St. Callistus -- A Deacon
who became Pope
Callistus (also spelled Calistus and Calixtus) is mentioned in
Eusebius as being Bishop of Rome for about five years, following
Zephyrinus and preceding Urban in the episcopacy. The Liberian
Catalogue, the work of an anonymous chronographer of A.D. 354 and
the source of the earliest portion of the Liber Pontificalis
(Book of Popes), notes that Callistus reigned as Pope for 5
years, two months, and 10 days. It also relates that he died a
martyr and was buried at the 3rd mile on the Via Aurelia on
October 14, 222.
Most of our information on Callistus comes from a biography written by an erudite and refined priest, Hippolytus (A.D. 170-236), a great theologian and a disciple of Irenaeus. Hippolytus was a contemporary and a bitter opponent of Callistus. He presents a lifelike and natural account of Callistus' life that seems to be substantially true in its main features. However, in reading it, one must make allowance for the personal animosity of the writer which leads him to put a dark interpretation on every element of the story. For example, Hippolytus writes that Callistus is "a man cunning in wickedness, and subtle where deceit was concerned, who was impelled by restless ambition to mount the episcopal throne."
In the mini-biography in the Liturgy of the Hours, it is noted that Callistus was ordained a deacon by Pope Zephyrinus. There is no explicit statement to that effect in the writings of Hippolytus. Nevertheless, it is consistent with the statement that after the death of Pope Victor, the new pope Zephyrinus "had Callistus as a fellow-worker in the management of his clergy ... and appointed him over the cemetery." These tasks and Callistus' status as a 'fellow-worker' surely indicate that he was a deacon.
Callistus was a Christian slave in the household of Carpophorus, a member of the Emperor Commodus' family. Carpophorus, also a Christian, entrusted Callistus with a large sum of money to invest in the banking business.
At this time, one of the main commitments of the Christian community in Rome was to place their savings in 'Christian' banks. Callistus opened such a bank and collected the money Christians gave him to deposit. He would lend it to the pagans and the Jews of Rome at high interest rates and use the proceeds to sustain the poor of the Christian community. The banking activities were risky and in the year 188 Callistus' enterprise was ruined. Carpophorus was notified and demanded an accounting from his slave. Callistus fled to the port and boarded a ship about to raise anchor. Carpophorus being informed of this hurried to the harbour in pursuit. Callistus saw his pursuers coming and cast himself into the sea. The sailors leaped into boats, drew him out of the water, and handed him over to his master. He was brought back to Rome and thrown into the 'pistrinum', a place where slaves were forced to turn the huge grinder of a domestic treadmill.
As time wore on, some of the brothers in the community entreated Carpophorus to release Callistus, claiming that he had creditors who had defaulted on their loans. Carpophorus yielded to their persuasion and freed Callistus.
Upon his release, Callistus went to some of his creditors in a synagogue and upset the congregation. He was beaten up, brought to the prefect of the city, and accused of creating a disturbance. He was also identified as a Christian. The prefect had him scourged and condemned him to forced labour in the mines of Sardinia.
The next episode in the story concerns Marcia, a concubine of the Emperor Commodus and also a Christian sympathizer, who desired to perform a good work. She invited the Pope Victor into her presence and requested from him a list of Christians who had been sentenced to Sardinia. She then persuaded the emperor to grant an amnesty to them. Apparently, Callistus' name was the only one not on the list of those to be released.
Marcia gave the letter of emancipation to a priest called Hyacinthus. He sailed to Sardinia and succeeded in having the prisoners, with the exception of Callistus, released. But Callistus then entreated Hyacinthus that he might likewise be released. His appeal was successful and Hyacinthus told the governor that Callistus' freedom would be a personal favour for Marcia herself. So, Callistus returned to the mainland. Pope Victor ordered him to live at Antium, although he guaranteed him a small monthly allowance.
Twelve years later, after the election of a new pope, Zephyrinus, Callistus was recalled to Rome. The new pope put him in charge of the clergy and set him over the cemetery. (This cemetery has been identified with one of the largest of the catacombs in Rome, the Cemetery of St Callistus. It was the first common cemetery for the use of the whole Christian community. Thirteen of the next eighteen popes after Callistus are said to have been buried there. In fact, the names of seven out of the thirteen have been identified from old inscriptions found in one crypt of the cemetery.)
In 217, Zephyrinus died and Callistus was nominated as his successor. He now became Bishop of Rome. Hippolytus, who felt better qualified for the position, rebelled, rallied a small group of followers and had himself elected bishop: the first anti-pope in Church history. His anger grew when Callistus did not condemn the schism making it seem all the more petty.
On October 14, 222, five years after he had been elected to Peter's chair, Callistus was martyred. Tradition tells us that he was seized in a popular rising, thrown out of the window of his house, and flung into a well. Callistus was well loved by the Christians of Rome and after his death he was then venerated as only Peter and Paul were. He was the first martyr to be honored in the liturgy of Rome.
Hippolytus wrote his biography of Callistus a few years after the martyrdom but his hatred was still virulent. He judged Callistus as shameful and his episcopate the worst it could have been. Hippolytus' accusations against Callistus and his liberal church policy can be summed up as follows:
Hippolytus was much irritated that Callistus had such a large following while he himself with all his learning had such a small one. Hippolytus achieved sufficient fame that his bust was installed in the public library. Yet, when he again tried to take possession of the throne of Peter, the whole community rallied around Callistus' successors, Urban and Pontianus (a disciple of Callistus). In the end, Hippolytus was reconciled with the Church. He was deported to Sardinia with Pope Pontianus. There, in 235, he died a martyr and a saint.
(The Church celebrates the feast of St. Callistus on October 14.)
References.
"The History of the Church from Christ to Constantine" by Eusebius; translated with an introduction by G. A. Williamson. Dorset Press, New York, 1984 [1965].
"The Book of Pontiffs (Liber Pontificalis): the ancient biographies of the first ninety Roman bishops to AD 715"; translated with an introduction by Raymond Davis, Liverpool University Press, 1989.
"The Refutation Of All Heresies" by Hippolytus; in "The Ante-Nicene Fathers", Vol. 5, Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 1990
"St Callistus" by Antonio Socci; in "30 days", November, 1990.
[© Michael Closs, May 29, 1997]