Philosophumena; or, The refutation of all heresies, Volume IHippolytus, Antipope
Philosophy
Philosophumena; or, The refutation of all heresies, Volume I
Hippolytus, Antipope
Christian heresies -- History -- Early church, ca. 30-600; Occultism; Philosophy, Ancient
Tertullian.[14] Fortunately there is now no reason to re-open the
controversy, which one may conclude has come to an end by the death of
Lipsius, the last serious opponent of the Hippolytan authorship. Mgr.
Duchesne, who may in such a matter be supposed to speak with the voice
of the majority of the learned of his own communion, in his _Histoire
Ancienne de l’Église_[15] accepts the view that Hippolytus was the
author of the _Philosophumena_, and thinks that he became reconciled
to the Church under the persecution of Maximin.[16] We may, therefore,
take it that Hippolytus’ authorship is now admitted on all sides.
A few words must be said as to what is known of this Hippolytus. A
Saint and Martyr of that name appears in the Roman Calendar, and a
seated statue of him was discovered in Rome in the sixteenth century
inscribed on the back of the chair with a list of works, one of which
is claimed in our text as written by its author.[17] He is first
mentioned by Eusebius, who describes him as the “Bishop of another
Church” than that of Bostra, of which he has been speaking;[18]
then by Theodoret, who calls him the “holy Hippolytus, bishop and
martyr”;[19] and finally by Prudentius, who says that he became a
Novatianist, but on his way to martyrdom returned to the bosom of
the Church and entreated his followers to do the same.[20] We have
many writings, mostly fragmentary, attributed to him, including among
others one on the Paschal cycle which is referred to on the statue
just mentioned, a tract against Noetus used later by Epiphanius, and
others on Antichrist, Daniel, and the Apocalypse, all of which show
a markedly chiliastic tendency. In the MSS. in which some of these
occur, he is spoken of as “Bishop of Rome,” and this seems to have been
his usual title among Greek writers, although he is in other places
called “Archbishop,” and by other titles. From these and other facts,
Döllinger comes to the conclusion that he was really an anti-pope
or schismatic bishop who set himself up against the authority of
Callistus, and this, too, is accepted by Mgr. Duchesne, who agrees
with Döllinger that the schism created by him lasted through the
primacies of Callistus’ successors, Urbanus and Pontianus, and only
ceased when this last was exiled together with Hippolytus to the mines
of Sardinia.[21] Though the evidence on which this is based is not
very strong, it is a very reasonable account of the whole matter;
and it becomes more probable if we choose to believe--for which,
however, there is no distinct evidence--that Hippolytus was the head
of the Greek-speaking community of Christians at Rome, while his enemy
Callistus presided over the more numerous Latins. In that case, the
schism would be more likely to be forgotten in time of persecution,
and would have less chance of survival than the more serious ones of
a later age; while it would satisfactorily account for the conduct of
the Imperial authorities in sending the heads of both communities into
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