Saint Hippolytus
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 pope.
Most, if not all, of what appear to be other martyrs of the same name seem to be in reality this same Hippolytus.
The feast of Saint Hippolytus formerly celebrated on 22 August (see General Roman Calendar as in 1954) was a duplicate of the 13 August feast and for that reason was deleted when the Roman Catholic calendar of saints
was revised in 1960. Earlier editions of the Roman Martyrology
referred to the 22 August Hippolytus as Bishop of Porto, but the Catholic Encyclopedia
sees this as "connected with the confusion regarding the Roman presbyter resulting from the Acts of the Martyrs of Porto. It has not been ascertained whether the memory of the latter was localized at Porto merely in connection with the legend in Prudentius, without further foundation, or whether a person named Hippolytus was really martyred at Porto, and afterwards confounded in legend with Hippolytus of Rome." This opinion is shared by a Benedictine source.
Earlier editions of the Roman Martyrology also mentioned on 30 January a Hippolytus venerated at Antioch
, but the details it gave were borrowed from the story of Saint Hippolytus of Rome. 30 January is indeed the date on which the Eastern Orthodox Church
celebrates Saint Hippolytus of Rome. Modern editions of the Roman Martyrology omit all mention of this supposed distinct Saint Hippolytus of Antioch.
The Acts of St Lawrence mention a Roman army
officer named Hippolytus, who with his nurse Concordia and nineteen others of his household, was put to death for being Christians. When this statement was supposed to refer to the best-known Hippolytus, it was inserted into the account of the 13 August martyr in earlier editions of the Roman Martyrology. It has since been removed. The Roman Martyrology entry for 13 August is now: "The holy martyrs Pontian, Pope, and Hippolytus, Priest, who were exiled to Sardinia, where they given the same sentence and, it seems, won the same crown of martyrdom, and later were brought to burial in Rome, Hippolytus in a cemetery on the Via Tiburtina
and Pontian in the Cemetery of Callixtus." The Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church counts the story of Hippolytus as a soldier as one of the signs of how soon the facts of the life of the real Hippolytus of Rome were forgotten in the West, allowing writers to give free rein to their imaginations.Cross, F. L., ed., The Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church (Oxford University Press 2005)
The Catholic Encyclopedia also stated: "Another Hippolytus is likewise found among a group of martyrs described as martyres graeci "Greek martyrs", whose burial place was venerated in the Catacomb
of Callistus. This Hippolytus is certainly distinct from the Roman presbyter. The feast of these Greek saints is celebrated on 2 December." Modern editions of the Roman Martyrology make no mention of these saints on 2 December.
Pope Pontian
Pope Pontian or Pontianus was Pope from 21 July 230 to 29 September 235.A little more is known of Pontian than his predecessors, apparently from a lost papal chronicle that was available to the compiler of the Liberian Catalogue of bishops of Rome, made in the fourth century.During his pontificate...
on 13 August as having both won the martyr's crown after being exiled to Sardinia
Sardinia
Sardinia is the second-largest island in the Mediterranean Sea . It is an autonomous region of Italy, and the nearest land masses are the French island of Corsica, the Italian Peninsula, Sicily, Tunisia and the Spanish Balearic Islands.The name Sardinia is from the pre-Roman noun *sard[],...
after a period in which the priest had opposed the pope.
Most, if not all, of what appear to be other martyrs of the same name seem to be in reality this same Hippolytus.
The feast of Saint Hippolytus formerly celebrated on 22 August (see General Roman Calendar as in 1954) was a duplicate of the 13 August feast and for that reason was deleted when the Roman Catholic calendar of saints
Roman Catholic calendar of saints
The General Roman Calendar indicates the days of the year to which are assigned the liturgical celebrations of saints and of the mysteries of the Lord that are to be observed wherever the Roman Rite is used...
was revised in 1960. Earlier editions of the Roman Martyrology
Roman Martyrology
The Roman Martyrology is the official martyrology of the Roman Rite of the Roman Catholic Church. It provides an extensive but not exhaustive list of the saints recognized by the Church.-History:...
referred to the 22 August Hippolytus as Bishop of Porto, but the Catholic Encyclopedia
Catholic Encyclopedia
The Catholic Encyclopedia, also referred to as the Old Catholic Encyclopedia and the Original Catholic Encyclopedia, is an English-language encyclopedia published in the United States. The first volume appeared in March 1907 and the last three volumes appeared in 1912, followed by a master index...
sees this as "connected with the confusion regarding the Roman presbyter resulting from the Acts of the Martyrs of Porto. It has not been ascertained whether the memory of the latter was localized at Porto merely in connection with the legend in Prudentius, without further foundation, or whether a person named Hippolytus was really martyred at Porto, and afterwards confounded in legend with Hippolytus of Rome." This opinion is shared by a Benedictine source.
Earlier editions of the Roman Martyrology also mentioned on 30 January a Hippolytus venerated at Antioch
Antioch
Antioch on the Orontes was an ancient city on the eastern side of the Orontes River. It is near the modern city of Antakya, Turkey.Founded near the end of the 4th century BC by Seleucus I Nicator, one of Alexander the Great's generals, Antioch eventually rivaled Alexandria as the chief city of the...
, but the details it gave were borrowed from the story of Saint Hippolytus of Rome. 30 January is indeed the date on which the Eastern Orthodox Church
Eastern Orthodox Church
The Orthodox Church, officially called the Orthodox Catholic Church and commonly referred to as the Eastern Orthodox Church, is the second largest Christian denomination in the world, with an estimated 300 million adherents mainly in the countries of Belarus, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Georgia, Greece,...
celebrates Saint Hippolytus of Rome. Modern editions of the Roman Martyrology omit all mention of this supposed distinct Saint Hippolytus of Antioch.
The Acts of St Lawrence mention a Roman army
Roman army
The Roman army is the generic term for the terrestrial armed forces deployed by the kingdom of Rome , the Roman Republic , the Roman Empire and its successor, the Byzantine empire...
officer named Hippolytus, who with his nurse Concordia and nineteen others of his household, was put to death for being Christians. When this statement was supposed to refer to the best-known Hippolytus, it was inserted into the account of the 13 August martyr in earlier editions of the Roman Martyrology. It has since been removed. The Roman Martyrology entry for 13 August is now: "The holy martyrs Pontian, Pope, and Hippolytus, Priest, who were exiled to Sardinia, where they given the same sentence and, it seems, won the same crown of martyrdom, and later were brought to burial in Rome, Hippolytus in a cemetery on the Via Tiburtina
Via Tiburtina
Via Tiburtina is an ancient road in Italy leading east-northeast from Rome to Tivoli . It was built by the Roman consul Marcus Valerius Maximus around 286 BC and later lengthened to the territories of the Marsi and the Equi, in the Abruzzo, as Via Valeria. Its total length was approximately...
and Pontian in the Cemetery of Callixtus." The Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church counts the story of Hippolytus as a soldier as one of the signs of how soon the facts of the life of the real Hippolytus of Rome were forgotten in the West, allowing writers to give free rein to their imaginations.Cross, F. L., ed., The Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church (Oxford University Press 2005)
The Catholic Encyclopedia also stated: "Another Hippolytus is likewise found among a group of martyrs described as martyres graeci "Greek martyrs", whose burial place was venerated in the Catacomb
Catacombs of Rome
The Catacombs of Rome are ancient catacombs, underground burial places under or near Rome, Italy, of which there are at least forty, some discovered only in recent decades. Though most famous for Christian burials, either in separate catacombs or mixed together, they began in the 2nd century, much...
of Callistus. This Hippolytus is certainly distinct from the Roman presbyter. The feast of these Greek saints is celebrated on 2 December." Modern editions of the Roman Martyrology make no mention of these saints on 2 December.
External links
- St. Hippolytus iconography
- Sts. Hippolytus article from The Catholic Encyclopedia