Pope Evaristus

From Conservapedia
Jump to: navigation, search
Pope Evaristus,
Euarestus,
Aristus
Papacy Began:
A.D. 97 or 101
Papacy Ended:
105 or 107

Predecessor:
Saint Clement Successor:
Saint Alexander I


Saint Evaristus or Euarestus, Pope, was also known as Aristus.

He was a Greek, born the son of Juda, a Bethlehem Hellenic Jew, himself born possibly in or near Antioch, Syria.[1] Evaristus was a Jew, born in Bethlehem. His father, Juda, was of Greek origin, but lived in Bethlehem, only a few miles from the temple in Jerusalem, the goal of all good Jews. Evidently, Juda moved his family from the town, probably just before the Romans destroyed Jerusalem in A.D. 70.

Evaristus was elected the fifth pope and bishop of Rome immediately succeeding Saint Clement sometime between A.D. 97 and 100, as the fourth successor of St. Peter. Little is known about Evaristus. He was elected during the reign of the Roman Emperor Domitian, the time of the second general persecution, or during the reign of Trajan, and governed the Church for about eight years. Pope Saint Evaristus was pope from about 98 to 105[2] It is likely that He was the Bishop of Rome when John the Apostle died, marking the end of the apostolic Age. Given the increase in the number of Christians, he divided the city of Rome into parishes. He founded the first seven diaconates entrusted to senior priests and this is considered to be the origin of the College of Cardinals. The "Liber Pontificalis" attributes to him the allotment of definite churches as tituli to the Roman presbyters, and the division of the city into seven diaconias or deaconries; in this statement, however, critics claim the "Liber Pontificalis" arbitrarily refers to the time of Evaristus a later institution of the Roman Church, on the a priori assumption that an hierarchical structure of ecclesiastical government in the orthodox catholic Christian church with bishops and priests did not exist and was impossible in the latter half of the first century through the first half of the second. This assumption has been challenged on the basis of historical documentation. See Epistles of Ignatius. Again by the appointment of Pope Evaristus marriages are to be blessed by the priest not without prayers and offerings.

He died sometime between 105 and 107 in Rome and was probably buried near Saint Peter. Other resources say he held the office of the papacy for nine years, dying in the year 112. He is usually accorded the title of martyr; however, there is no confirmation of this. He is venerated as a saint in the Eastern Orthodox Church, the Catholic Church, and Oriental Orthodoxy.

His feast day is October 6, his memorial is October 26.

Eusebius:
Book III, Chapter XXXIV Euarestus, the Fourth Bishop of the Church at Rome

IN the third year of the above-mentioned reign, Clement, bishop of Rome, committed the episcopal charge to Euarestus, and departed this life, after superintending the preaching of the divine word nine years.

Book IV, Chapter I The Bishops of Rome and Alexandria, in the Reign of Trajan

ABOUT the twelfth year of the reign of Trajan, the bishop of the church of Alexandria, who was mentioned by us a little before, departed this life. Primus was the fourth from the apostles to whom the functions of the office were there allotted. At the same time also, after Euarestus had completed the eighth year as bishop of Rom, he was succeeded in the episcopal office by Alexander, the fifth in the succession from Peter and Paul.

Book V, Chapter VI Catalog of the Bishops of Rome

“ THE blessed apostles having founded and established the church, transmitted the office of the episcopate to Linus. Of this Linus, Paul makes mention in his Epistles to Timothy. He was succeeded by Anencletus, and after him Clement held the episcopate, the third from the apostles. Who, as he had seen the blessed apostles, and had been connected with them, might be said to have the doctrine of the apostles still sounding in his ears, and what they delivered before his eyes. And not only he, but many others were still left, who had been taught by the apostles. In the times of this Clement, there was no little dissension among the brethren at Corinth, on occasion of which the church at Rome wrote a considerable epistle to the Corinthians, confirming them in peace, and renewing their faith and the doctrine they had lately received from the apostles. After a little, he subjoins : “ But this Clement was succeeded by Euarestus, and Euarestus by Alexander. Xystus followed as the sixth from the apostles, after whom was Telesphorus, who also illustriously suffered martyrdom; then came Hyginus, and after him Pius. He was followed by Anicetus, and as he was succeeded by Soter, the twelfth from the apostles in the episcopate now is Pope Eleutherus, in the same order and the same doctrine (or succession1 [3]) in which the tradition of the apostles in the church and the promulgation of the truth has descended to us.”

quotations verbatim of Book III, Chapter XXXIV (p. 109), Book IV, Chapter I The Bishops of Rome and Alexandria, in the Reign of Trajan (p. 116), Book V, Chapter VI Catalog of the Bishops of Rome (pp. 173-174), from The Ecclesiastical History Of Eusebius Pamphilus: Bishop Of Caesarea, In Palestine, Translated from the Greek, by The Rev. C. F. Crusé, Assistant Professor in the University of Pennsylvania. With notes from the Edition of Valesius. Published London: George Bell and Sons, York Street. Covent Garden 1874. London: Printed by William Clowes and Sons, Stamford Street and Charing Cross. —In the public domain (boldface highlight added.)

See also

References

  1. According to the Liber Pontificalis ("Book of Popes"), he came from a family of Hellenic origin (Greek). Author Charles A. Coulombe states that he was a Jew and came from a Jewish family from Antioch, Turkey.
  2. A.D. 99 to 108 in the Vatican's Annuario Pontificio of 2003.
  3. Crusé: Valesius footnote 1 Book V, Chapter VI (p. 174)—
    " 1 The word succession, in the parenthesis, is adopted by Valesius as the correct reading. "

External links

Saint Evaristus | pope | Britannica (britannica.com)

Pope Evaristus - Wikipedia

Pope Evaristus - Simple English Wikipedia (simple.wikipedia.org)

Pope Saint Evaristus | uCatholic (ucatholic.com)

Pope Evaristus | Christianity Knowledge Base | Fandom (christianity.fandom.com)

Pope St. Evaristus - Catholic365.com

St. Evaristus, Pope - Catholic News Agency (catholicnewsagency.com)

CATHOLIC ENCYCLOPEDIA: Pope St. Evaristus (newadvent.org)

Pope St. Evaristus, Martyr - Catholic Exchange (catholicexchange.com)

Evaristus | Definition of Evaristus at Dictionary.com