The
Fathers of the Church spread the gospel of
Jesus Christ, defended the Church in apologetic writing and fought the many
heresies of the first six centuries of Christianity. These men, also called
Apostolic Fathers, gave special witness to the faith, some dying the death of a
martyr. Like Jesus who referred to Abraham as a spiritual father (Luke 16: 24)
and St. Paul, who referred to himself in the same terms (1 Corinthians 4: 15), the
Fathers were zealous for the word of God. Their writings are a testimony to the
faith of the early Church, yet many Christians are unfamiliar with the work of
Clement of Rome, Ignatius of Antioch, Polycarp of Smyrna, Justin the Martyr,
Irenaeus, Tertullian, Origen, Cyprian of Carthage, Athanasius, Ephraim, Cyril of
Jerusalem, Hilary of Poitiers or Gregory the Great to name of few of the early
Fathers. Periodically we will provide biographical information and examples of
the writing of these great men of faith. This page will focus on St. Hippolytus
of Rome.
St. Hippolytus of Rome (about 170-236 A.D.)
Not much is known of
his early life, but we do know that Hippolytus, a Greek, was a pupil of Irenaeus,
who was a disciple of Polycarp, who was disciple of John the beloved disciple of
Jesus. He became the head of a respected school of theology and a bishop in or
around Rome. Subsequently he came into conflict with Pope Callistus (Calixtus),
who was elected pope in 217 A.D. , but whom he considered heretical. He
established himself as an anti-pope (i.e., one who claims to exercise the office
of pope without the valid authority to do so) and remained in schism (though not
a heretic) until the year 235 A.D. In this position he prepared a liturgical
handbook, "Apostolike Paradosis" ["paradosis" is a Greek word meaning to "hand
on the Word of God" which can also be translated as "tradition"], which contains
the earliest evidence for the Roman Eucharistic prayer used in the Catholic
Mass. His schism continued after the martyrdom of Pope Callistus in 222 A.D.
Arrested and banished to mines on the island of Sardinia, Hippolytus urged his
followers to return to communion with the legitimate pope, Antherus, before
dying as a martyr about 236 A.D. Worth noting is his mention in his commentary
on the Book of Daniel of the Savior as "born of the immaculate and virgin Mary."
He was subsequently canonized as a saint.
Apostolic Tradition [paradosis] and
Apostolic Succession (about 215 A.D.):
[ 2]" Let the bishop be ordained after he has been chosen by all the people.
When someone pleasing to all has been named, let the people assemble on the
Lord's Day with the presbyters and with such bishops as may be present. All
giving assent, the bishops shall impose hands on him , and the presbytery
[priests] shall stand by in silence. Indeed, all shall remain silent, praying in
their hearts for the descent of the Spirit.
Then one of the bishops present shall, at the request of all, impose his hand on
the on who is being ordained bishop, and shall pray thus saying: [3] "God and
Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who
dwell on high and attend to the lowly , who know all things before they come to
pass: you that have given boundaries to your Church through your Word of grace,
predestining from the beginning the just offspring of Abraham, making them
princes and priests, so as not to leave your sanctuary without a ministry, from
the beginning of the world, you have been well pleased to be glorified in those
you have chosen. Pour forth now that power that comes from you, from your Royal
Spirit, which you gave to your beloved Son Jesus Christ and which He bestowed
upon His holy Apostles, who established in every place the Church of your
sanctification for the glory and unceasing praise of your name. You know the
hearts of all, grant this to your servant, whom you have chosen for the
episcopate, to feed your holy flock and to serve without blame as your high
priest, ministering night and day to propitiate unceasingly before your face;
and to offer to you the gifts of your holy Church; and by the Spirit of the
high-priesthood [of Christ] to have the
authority to forgive sins (John 20:
22-23), in accord with your command; to assign lots [ordain to clerical life] in
accord with the authority you gave to the
Apostles . . ."
[8]" When a presbyter is to be ordained,
the bishop shall impose his hand upon his head, while the presbyters touch the
one to be ordained. . .
[9] When a deacon is to be ordained he is chosen in the manner of those things
said above, the bishop alone in like manner imposing his hands on him . . . "
[21]"Baptise first the children; and if they can speak for themselves, let them
do so. Otherwise, let their parents or other relatives speak for them. . . . .
When it is time for the Baptism the Bishop shall give thanks over the oil, which
he puts into a vessel. This is called the oil of thanksgiving. Then he shall
take other oil and exorcise it [expel evil or make holy]. . . . The presbyter
[priest] then takes hold of each of those to be baptized and commands him to
renounce, saying 'I renounce you Satan, and all your servants and all your
works.' When he has renounced all these the presbyter shall anoint him with the
oil of exorcism. . . . After all these things have been done, let him be given
over to the bishop or presbyter who will baptize.
[23] And then the deacons immediately bring the oblation [offering of bread and
wine] to the bishop; and he eucharists the bread [gives thanks over it] into the
antitype [one that is foreshadowed by an earlier symbol, such as the gift of
Himself at the Last Supper and on the Cross] of the Body of Christ, and the cup
of mixed wine for an antitype of the Blood, which was shed for all who believe
in Him; and milk and honey mixed together for the fulfillment of the promise
made to the the fathers, which spoke of a land flowing with milk and honey, that
is, the very flesh of Christ which He gave and those who believe are nourished
like little children, since He makes sweet the bitter things of the heart by the
gentleness of His word; and water also, for an offering signifying the washing,
so that the inner part of man, which is of the soul may receive the same as the
body."
Refutation of Heresies [about 222 A.D.]
[10, 34] "For Christ is the God over all,
who has arranged to wash away sin from mankind, rendering the old man new. . . .
If you obey his solemn injunctions and become a good imitator of Him who is
good, you will become like Him and will be honored by Him. For God is no
niggard; and He has made you a god for His own glory."
Other Early Church Fathers and their Testimony