Pope Evaristus

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Pope Evaristus (Greek: Ευάριστος) was the bishop of Rome from c. 99/100 to his death in 107/108.[1][2] He was also known as Aristus and is venerated as a saint in the Eastern Orthodox Church,[3] the Catholic Church, and Oriental Orthodoxy. It is likely that John the Apostle died during his reign period, marking the end of the Apostolic Age.


Evaristus
Bishop of Rome
Pope Evaristus, 15th century
ChurchEarly Church
Papacy beganc. 100
Papacy endedc. 108
PredecessorClement I
SuccessorAlexander I
Personal details
Born
Diedc. 108
Rome, Roman Empire
Sainthood
Feast day26 October

Biography

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Evaristus I depicted in marble in Saint Peter's Basilica

According to the Liber Pontificalis, he was a Greek by birth, fathered by a Jew named Judah from the city of Bethlehem.[4] Eusebius, in his Ecclesiastical History, states that Evaristus took office in the 3rd year of Trajan's reign,[5] which correspond to AD 99/100,[6] and died in the 12th year of the same reign (AD 108/109) after holding the office for nine years.[7] He divided titles among the priests in the city of Rome, and ordained seven deacons to assist with the bishop's preaching.[4]

According to Reverend John F. Sullivan, Evaristus decreed that “in accordance with Apostolic tradition marriage should be celebrated publicly and with the blessing of the priest”.[8] Liber Pontificalis further describes him as the one "crowned with martyrdom".[4] The same is indicated also by French historian Alexis-François Artaud de Montor.[9] However, in the Roman Martyrology he is listed without the martyr title, with a feast day on 26 October.[10]

Pope Evaristus is buried near the body of Saint Peter in the Vatican, in the Saint Peter's tomb under the Saint Peter's Basilica.[11]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Herbermann, Charles, ed. (1913). "Pope St. Evaristus" . Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Robert Appleton Company.
  2. ^ According to Annuario Pontificio, he died in 108.
  3. ^ "Orthodox England – The Holy Orthodox Popes of Rome".
  4. ^ a b c Loomis, Louise Ropes (2006) [1917]. The Book of the Popes (Liber Pontificalis). Arx Publishing, LLC. pp. 9–10. ISBN 978-1-889758-86-2. See also the original Latin.
  5. ^ Ecclesiastical History VIII, 34 (Eusebius first states Evaristus hold the office for 9 years). The truth is, as the monarchical episcopate was not yet existing in Rome, it is useless to attempt to fix his dates, or those of any of the other so-called bishops who lived before the second quarter of the second century.
  6. ^ Burgess, Richard W. (1999). Studies in Eusebian and Post-Eusebian Chronography. Franz Steiner Verlag. p. 29. ISBN 978-3-515-07530-5. More exactly, the period between October AD 99 and October AD 100 according to the calendar of Caesarea Maritima.
  7. ^ Ecclesiastical History IX, 1. He writes 9 years in Book VIII, but writes 8 years in Book IX.
  8. ^ Sullivan, Reverend John F. (1918). The Externals of the Catholic Church. Aeterna Press.
  9. ^ Alexis-François Artaud de Montor (1911). The lives and times of the popes : including the complete gallery of the portraits of the pontiffs reproduced from "Effigies pontificum romanorum Dominici Basae": being a series of volumes giving the history of the world during the Christian era. p. 21 – via archive.org. Quote: "Ignatius died of the wounds that were inflicted by ferocious beasts; Evaristus died under the hands of executioners, more cruel than the wild beasts themselves."
  10. ^ "Martyrologium Romanum" (Libreria Editrice Vaticana 2001 ISBN 88-209-7210-7)
  11. ^ List of popes
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Catholic Church titles
Preceded by Bishop of Rome
Pope

98–105
Succeeded by