Pope_Alexander_I

Saint Alexander I





Birth name

Alexander


Papacy began

ca. 106


Papacy ended

ca. 115


Predecessor

Evaristus


Successor

Sixtus I


Born

unknown date
Rome, Italy


Died

ca. 115
Rome, Italy


Other popes named Alexander


Pope Saint Alexander I was the bishop of Rome for seven to ten years in the early second century. According to Catholic tradition, the dates of his episcopacy are estimated from as early as 106-115 and as late as 109-119 C.E. Tradition holds that Alexander I converted the Roman governor Hermes and 1,500 members of his family, servants, and government officials to Christianity. Like all of the early popes, he is honored as a saint and a martyr. He was formerly credited with instituting several church traditions, but much of this is now doubted by secular and Catholic scholars alike.

Contents

1 Biography
2 Legacy
3 Notes
4 References
5 External links
6 Credits



Alexander's feast day is celebrated on May 3. From 1960, the Roman Calendar no longer lists him as a martyr, as his cause of death cannot be historically confirmed.

Biography
A Roman who was named after his father, Alexander, was reportedly born at "Caput Tauri," thought to refer to the area of Esquiline Hill, one of the Seven hills of Rome. Nothing is known of his life before he took office. Some sources say his episcopacy lasted seven years, others ten.
According to the Liber Pontificalis, it was Alexander I who inserted the narration of the Last Supper (the Qui pridie) into the Catholic mass. However, this claim is now considered to be anachronistic by both Catholic and non-Catholic experts. It is viewed as a product of the agenda of Liber Pontificalis—this section of the book was probably written in the late fifth century—to show an ancient pattern of the earliest bishops of Rome ruling the church by papal decree.

 Alexander I in the Sistine Chapel.
Alexander I is also said to have introduced the use of holy water and salt for the purification of Christian homes from evil influences, as well as the custom of mixing water with the sacramental wine of the Eucharist. All this, too, is considered unlikely, as is the report that he ordained six priests, two deacons, and five bishops, since these offices are not thought to have been defined as such yet in his time. However, it is certainly possible that Alexander, whether acting singly or part of a collective leadership at Rome, played an important part in the governance of the church and the evolution of its emerging liturgical and administrative tradition.
Liber Pontificalis also reports that Alexander suffered martyrdom by beheading, probably under the Roman Emperor Trajan (or possibly Hadrian). The priest Eventius and the deacon Theodulus are said to have died with him outside of Rome. However, Irenaeus of Lyons, writing much earlier than the Liber Pontificalis, does not know of this tradition. Since Liber Pontificalis reports that all the early popes were martyrs, the accuracy of this report is now treated with skepticism. The date of his death is given as May 3, and he was buried on the Via Nomentana, where his execution took place.

Legacy
Although little is known of Alexander I with certainty, he became part of a time-honored tradition that views each of the early popes as both saints and martyrs. Three Christian martyrs named Alexander, Eventius, and Theodulus were indeed buried along the Via Nomentana, but it is now thought that Alexander I was was a different Alexander—probably mistakenly identified as one of the martyrs by the writer of Liber Pontificalis or his source. His remains are said to have been transferred to Freising in Bavaria, Germany in 834 C.E.
A later tradition holds that in the reign of Emperor Hadrian, Alexander I converted the Roman governor Hermes by miraculous means, together with his entire household of 1500 souls. Saint Quirinus of Neuss, who was Alexander's supposed jailer, and Quirinus' daughter Saint Balbina were also among his converts.[1]
Alexander's feast day is celebrated on May 3, the traditional date of his death. The identification of Alexander as a martyr was removed from the Roman Calendar by Pope John XXIII in 1960 as lacking historical basis.




Roman Catholic Popes


Preceded by:
Evaristus

Bishop of Rome 
Pope
106–115

Succeeded by: Sixtus I


Notes

↑ E. Cobham Brewer, A Dictionary of Miracles (London: Chatto and Windus, 1901). Retrieved November 26, 2008.


ReferencesISBN links support NWE through referral fees
Benedict XVI. The Roman Martyrology. Gardners Books, 2007. ISBN 9780548133743.
Chapman, John. Studies on the Early Papacy. Port Washington, NY: Kennikat Press, 1971. ISBN 9781901157604.
Fortescue, Adrian, and Scott M. P. Reid. The Early Papacy: To the Synod of Chalcedon in 451. Southampton: Saint Austin Press, 1997. ISBN 9781901157604.
Jowett, George F. The Drama of the Lost Disciples. London: Covenant Pub. Co, 1968. OCLC 7181392
Loomis, Louise Ropes. The Book of Popes (Liber Pontificalis). Merchantville, NJ: Evolution Publishing. ISBN 1889758868.
External links
All links retrieved November 24, 2022.

Catholic Encyclopedia: Pope St. Alexander I
Encyclopaedia Britannica: Saint Alexander I
Popes of the Catholic Church
Peter 
Linus 
Anacletus 
Clement I 
Evaristus 
Alexander I 
Sixtus I 
Telesphorus 
Hyginus 
Pius I 
Anicetus 
Soter 
Eleuterus 
Victor I 
Zephyrinus 
Callixtus I 
Urban I 
Pontian 
Anterus 
Fabian 
Cornelius 
Lucius I 
Stephen I 
Sixtus II 
Dionysius 
Felix I 
Eutychian 
Caius 
Marcellinus 
Marcellus I 
Eusebius 
Miltiades 
Sylvester I 
Mark


Julius I 
Liberius 
Damasus I 
Siricius 
Anastasius I 
Innocent I 
Zosimus 
Boniface I 
Celestine I 
Sixtus III
Leo I 
Hilarius 
Simplicius 
Felix III 
Gelasius I 
Anastasius II 
Symmachus 
Hormisdas 
 John I 
Felix IV 
Boniface II 
John II 
Agapetus I 
Silverius 
Vigilius 
Pelagius I
John III 
Benedict I 
Pelagius II 
Gregory I 
Sabinian 
Boniface III 
Boniface IV 
Adeodatus I


Boniface V 
Honorius I 
Severinus 
John IV 
Theodore I 
Martin I 
Eugene I
Vitalian 
Adeodatus II 
Donus 
Agatho 
Leo II 
Benedict II 
John V 
Conon 
Sergius I 
John VI 
John VII 
Sisinnius 
Constantine 
Gregory II 
Gregory III
Zachary 
Stephen II 
Paul I 
Stephen III 
Adrian I 
Leo III 
Stephen IV 
Paschal I 
Eugene II 
 Valentine 
Gregory IV 
Sergius II


Leo IV 
Benedict III 
Nicholas I 
Adrian II 
John VIII 
Marinus I 
Adrian III 
Stephen V 
Formosus 
Boniface VI 
Stephen VI 
Romanus 
Theodore II 
John IX 
Benedict IV 
Leo V 
Sergius III 
Anastasius III 
Lando 
John X 
Leo VI 
Stephen VII 
John XI 
Leo VII 
Stephen VIII 
Marinus II 
Agapetus II 
John XII 
Leo VIII 
Benedict V 
John XIII 
Benedict VI 
Benedict VII 
John XIV


John XV 
Gregory V 
Sylvester II 
John XVII 
John XVIII 
Sergius IV 
 Benedict VIII 
John XIX 
Benedict IX 
Sylvester III 
Benedict IX 
Gregory VI 
Clement II 
Benedict IX 
Damasus II 
Leo IX 
Victor II 
Stephen IX 
Nicholas II 
Alexander II 
Gregory VII 
Victor III 
Urban II 
Paschal II 
Gelasius II 
Callixtus II 
Honorius II 
Innocent II 
Celestine II 
Lucius II 
Eugene III 
Anastasius IV 
Adrian IV 
Alexander III


Lucius III 
Urban III 
Gregory VIII 
Clement III 
Celestine III 
Innocent III 
Honorius III 
Gregory IX 
Celestine IV 
Innocent IV 
Alexander IV 
Urban IV 
Clement IV 
Gregory X 
Innocent V 
Adrian V 
John XXI 
Nicholas III 
Martin IV 
Honorius IV 
Nicholas IV 
Celestine V 
Boniface VIII 
Benedict XI 
Clement V 
John XXII 
Benedict XII 
Clement VI 
Innocent VI 
Urban V 
Gregory XI 
Urban VI 
Boniface IX 
Innocent VII


Gregory XII 
Martin V 
Eugene IV 
Nicholas V 
Callixtus III 
Pius II 
Paul II 
Sixtus IV 
Innocent VIII 
Alexander VI 
Pius III 
Julius II 
Leo X 
Adrian VI 
Clement VII 
Paul III 
Julius III 
Marcellus II 
Paul IV 
Pius IV 
Pius V 
Gregory XIII 
Sixtus V 
Urban VII 
Gregory XIV 
Innocent IX 
Clement VIII 
Leo XI 
Paul V 
Gregory XV 
Urban VIII 
Innocent X 
Alexander VII 
Clement IX


Clement X 
Innocent XI 
Alexander VIII 
Innocent XII 
Clement XI 
Innocent XIII 
Benedict XIII 
Clement XII 
Benedict XIV 
Clement XIII 
Clement XIV 
Pius VI 
Pius VII 
Leo XII 
Pius VIII 
Gregory XVI 
Pius IX 
Leo XIII 
Pius X 
Benedict XV 
Pius XI 
Pius XII 
John XXIII 
Paul VI 
John Paul I 
John Paul II
Benedict XVI

Currently: Francis

Credits
New World Encyclopedia writers and editors rewrote and completed the Wikipedia article
in accordance with New World Encyclopedia standards. This article abides by terms of the Creative Commons CC-by-sa 3.0 License (CC-by-sa), which may be used and disseminated with proper attribution. Credit is due under the terms of this license that can reference both the New World Encyclopedia contributors and the selfless volunteer contributors of the Wikimedia Foundation. To cite this article click here for a list of acceptable citing formats.The history of earlier contributions by wikipedians is accessible to researchers here:

Pope Alexander I  history
The history of this article since it was imported to New World Encyclopedia:

History of "Pope Alexander I"
Note: Some restrictions may apply to use of individual images which are separately licensed.