Today's episode takes us back to some familiar territory, that of the unknown really. There is not a lot of documented information about Pope Evaristus, so we will try our best here to provide you with the best impression of what his story and his contributions to the Church.
Early Life
We are not exactly sure when Pope Evaristus was born, however, the Liber Pontificalis states his father was a Hellenic Jew. During this time in history, being Hellenic refers to someone who was of Greek origin, so this would mean that he was born into a Jewish family of Greek ancestry. Although the sources used for this podcast state that his father was from Bethlehem, we are not sure if Evaristus lived there himself.
Role In the Early Church
Although there is very little known about our fifth Holy Father, we can attempt to draw some conclusions as to the nature of his papacy. Evaristus was most likely elected Pope in the late first century, around the years 98 or 99.
Evaristus was believed to have made a few notable contributions to the early Catholic Church. The first was that of assigning the first priests to local churches. As mentioned in episode four, Pope Cletus was believed to have ordained priests during his papacy, so we already have the formation of the early priesthood. We now have Pope Evaristus assigning these priests to particular churches, or tituli.
Tituli was the plural form of the common name of early church houses. We have to remember, it was not exactly cool to be a Christian back in those days. While already in its early history Christianity had been generally accepted, it was certainly not as popular as it is today. In fact, under the reign of Emperor Trajan, if a Christian openly practiced their faith they would be persecuted, much like what happened to Pope Clement I.
To get around this issue, many of the early Christians were setting up these little Churches within their own homes. These home churches were officially called domus ecclesia. The name of the owner of the home would be inscribed on a tablet in front of the home, called a titulus. Eventually, the home churches began to be called tituli for short. People in the community would distinguish each church by the name of its owner. This is a very formative development, as we are beginning to see the emergence of the parish priest system of organization we know of today.
Early Life
We are not exactly sure when Pope Evaristus was born, however, the Liber Pontificalis states his father was a Hellenic Jew. During this time in history, being Hellenic refers to someone who was of Greek origin, so this would mean that he was born into a Jewish family of Greek ancestry. Although the sources used for this podcast state that his father was from Bethlehem, we are not sure if Evaristus lived there himself.
Role In the Early Church
Although there is very little known about our fifth Holy Father, we can attempt to draw some conclusions as to the nature of his papacy. Evaristus was most likely elected Pope in the late first century, around the years 98 or 99.
Evaristus was believed to have made a few notable contributions to the early Catholic Church. The first was that of assigning the first priests to local churches. As mentioned in episode four, Pope Cletus was believed to have ordained priests during his papacy, so we already have the formation of the early priesthood. We now have Pope Evaristus assigning these priests to particular churches, or tituli.
Tituli was the plural form of the common name of early church houses. We have to remember, it was not exactly cool to be a Christian back in those days. While already in its early history Christianity had been generally accepted, it was certainly not as popular as it is today. In fact, under the reign of Emperor Trajan, if a Christian openly practiced their faith they would be persecuted, much like what happened to Pope Clement I.
To get around this issue, many of the early Christians were setting up these little Churches within their own homes. These home churches were officially called domus ecclesia. The name of the owner of the home would be inscribed on a tablet in front of the home, called a titulus. Eventually, the home churches began to be called tituli for short. People in the community would distinguish each church by the name of its owner. This is a very formative development, as we are beginning to see the emergence of the parish priest system of organization we know of today.
Evaristus also has been credited, at times, with creating the first of what were called diaconias in ancient Rome. I have noticed a slight discrepancy in my research materials, however, regarding the context of the terms diaconia. The Oxford Dictionary of Popes states that Evaristus might have instituted seven deacons to escort the Pope, indicating diaconias were in fact a term related to deacons of the Church. Another take on this term is cited by Wikipedia, which defines a diaconia as “an establishment built near a church building, for the care of the poor and distribution of the church's charity in medieval Rome or Naples.” While it would be nice to claim that Evaristus started these charitable organizations during his time, we really can't be certain as our definition states they began in medieval times, not the ancient times of Pope Evaristus.
In addition to assigning priests to the local tituli, Evaristus has been credited with a few major writings. His name has been attached to two letters (or epistles similar to that of Pope Clement I) and two decretals. By the way a decretal is a letter written by a pope with a decision of some sort, usually with regards to discipline. These are usually tied to the motu proprios we discussed in episode four. Unfortunately, most historians today agree Pope Evaristus most likely was not the author of these documents. So while it is likely that Pope Evaristus wrote some important documents to his fellow Christians, we just don't know exactly which ones he wrote.
Death
Pope Evaristus most likely died around the year 107. Catholic tradition states that Pope Evaristus was martyred, however there is no historical evidence to back up that claim. But common sense would tell us that if Evaristus was Pope during the reign of Emperor Trajan, there is a strong chance that he could have been martyred as Trajan was not a fan of Christianity. However it should be noted that Trajan was infamous for being a “virtuous pagan” in that he did not persecute Christians who practiced their faith in private. Therefore, as long as Pope Evaristus respected the rule of Trajan he most likely would have been safe. Also, the Roman Martyrology cites no indication of Pope Evaristus having been martyred. A Martyrology is a catalogue or list of martyrs, arranged in the calendar order of their anniversaries or feasts. The Roman Martyrology of the Catholic Church was first published in the 1500's, so we really don't for sure how Evaristus died.
Pope Evaristus was believed to have been buried next to the tomb of St. Peter.
Honors
Pope Evaristus' feast day is celebrated on October 26.
It should also be noted that the Liberian Catalogue gives his name as Aristus, not Evaristus. I wondered if the difference in Evaristus and Aristus was similar to that Cletus and Anacletus as we discussed in episode four, however I was unable to get an adequate answer to that question. Nonetheless, we should respect the name of Aristus as it remains a part of Catholic tradition in the Liberian Catologue.
Conclusion
In conclusion, with Pope Evaristus we continue to find the early Catholic Church matriculating through another period of growth and organization. Evaristus gave us a leap in terms of the organization of the early Church, establishing a very crude but crucial method of assigning priests that has carried on till this very day. In fact, my own parish is experiencing the reassignment of one of our priests. And if you are listening Father Peter, we wish you the best in your future mission and thank you for all of your service to our parish and community.
So, while we are still not identifying our early Church father's with the monarchical episcopate we have today, the emergence of the Pope as the Vicar of Christ and spiritual leader of our earliest brothers and sisters continues to blossom through this extremely formative period of Catholic history.
Well that's it for today's show. But before I go I would like to note that I believe I made a mistake in our previous episode regarding Pope Clement I. While I was conducting the research for today's episode I realized that I stated Clement died in the year 96. When I came upon the dates of Evaristus' ascension to Pope I began to realize the date given for Clement's death was not making sense. Then, listener “silvergreycat” kindly posted the following comment on the blog, and I am gonna quote you on this “silvergreycat,” I hope you don't mind:
“Domitian died September 18, in year 96. He was followed by Nerva, who ruled until January27, of the year 98, who in turn was followed by Trajan. It seems unlikely, to me, that he (meaning Trajan) would have known about Clement in 96--(as) Trajan was a military governor along the German frontier before becoming emperor--much less have the authority needed to exile and kill the pope.”
Well, “silvergreycat” you are absolutely on target with this observation and I stand corrected. So, to correct myself I want to state that after Emperor Domitian's execution in the year 96, there was a brief period of time in which a man named Nerva served as Emperor. However, Nerva was unable to appease the royal subjects and military commanders of his empire and was succeeded by his adopted son, Trajan, in the year 98. It is in the last years of the first century that Pope Clement I meets his alleged fate at the hand of Trajan, not 96. Thanks again silvergreycat.
OK, that's it for today's show. Thanks again everyone for all of the wonderful feedback and for listening. It is simply amazing to me to be able to share this wonderful story of our Church and the fact you all are hanging in there with me is much appreciated. So until next time, please remember to take care of yourselves, and each other and God Bless!
In addition to assigning priests to the local tituli, Evaristus has been credited with a few major writings. His name has been attached to two letters (or epistles similar to that of Pope Clement I) and two decretals. By the way a decretal is a letter written by a pope with a decision of some sort, usually with regards to discipline. These are usually tied to the motu proprios we discussed in episode four. Unfortunately, most historians today agree Pope Evaristus most likely was not the author of these documents. So while it is likely that Pope Evaristus wrote some important documents to his fellow Christians, we just don't know exactly which ones he wrote.
Death
Pope Evaristus most likely died around the year 107. Catholic tradition states that Pope Evaristus was martyred, however there is no historical evidence to back up that claim. But common sense would tell us that if Evaristus was Pope during the reign of Emperor Trajan, there is a strong chance that he could have been martyred as Trajan was not a fan of Christianity. However it should be noted that Trajan was infamous for being a “virtuous pagan” in that he did not persecute Christians who practiced their faith in private. Therefore, as long as Pope Evaristus respected the rule of Trajan he most likely would have been safe. Also, the Roman Martyrology cites no indication of Pope Evaristus having been martyred. A Martyrology is a catalogue or list of martyrs, arranged in the calendar order of their anniversaries or feasts. The Roman Martyrology of the Catholic Church was first published in the 1500's, so we really don't for sure how Evaristus died.
Pope Evaristus was believed to have been buried next to the tomb of St. Peter.
Honors
Pope Evaristus' feast day is celebrated on October 26.
It should also be noted that the Liberian Catalogue gives his name as Aristus, not Evaristus. I wondered if the difference in Evaristus and Aristus was similar to that Cletus and Anacletus as we discussed in episode four, however I was unable to get an adequate answer to that question. Nonetheless, we should respect the name of Aristus as it remains a part of Catholic tradition in the Liberian Catologue.
Conclusion
In conclusion, with Pope Evaristus we continue to find the early Catholic Church matriculating through another period of growth and organization. Evaristus gave us a leap in terms of the organization of the early Church, establishing a very crude but crucial method of assigning priests that has carried on till this very day. In fact, my own parish is experiencing the reassignment of one of our priests. And if you are listening Father Peter, we wish you the best in your future mission and thank you for all of your service to our parish and community.
So, while we are still not identifying our early Church father's with the monarchical episcopate we have today, the emergence of the Pope as the Vicar of Christ and spiritual leader of our earliest brothers and sisters continues to blossom through this extremely formative period of Catholic history.
Well that's it for today's show. But before I go I would like to note that I believe I made a mistake in our previous episode regarding Pope Clement I. While I was conducting the research for today's episode I realized that I stated Clement died in the year 96. When I came upon the dates of Evaristus' ascension to Pope I began to realize the date given for Clement's death was not making sense. Then, listener “silvergreycat” kindly posted the following comment on the blog, and I am gonna quote you on this “silvergreycat,” I hope you don't mind:
“Domitian died September 18, in year 96. He was followed by Nerva, who ruled until January27, of the year 98, who in turn was followed by Trajan. It seems unlikely, to me, that he (meaning Trajan) would have known about Clement in 96--(as) Trajan was a military governor along the German frontier before becoming emperor--much less have the authority needed to exile and kill the pope.”
Well, “silvergreycat” you are absolutely on target with this observation and I stand corrected. So, to correct myself I want to state that after Emperor Domitian's execution in the year 96, there was a brief period of time in which a man named Nerva served as Emperor. However, Nerva was unable to appease the royal subjects and military commanders of his empire and was succeeded by his adopted son, Trajan, in the year 98. It is in the last years of the first century that Pope Clement I meets his alleged fate at the hand of Trajan, not 96. Thanks again silvergreycat.
OK, that's it for today's show. Thanks again everyone for all of the wonderful feedback and for listening. It is simply amazing to me to be able to share this wonderful story of our Church and the fact you all are hanging in there with me is much appreciated. So until next time, please remember to take care of yourselves, and each other and God Bless!
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