor in the mines.

Pope St. Fabian (reigned 236-250 A.D.) arranged for the bodies of the two martyrs to be brought back and buried in Rome, where the Christians of the city accepted the onetime antipope's (Hippolytus) repentance, forgave him his schism, and venerated him as a saint.

References of this series

• Pocket Catholic Dictionary, by John A. Hardon, S.J.
• Saints Behaving Badly, by Thomas J. Craughwell
• Dictionary of Saints, by John J. Delaney
• Saints for Our Time, by Ed Ransom

Memorial of Saints (November 2)

Feasts, Obligatory and Optional Memorials of Saints

• All Souls Day
• Victorinus, bishop & martyr
• Marcian

The Feast of All Souls is a celebration of the lives of family members or friends who have gone before us in death. They may be in need of the Church's prayers for their deliverance from purgatory. Unlike All Saints' Day, the feast of All Souls is theologically rooted in the Catholic doctrine of purgatory. It was not until the 12th century A.D. that the doctrine of purgatory emerged in the Catholic West. The traditional doctrine of purgatory was enunciated by the Second Council of Lyons (1274 A.D.), Pope Benedict XII's Benedictus Deus in 1336 A.D., and especially the Council of Florence's Decree for the Greeks (1439 A.D.). The Council of Florence wanted to strike a balance between the Western Catholic Church's concept of satisfaction and expiation and the Eastern Christian Church's emphasis on purification.

St. Victorinus (d. ca. 303 A.D.) was a Greek who became bishop of Pettau in Styria, Upper Pannonia. He wrote several biblical commentaries, fought several heresies, but was for a time believed to be inclined to Millenarianism. He suffered martyrdom during the persecution of Christians under Emperor Diocletian.

St. Marcian (d. ca. 387 A.D.) was born at Cyrrhus, Syria, of a patrician family. He became a hermit in the Chalcis Desert near Antioch. In time he gathered numerous disciples, appointed Eusebius as abbot over them, and was renowned for his holiness and miracles.

St. Victorinus and St. Marcian were Christian martyrs of the 4th century A.D. But the persecution of Christians began as early as the time of St. Stephen the deacon. St. Stephen is mentioned in the book of the Acts of the Apostles. The succeeding wave of persecutions are listed in "St. Stephen and the Martyrs of the Early Christian Eras", (Learn more)

A Series on the Saints, Their Writings & Their Spirituality

"The Saints' Guide Series" is a selection of five books published by Servant Publications, Ann Arbor, Michigan

These books are filled with excellent excerpts on the wisdom and writings of the Saints in the Catholic Church. The selected Saints provide a spirituality that continue to provide a strong and lasting impact on the lives of the faithful in the Church throughout the centuries of Christendom.

Five selected books in the Saints' Guide Series

• "Help When Life Hurts", by Cynthia Cavnar
• "Joy That Never Fades", by Ann Ball
• "Knowing the Real Jesus", by David Mills
• "Learning to Pray", by Louise Perrotta
• "Making Peace With God, Yourself and Others", by Paul Thigpen, Ph.D.

The teachings of the Saints in the context of Vatican II teaching

Vatican II teaching says that Christ is central to all devotions in the Christian faith. All other devotions are relative only to the person of Christ. And the gospel Christ has preached is the basis for the authenticity of all the teachings and the writings of the Saints - including devotions related to their intercession. Devotions to the Saints and their teaching are also part of the Catholic faith and is important in their rootedness to the Person of Jesus. These Saints lived and evangelized the world as "reflections of the face and voice of Christ" in a specific time and culture. They were the "hands and feet" of Christ in the mission and the apostolate of their community. Their life and spirituality continue to influence many to see Christ and His gospel preached to many cultures in the world.

The books in review

Of the five books selected in the Saints' Guide Series, three speak of prayer and relationship and with others. In these times of much conflict and violence much can be learned from the Saints to conquer the natural desire to take revenge and seek vengeance. Practical guidelines and advice are given to make this possible. And the way to conquer it is through forgiveness, and the understanding that God does not want the evil to perish but for them to amend their life. The wisdom that these Saints teach are based on their own way of life and spirituality - a life and spirituality that taught the Christian ideals to the members of their communities.

A book in the Series, Learning to Pray, contains a lot of wisdom in the life of prayer. Many of the Saints advise to make prayer deeper and more contemplative - less on words and more of a quiet and still gaze at God and His will.

Another book of the Series that can benefit many is Help When Life Hurts. This is a book that contains practical guidelines how one can understand and live the reality of suffering in Christian life. To get an idea of the contents of the book, the following titles are listed:

• In the Shadow of the Cross
• Suffering of the Heart: Betrayal
• The Weight of the Cross: Sickness and Death
• Trials of the Spirit: Temptation and Doubt
• Fighting Back: Prayer and Other Helps in Time of Need
• What's the Point? Finding Meaning in Suffering
• Looking Beyond Our Pain: At the Service of Others
• Is God Paying Attention? Carrying the Cross Assigned Us
• Big or Small, It's Still the Cross: The Ordinary Suffering of Daily Life
• Consolation in Trial: Prayers and Meditations

Check "The Saints' Guide Series" at Librarything.com

• Help When Life Hurts by Cynthia Cavnar
• Joy That Never Fades by Ann Ball
• Learning to Pray by Louise Perrotta
• Making Peace With God, Yourself and Others by Paul Thigpen, Ph.D.
• Knowing the Real Jesus by David Mills