Hippolytus of Rome

Saint Hippolytus of Rome
Also known as;
Saint Hippolytus of Porto
Various other Hippolyti throughout the church

Memorial:
13 August

Our Saint today has been confused with many many other saints and has several feast days all of which have been suppressed because they now think they’re all the same fellow.

Our saint was a priest in Rome during the Reign of Pope Zephyrinus (199–217). He was distinguished by his learning and eloquence. While a young man Origen of Alexandria heard our saint speak and was quite impressed. Many of Hippolytus’ writings exist as fragments and or apocryphal remnants, but the amount of writings he churned out was quite prodigious. His apostolic traditions preserved in 2nd and 3rd century documents show rites and rituals almost identical to what we use today. Particularly the ordination rites and what we know as Eucharistic prayer II, the shortest one....”You are Holy indeed the fountain of all holiness....” It is said he was a disciple of Iraneus who was in turn a disciple of Polycarp, who was in turn a disciple of John the Apostle.

He was an outspoken critic of the Pope, Zephyrinus. He accused the Holy Father off the heresy of modalism, an early heresy which said God assumed different “roles” as father/Creator-Son/redeemer-Spirit/sanctifier, but in all this there was one person wearing different masks, not three distinct persons but one God. Our Saint was strong Trinitarian defender.

Pope Zephyrinus’ successor, Pope Callixtus I (217–222), got Hippolytus even more worked up. Our Saint was outraged when the new Pope extended absolution to Christians who had committed grave sins. I guess the “forgive your neighbor” thing was lost on Hippolytus.

Anyhoo, his being off base with this strict no forgive policy inspired him and another group of Priests to break away from the Pope, he seems to have allowed himself to be elected as a rival Bishop of Rome, and continued to attack the Pope. Because he was a rival claimant to the Chair of Saint Peter, Hippolytus is considered the first Antipope.

He continued in this role through the rules of Callixtus successors, Urban I (222–230) and Pope Pontian (230-235). In the time of Pope Pontian, both he and the Pope were exiled to Sardinia, from all accounts an extraordinarily unhealthy place, where they were forced to work the mines. Shortly afterward, in 235, both died there. Sometime before his death, Hippolytus was reconciled to the Pope. He renounced his Papal claim and returned to the Church. The two were martyrs, and their bodies were both brought back to Rome, where they were honorably buried. Hippolytus is the only Antipope to be honored as a Saint in the Catholic Church

His patronage of Horses, and equestrians is probably a confusion yet again, with the mythical Hippolytus, son of Theseus, who was ripped apart by hoses for refusing advances by his creepy stepmother. Our saint’s ancient pictures show him being pulled by horses. He died in the mines…..

Born:

170 Rome

Died:
Martyred 235 in Sardinia

Patronage:
Horses
Equestrians
Cowboys
Prison Guards