Hyginus, Pope, Saint

HYGINUS, POPE, saint. — He is commemorated in the Roman Martyrology on January 11 as a martyr, but no ancient source knows or recalls his martyrdom. The exact time of his pontificate is also uncertain. In the most reliable episcopal lists he is said to have succeeded Pope Telesphorus: he would therefore have been elected in 138. The duration of his pontificate is also variously and poorly attested by the sources; however, the notice reported by Eusebius, who attributes 4 years of government to him, seems more reliable: he would therefore have died in 142.

Very few and no less uncertain are the details of his life. According to the Liber Pontificalis he was of Athenian origin and a philosopher. During his government he is said to have instituted the Minor Orders of the ecclesiastical hierarchy and to have distributed the various offices of the clergy. Some decretals are also attributed to him, which are certainly apocryphal. From St. Irenaeus it is known that during his pontificate the Gnostics Valentinus and Cerdon came to Rome to spread their errors. The latter even managed, through a cunning profession of faith, to be received into the community, but was later unmasked and driven out.