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Name:
Pope Pius I
Preceded by: St. Hyginus (136 - 140)
Succeeded by: St. Anicetus (155 - 166)
Roman Catholic Pope #10
Dates:
Born: ? (Italy)
Died: July 11, 0155
Pope: c. 0142 - July 11, 0155 (c. 13 years)
Feast Day: July 11
Biography:
Not a great deal is known about the reign of Pope Pius I who, among the first twelve popes,
was only the second to have a Latin name. A couple of extant letters attributed to him are
considered spurious and the tradition that he was martyred for his faith is wholly unsupported.
It is believed that Pius was the first "true" pope to reign as the sole bishop of Rome with
monarchial powers over the Roman Catholic Church. Before this it is believed that the Church
was governed by a group of presbyters or presbyter-bishops and those labeled "pope" may
simply have been the most prominent members of those groups.
For the most part it appears that Pius' reign was relatively peaceful. One of the most significant events to have occurred was probably the need to deal with the growing influence of the Gnostics. During the time of Pius three prominent Gnostics - Valentinius, Cerdo, and Marcion, were active in Rome promoting their perspective on Christianity. It is believed that Pius may have presided over a synod that excommunicated Marcion.
One other thing worth noting is that, according to tradition, Pius was the brother of a former slave named Hermas who wrote a famous visionary work entitled The Shepard.
Also Known As: none
Alternate Spellings: none
Common Misspellings: none
Related Resources:
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