Pope Evaristus

Pope Evaristus was the bishop of Rome from c. 99 to his death c. 107.[1][2] He was also known as Aristus. He is venerated as a saint in the Eastern Orthodox Church,[3] the Catholic Church, and Oriental Orthodoxy. He is usually accorded the title of martyr; however, there is no confirmation of this. It is likely that he was the bishop of Rome when John the Apostle died, marking the end of the Apostolic Age.

Pope Saint Evaristus
Bishop of Rome
Diocese	Rome
See	Rome
Papacy began	c. 99
Papacy ended	c. 107
Predecessor	Clement I
Successor	Alexander I
Personal details
Born	17 April 44 Bethlehem, Judea
Died	c. 107 Rome, Roman Empire
Sainthood
Feast day	26 October

Biography

Little is known about Evaristus. According to the Liber Pontificalis, he came from a family of Greek Jews living in Bethlehem.[4] He was elected during the reign of the Roman emperor Trajan, and succeeded Clement I in the See of Rome.

Eusebius, in his Church History IV, I, stated that Evaristus died in the 12th year of the reign of Emperor Trajan after holding the office of bishop of the Romans for eight years. He is said by the Liber Pontificalis to have divided Rome into several titles, assigning a priest to each, and appointed seven deacons for the city.

He is usually accorded the title of martyr; however, there is no confirmation of this,[5][6] as Pope Evaristus is listed without that title in the Roman Martyrology, with a feast day on 26 October.[7] It is probable that Evaristus was buried near Saint Peter's tomb in the Vatican.[8] It is also probable that John the Apostle died during the beginning of Evaristus' reign.

See also

• List of Catholic saints
• List of popes

References

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. Anastasius (bibliothecarius) (1602). Bibliothecarii Historia, de vitis romanorvm pontificvm a b.Petro apostolo vsqve ad Nicolavm I. nunquam hactenus typis excusa. Deinde Vita Hadriani II. et Stephani VI. auctore Gvilielmo Bibliothecario. Ex bibliotheca Marci Velseri ... Accessere variae lectiones, partim ex codie. mss. Biblioth. vaticanae, partim ex conciliorum tomis, Annalibus ecclesiast. Caes. Baronij ... exceptae. in typographeio I. Albini. p. 3. 1 Euaristus, natione Grecus, ex patre Iudaeo nomine Iuda, de ciuitate Bethleem, sedit ann. VIIII m. X d. II. Fuit autem temporibus Domitiani et Neruae Traiani, a consulatu Valentis et Veteris (96) usque ad Gallo et Bradua consulibus (108). Martyrio coronatur. 2 Hic titulos in urbe Roma diuidit presbiteris et VII diaconos ordinauit qui custodirent episcopum praedicantem, propter stilum ueritatis. 3 Hic fecit ordinationes III per mens. Decemb., presbiteros XVII, diaconos II; episcopos per diuersa loca XV. Qui etiam sepultus est iuxta corpus beati Petri, in Vaticanum, VI kal. Nouemb. Et cessauit episcopatus dies XVIIII.
5. "Commemoration of Pope Saint Evaristus, Martyr - Proper of the Holy Mass". Archived from the original on October 15, 2019.
6. 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. archive.org. p. 21. Archived from the original on October 15, 2019. 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."
7. "Martyrologium Romanum" (Libreria Editrice Vaticana 2001 ISBN 88-209-7210-7)
8. Catholic Online. "St. Evaristus".

External links

• Writings attributed to Pope St Evaristus
• Patron Saints Index: Pope Saint Evaristus
• Catholic Online – Saints & Angels: St. Evaristus
• Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Evaristus" . Encyclopædia Britannica (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press.

Catholic Church titles
Preceded by Clement I	Bishop of Rome Pope 98–105	Succeeded by Alexander I