List Of Popes

The List of Popes is the succession list of the Popes or Bishops from Rome from Saint Peter to His Holiness Pope Francis, the 266th Bishop of Rome.

List of Popes of the First Two Centuries[edit]

Non-Catholic Ecclesiastical Historian Philip Schaff wrote:^[1]

"St. Peter (d. 64 or 67) St. Linus (67-76) St. Anacletus (76-88) St. Clement I (88-97) St. Evaristus (97-105) St. Alexander I (105-115) St. Sixtus I (115-125) St. Telesphorus (125-136) St. Hyginus (136-140) St. Pius I (140-155) St. Anicetus (155-166) St. Soter (166-175) St. Eleutherius (175-189) St. Victor I (189-199)

"It must in justice be admitted, however, that the list of Roman bishops has by far the preminence in age, completeness, integrity of succession, consistency of doctrine and policy, above every similar catalogue, not excepting those of Jerusalem, Antioch, Alexandria, and Constantinople...."^[2].

Saint Peter (Bishop of Rome from 42 A.D. to 67 A.D.)[edit]

Saint Jerome relates: "Simon Peter the son of John, from the village of Bethsaida in the province of Galilee, brother of Andrew the apostle, and himself chief of the apostles, after having been bishop of the church of Antioch and having preached to the Dispersion — the believers in circumcision, in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia and Bithynia — pushed on to Rome in the second year of Claudius to overthrow Simon Magus, and held the sacerdotal chair there for twenty-five years until the last, that is the fourteenth, year of Nero. At his hands he received the crown of martyrdom being nailed to the cross with his head towards the ground and his feet raised on high, asserting that he was unworthy to be crucified in the same manner as his Lord. He wrote two epistles which are called Catholic, the second of which, on account of its difference from the first in style, is considered by many not to be by him. Then too the Gospel according to Mark, who was his disciple and interpreter, is ascribed to him. On the other hand, the books, of which one is entitled his Acts, another his Gospel, a third his Preaching, a fourth his Revelation, a fifth his Judgment are rejected as apocryphal."Buried at Rome in the Vatican near the triumphal way he is venerated by the whole world." ^[3] The second year of Claudius is 42 A.D. and the 14th year of Nero is 67 A.D. St. Peter's 25 year reign as Bishop of Rome was therefore from 42-67 A.D.

Pope Saint Linus (Pope from 67 A.D. to 76 A.D.)[edit]

Saint Irenaeus relates: "that Tradition derived from the Apostles, of the very great, the very ancient, and universally known Church founded and organized at Rome by the two most glorious Apostles, Peter and Paul; as also [by pointing out] the faith preached to men, which comes down to our time by means of the Successions of the Bishops. For it is a matter of necessity that every Church should agree with this Church, on account of its preeminent authority [potiorem principalitatem].

3. The blessed apostles, then, having founded and built up the Church, committed into the hands of Linus the office of the episcopate. Of this Linus, Paul makes mention in the Epistles to Timothy."^[4]

Saint Paul the Apostle had written of Pope St. Linus, "Do thy diligence to come before winter. Eubulus greeteth thee, and Pudens, and Linus, and Claudia, and all the brethren." (2 Tim 4:21). This epistle was written near the very end of St. Paul's life, just before his martyrdom in 67 A.D.

Pope Saint Anacletus (Pope from 76 A.D. to 88 A.D.)[edit]

St. Irenaeus documents: "To him succeeded Anacletus; and after him, in the third place from the apostles, Clement was allotted the bishopric."

Bp. Eusebius, "Father of Church History" wrote: "In the twelfth year of the same reign Clement succeeded Anencletus after the latter had been bishop of the church of Rome for twelve years. The apostle in his Epistle to the Philippians informs us that this Clement was his fellow-worker. His words are as follows: With Clement and the rest of my fellow-laborers whose names are in the book of life(Phil 4:3)."^[5]

Pope Saint Clement (Pope from 88 A.D. to 97 A.D.)[edit]

Saint Jerome relates: "Clement, of whom the apostle Paul writing to the Philippians says, "With Clement and others of my fellow-workers whose names are written in the book of life" (Phil 4:3), the fourth bishop of Rome after Peter, if indeed the second was Linus and the third Anacletus, although most of the Latins think that Clement was second after the apostle. He wrote, on the part of the church of Rome, an especially valuable Letter to the church of the Corinthians, which in some places is publicly read, and which seems to me to agree in style with the epistle to the Hebrews which passes under the name of Paul but it differs from this same epistle, not only in many of its ideas, but also in respect of the order of words, and its likeness in either respect is not very great. There is also a second Epistle under his name which is rejected by earlier writers, and a Disputation between Peter and Appion written out at length, which Eusebius in the third book of his Church history rejects. He died in the third year of Trajan and a church built at Rome preserves the memory of his name unto this day. ^[6]

References[edit]

1. ↑ http://www.biblicalcatholic.com/apologetics/PeterRockKeysPrimacyRome.htm
2. ↑ Schaff, Philip. History of the Christian Church. Volume 2, page 166.
3. ↑ De Viris Illustribus, #1, on Saint Peter. https://www.newadvent.org/fathers/2708.htm
4. ↑ Adversus Haereses, Book III, Cap. 3. https://www.newadvent.org/fathers/0103303.htm
5. ↑ Ecclesiastical History, Book III, Cap. 15. https://www.newadvent.org/fathers/250103.htm
6. ↑ De Viris Illustribus, #15, on Pope Clement. https://www.newadvent.org/fathers/2708.htm