Who was Hippolytus of Rome?

It is a disputed question as to where Hippolytus was settled. He is often styled bishop in Pontus, but by others is represented as being at Rome, and by some he is supposed to have been anti-bishop of Rome at the same time as Callistus. The latter is the one named in the lists of the bishops of Rome; though Hippolytus is often called bishop of Rome and martyr.

Hippolytus wrote many works, and several commentaries, of which latter only fragments remain. A larger work, "The Refutation of all Heresies," is also attributed to him. The above account of Callistus is taken from this.

For a time Callistus was lost sight of, but was next heard of as assistant to Zephyrinus, who came to Rome and succeeded Victor as bishop: Hippolytus describes Zephyrinus as an ignorant person, greedy of gain, and who left much to his more sharp-witted deacon, Callistus, who managed, in helping his bishop, to ingratiate himself with many persons of influence, so that at the death of Zephyrinus he was actually chosen bishop. Hippolytus charges him with heresy, and with great presumption, for he professed to be able to forgive sins, and he also ruled that if a bishop sinned, even if it were a sin unto death, he could not be deposed. One would think this was specially framed to shield himself.

But it is remarkable that one of the principal things Hippolytus brings against Callistus is that he was very careless about discipline, and ordained as bishops, presbyters, and deacons, those who had been twice and even thrice married! "Even a man," says Hippolytus, "who had married while in orders was subject to no kind of penalty, as if he had not sinned," And then listen to the reply of Callistus: he asks, "Did not the Lord say, Let the tares grow with the wheat?" and "Were there not unclean beasts in the ark?" and such there must always be in the church!

We copy the following from Hippolytus, as to where the twelve apostles laboured, and where they died. He himself died about A.D. 230, so that he may have conversed with some of the apostolic fathers who knew the apostles themselves.

One of the most important things in the early history of the church, is the evil doctrines that were manifested in its midst. These were usually called Heresies. Irenaeus and Hippolytus name about thirty different heresies from the days of the apostles to their times.

Yet leading men in the Roman church stood in doubt of Paul's writing to the Hebrews. So Eusebius P. tells us (H. E. iii. 3; vi. 14, 20) not only of Caius and Hippolytus (commonly called bishop of Portus R.), but of others till his own day. Baronius labours in vain to get rid of this shame: but Photion confirms it in his Bibl. μή. ρκα Ed. Hoesch 1653. So does Jerome, more than six times in his letters, expositions, etc., to the general effect that "the Latin custom did not receive it among the canonical Scriptures." Nevertheless the Roman church as such never went so far as to reject the Epistle; and from the middle of the fourth it was as fully owned there as elsewhere. The Novatian trouble had tended to its prejudice, because such passages as the early verses of Hebrews 6 had been abused to justify their extravagance as of others before that. Nor was one known in those days of faith to broach the idea that it was the church's duty to sit in judgment on an inspired communication. The danger lay rather in the second century, at any rate of publicly reading what was not inspired, as we know was done.

In the lately discovered work (at first wrongly imputed to Origen) of Hippolytus on Heresies, vii. 36, their leader is said to have taught indifference of actions and of meats. But the Bishop of Portus Romanus, like others, may draw only from what scripture implies.

Clement of Alexandria (about 200 A.D.) mentions also John, the beloved disciple as the writer of the book. A scholar of Clement was Origen (233 A.D.). He made careful research about the canonicity and genuineness of the books of the New Testament. While he reported carefully any doubts or disputes about different books, he has nothing to say about the Revelation and its author. He quotes from the book frequently, and it proves that in his time no question was raised about John being the author. Hippolytus, Bishop of Ostia (240 A.D.) quotes John's words many times and does not leave us in doubt that he means the son of Zebedee.

But it is surprising that a pious and learned man, as I gladly believe Dr. W. to have been, should so mis-state the views in the most ancient remains on the Millennial prophecy. Why cite Bede (8th cent.) and Haymo (9th)? He knew perfectly well that Justin Martyr, as well as the pseudo-Barnabas, Irenaeus (an Asiatic godly bishop of Lyon in Gaul A.D. 177) who wrote in Greek and Tertullian who wrote in Latin, Hippolytus bp. of Portus Rom., Methodius bp. of Tyre, and Victorinus, all the three martyrs, and Lactantius the rhetorician father, believed and taught a literal reign of Christ and the risen saints over the earth. Origen, learned but heterodox, was the only one (those excepted who denied the genuineness of the book) of the pre-Constantinian writers who differed in principle as an extreme allegorist, though he did not live to comment on the Revelation. From Constantine's time indeed writers began to imagine, as it was not to be wondered at perhaps, a present millennium, though not all in the same sense. But it is unnecessary to speak of later Fathers, as I attach not the smallest authority to any of them, however early.

Paying a visit to Palestine and Caesarea, he began to give discourses in the church, but was forbidden by Demetrius of Alexandria, and he resumed his catechetical instruction. About A.D. 218, he was invited to Antioch to give christian instruction to Mammaea, the mother of the emperor Alexander Severus. About A.D. 230, he went to Greece, by way of Palestine, where he was ordained presbyter. This again roused Demetrius, who caused him, at two synods, to be forbidden to act as presbyter, perhaps because he was a eunuch, though Jerome says it was through jealousy of his talents. He went on with his teaching (some renowned in the church placing themselves under him) and his writing, employing several to copy his works, and he was looked up to by many for counsel. As we have seen, he suffered torture under Decius, but died a natural death about A.D. 254.

Ambrose Bishop of Milan, A.D. 397 (Ambr.) Ambrosiaster, the false Ambrose, perhaps Hilary the Deacon of the third century, (Ambrst.) Ammonius of Alexandria, 220 (Ammon.) Andreas of Crete, 7th century (probably not the same person as) Andreas Bishop of Caesarea, 6th century? (And.) Arethas Bishop of Caesarea Capp. 10th century? (Areth.) Arnobius of Africa, 306 (Arnob.) Athanasius Bishop of Alexandria, 373 (Ath.) Athenagoras of Athens, 177 (Athen.) Augustine, Bishop of Hippo, 430 (Aug.) Barnabas, 1st or 2nd century? (Barn.) Basil Bishop of Caesarea, 379 (Bas.) Basil of Seleucia, fl. 440 (Bas. Sel.) Bede the Venerable, d. 735 (Bede.) Caesarius of Constantinople, 368 (Caes.) Canons Apostolic, 3rd century (Canon.) Cassiodorus, 575 (Cassiod.) Chromatius Bishop of Aquileia, 402 (Chrom.) Chrysostom Bishop of Constantinople, 407 (Chrys.) Clement Bishop of Alexandria, fl. 194 (Clem.) Clement Bishop of Rome, fl. 90 (Clem. Rom.) Constitutiones Apostolice, 3rd century (Constit.) Cosmas Indicopleustes, 535 (Cosm.) Cyprian Bishop of Carthage, 258 (Cypr.) Cyril Bishop of Alexandria, 444 (Cyr.) Cyril Bishop of Jerusalem, 386 (Cyr. Jer.) Damascenus John, 730 (Dam.) Didymus of Alexandria, 370 (Did.) Dionysius Bishop of Alexandria, 265 (Dion.) Dionysius (Pseudo-) Areopagita, 5th century (Dion Areop.) Ephraem the Syrian, 378 (Ephr.) Epiphanius Bishop of Cyprus, 403 (Epiph.) Eusebius Bishop of Caesarea, 340 (Eus.) Euthalius Bishop of Sulci? 458 (Euthal.) Euthymius Zigabenus, 1116 (Euthym.) Evagrius of Pontus, 380 (Evagr.) Fulgentius, 5th century (Fulg.) Gaudentius, 4th century (Gaud.) Gregory of Nazianzus, the Divine, Bishop of Constantinople, 389 (Naz.) Gregory Bishop of Nyssa, 396 (Nyss.) Gregory Thaumaturgus Bishop of Neocaesarea, 243 (Thauma.) Gregory the Great, Bishop of Rome, 605 (Greg.) Hieronymus (Jerome), 430 (Hier.) or (Jer.) Hilary Bishop of Poictiers, fl. 354 (Hil.) Hippolytus Bishop of Portus, fl. 220 (Hip.) Ignatius Bishop of Antioch, 107 (Ign.) Irenaeus Bishop of Lyons, 178; chiefly extant in an old Latin version (Iren.) Isidore of Pelusium, 412 (Isid.) Justin Martyr, 164 (Just.) Juvencus, 330 (Juv.) Lactantius, 306 (Lact.) Lucifer Bishop of Cagliari, 367 (Luc.) Marcion the heretic, 130? (Mcion), cited by Epiphanius (Mcion-e), and Tertullian (Mcion-t.) Maximus Taurinensis, 466 (Max. Taur.) Maximus the Confessor, 662 (Max. Conf.) Methodius, fl. 311 (Meth.) Nonnus, fl. 400 (Nonn.) Novatianus, fl. 300? (Novat.) Oecumenius Bishop of Tricca, 10th century? (Oecu.) Origen, b. 185, d. 254 (Or.) Pamphilus the Martyr, 308 (Pamph.) Peter Bishop of Alexandria, 311 (Petr.) Photius Bishop of Constantinople, 891 (Phot.) Polycarp Bishop of Smyrna, 166 (Polyc.) Primasius Bishop of Adrumetum, fl. 550 (Prim.) Prudentius 406 (Prud.) Rufinus of Aquileia, 397 (Ruf.) Severianus, a Syrian Bishop, 409 (Sevrn.) Socrates, Church Historian, fl. 440 (Soc.) Sozomen, Church Historian, 450 (Soz.) Suidas the lexicographer, 980? (Suid.) Tatian of Antioch, 172 (Tat.) Tertullian of Africa, fl. 200 (Tert.) Theodore Bishop of Mopsuestia, 428 (Thdor. Mops.) Theodoret Bishop of Cyrus or Cyrrhus in Comagene, 458 (Thdrt.) Theophilus Bishop of Antioch, 182 (Thph. Ant.) Theophylact Archbishop of Bulgaria, 1071 (Theophyl.) Tichonius? the Donatist, fl. 390 (Tich.) Titus Bp. of Bostra, fl. 370 (Titus Bost.) Victor of Antioch, 430 (Vict. Ant.) Victor Bp. of Tunis, 565 (Vict. Tun.) Victorinus Bp. of Pettau, 360 (Victorin.) Vigilius of Thapsus, 484 (Vigil.)