Below is a list of all of the popes who reigned during the second century. The first number is which pope they were. This is followed by their chosen name, the starting and ending dates of their reigns, and finally the number of years they were pope. Follow the links to read short biographies of each pope and learn about what they did, what they believed, and what impact they had on the course of the Roman Catholic Church.
5. St. Evaristus:
97 - 105 (c. 8 years)
Nothing is really known about Pope Evaristus, although his name indicates a Greek origin (it means "pleasing" or "acceptable") making him the second Greek pope after Anacletus.
6. St. Alexander I:
c. 109 - May 3, 116 (7 years)
Alexander I is perhaps one of the most obscure popes in the history of the Roman Catholic Church. He seems to be in all of the ancient lists of popes, but while a few things are attributed to him, there isn't much evidence that any of it is true.
7. St. Sixtus I (Xystus):
115 - 125 (9 years)
Some believe that the name "Sixtus" derives from the fact that he was the sixth pope to reign after Peter - after that, it simply became another traditional papal name and was adopted by several others over the centuries.
8. St. Telesphorus:
125 - 136 (c. 11 years)
Telesphorus is a Greek name meaning "accomplishing the goal" or "bringing fruit to perfection," likely an assumed name for the purpose of the office rather than a given name used since birth.
9. St. Hyginus:
136 - 140 (c. 4 years)
The records indicate a two-year gap between Pope Telesphorus and Pope Hyginus - something which may or may not be accurate. It's possible that social conditions prevented the election of a new pope and it's just as possible that the records are inaccurate.
10. St. Pius I:
c. 142 - July 11, 155 (c. 13 years)
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.
11. St. Anicetus:
155 - 166 (c. 11 years)
Nothing much is really known about the reign of Pope Anicetus. One thing that is contained in the records is that he debated Polycarp about dating of Easter. In eastern churches the resurrection was celebrated on the 14th day of the Jewish month of Nisan, regardless of what day of the Roman week this fell.
12. St. Soter:
c. 166 - c. 174 (c. 8 years)
The name Soter is Greek for "preserver" or "deliverer," but there are some indications in the records that Soter came from Italy rather than Greece. Soter seems to have been responsible for setting a yearly festival to commemorate Easter.
13. St. Eleutherius:
c. 174 - c. 189 (c. 15 years)
Eleutherius is a Greek name that means "frank, honest, free-spirited" and it is believed that prior to becoming pope Eleutherius was a deacon to Pope Anicetus.
14. St. Victor I:
189 - 199 (9 years)
Victor I was the first pope from Africa and he is best known for upholding Western, Roman Christian traditions over those form the East. A prime example of this was his insistence that Easter always be held on a Sunday; previous to this decision, Easter might be held on any day of the week.
15. St. Zephyrinus:
199 - 217 (18 years)
Although his predecessor, Victor I, became known as an early example of a strong pope, Zephyrinus was almost the complete opposite. He was accused of a wide variety of errors and faults, but everything seemed to come back to his inability to act in defense of orthodoxy and his willingness to allow heresy to continue unchallenged.
