Hippolytus of Rome Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids Hippolytus of Rome
Saint Hippolytus assisted by two Angels and the Virgin Mary.
Personal details
Born	c. 170 AD Rome
Died	c. 235 AD (age about 65) Sardinia
Sainthood
Feast day	Roman Catholic: August 13 Orthodox: January 30 Coptic: Meshir 6
Venerated in	Catholic Church Eastern Orthodox Church Oriental Orthodoxy Anglican Communion
Title as Saint	Martyr and Bishop of Pontus
Canonized	Pre-congregation
Patronage	Bibbiena, Italy; Mexico City, horses

Hippolytus of Rome (/həˈpɑːlɪtəs/; c. 170 – c. 235 AD) was an important early Christian writer. He lived around 200 AD. Historians are not entirely sure where he lived or worked. Some think he was in Rome, while others suggest places like Egypt or the Middle East.

Some older ideas suggest Hippolytus disagreed with the popes of his time. He might have led a separate group as a rival to the bishop of Rome. This would make him an antipope. He reportedly disagreed with the popes for being too easy on new converts from pagan religions. However, he later made peace with the Church. He died as a martyr, meaning he died for his Christian faith.

After his death, many stories grew about him. Some said he was a priest from a group called the Novatianist schism. Others thought he was a soldier who became Christian because of Saint Lawrence. He was also sometimes confused with another martyr who had the same name.

His Life and Conflicts
Interesting Legends
His Writings
His Views on the End Times
Feast Days
Images for kids
See also

His Life and Conflicts

Not much is known for sure about Hippolytus's early life. One idea from the Victorian era suggests he was a priest in Rome. This was during the time of Pope Zephyrinus (199–217 AD). Hippolytus was known for being smart and a good speaker. Even Origen, a famous Christian scholar, heard him preach when Origen was young.

According to this view, Hippolytus accused Pope Zephyrinus of a belief called modalism. This idea said that the Father and Son in Christianity were just different names for the same person. Hippolytus believed the Father and the "Word" (Logos) were distinct.

Hippolytus seemed to believe in very strict rules for Christians. He may have even been chosen as a rival Bishop of Rome. He continued to criticize Pope Urban I (222–230 AD) and Pope Pontian (230–235 AD). Some historians think Hippolytus led the Greek-speaking Christians in Rome.

During a time when Christians were persecuted, Emperor Maximinus Thrax exiled Hippolytus and Pope Pontian. They were sent to Sardinia in 235 AD. They likely died there, possibly in the mines. It is thought that before he died, Hippolytus made peace with the Church.

Later, under Pope Fabian (236–250 AD), their bodies were brought back to Rome. Records show that on August 13, probably in 236 AD, both were buried in Rome. Hippolytus was buried in a cemetery on the Via Tiburtina. This record also suggests that by about 255 AD, Hippolytus was seen as a martyr. It also calls him a priest, not a bishop. This might mean he was welcomed back into the Church before his death.

Interesting Legends

The name Hippolytus appears in many old Church stories. Over time, the true facts about the writer Hippolytus were lost in the West. This might be partly because he wrote in Hellenic Greek. Pope Damasus I wrote a famous poem about a Hippolytus. This poem referred to a priest from the Novatianist group.

Later stories in the 7th and 8th centuries said he was a soldier. They claimed he became Christian because of Saint Lawrence. This story was popular for a long time. He was also confused with another martyr who had the same name. This other Hippolytus was believed to be a bishop. He was said to have drowned in a deep well.

One story says a martyr named Hippolytus was dragged to death by wild horses. This is similar to the Greek myth of Hippolytus, who also died this way. This story led to Hippolytus being known as the patron saint of horses. In the Middle Ages, sick horses were even brought to a church in England named after him.

His Writings

There is some debate among scholars about which writings were truly by Hippolytus. In the 1800s, scholars thought his main work was Refutation of all Heresies. This book had ten parts. Parts of it were found in a monastery in 1842.

In 1551, a marble statue was found in Rome. It was a seated figure, possibly a woman representing one of the sciences. On the statue, titles of many writings by Hippolytus were carved. Many other works are also listed by early historians like Eusebius of Caesarea and Jerome. However, some recent studies question if all these works were truly by Hippolytus.

Hippolytus wrote a lot about many different topics. These included explaining the Bible, sermons, defending Christianity, arguing against other beliefs, and Church law. A very important work often linked to him is the Apostolic Tradition. If it is truly his, it contains the earliest known rules for ordaining (making) a bishop. It also has an early mention of the Virgin Mary in a Church service.

Among his works that explain the Bible, the best preserved are his Commentary on the Prophet Daniel and his Commentary on the Song of Songs. His commentary on the Song of Songs is one of the earliest Christian interpretations of this Bible book.

The Apostolic Tradition is very important. It contains the earliest known ritual for ordaining a bishop. The words used today in the Catholic Church for ordaining bishops come from this work. Hippolytus's writings also influenced many Church laws in the East. For example, many rules in the Fetha Negest, an old law book in Ethiopia, are linked to him.

Some scholars believe that not all works linked to Hippolytus were written by him. They see differences in writing style and ideas. However, scholars generally agree on a main group of writings that are truly his. These include his Bible commentaries, like those on Daniel and the Song of Songs. These works help us understand his beliefs and teachings.

His Views on the End Times

Hippolytus was an important person in developing ideas about the end of the world. In his book On Christ and the Antichrist and his Commentary on the Prophet Daniel, he shared his ideas about the second coming of Christ.

Many early Christian writers talked about the end times. This was especially true during the persecutions under Emperor Septimius Severus. On Christ and the Antichrist is one of the earliest books on this topic. Hippolytus was likely influenced by another writer named Irenaeus. However, Hippolytus focused more on what prophecies meant for the Church in his own time.

Hippolytus believed that the "seventy prophetic weeks" mentioned in the Bible book of Daniel meant seventy weeks of actual years. He explained Daniel's prophecies about different kingdoms. He linked them to the Babylonians, Persians, Greeks, and Romans. He saw these events as pointing to Christ.

Hippolytus did not believe that the Second Coming was going to happen very soon. In his commentary on Daniel, he criticized those who predicted it would happen in the near future. He said that six thousand years must pass from the creation of the world before the Second Coming. He also believed Christ was born 5500 years after Adam. This meant 500 more years would pass from Christ's birth until the end.

Feast Days

In the Eastern Orthodox Church, the feast day for St Hippolytus is on August 13. This day is also connected to the Transfiguration. Sometimes his feast day is moved to another day. The Eastern Orthodox Church also celebrates "St Hippolytus Pope of Rome" on January 30. It is not clear if this is the same person.

The Roman Catholic Church celebrates St Hippolytus along with St Pontian on August 13. There used to be another feast day for Saint Hippolytus on August 22. This was removed in 1969 because it was a duplicate of the August 13 feast. Older Catholic books mentioned a Hippolytus on January 30. This was a Hippolytus honored in Antioch, but the details were taken from the story of Hippolytus of Rome. Modern books no longer mention this supposed Saint Hippolytus of Antioch.

Images for kids

This Roman sculpture might be of Hippolytus. It was found in 1551.

Hippolytus of Rome facts for kids

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