It
must in justice be admitted, however, that the list of Roman bishops has by far the
preeminence in age, completeness, integrity of succession, consistency of doctrine and policy,
above every similar catalogue, not excepting those of Jerusalem, Antioch, Alexandria, and
Constantinople; and this must carry great weight with those who ground their views chiefly on
external testimonies, without being able to rise to the free Protestant conception of Christianity and
its history of development on earth.
§ 52. List of the Roman Bishops and Roman Emperors during the First Three Centuries.
From the lists of Eusebius (till Silvester), Jaffé (Regesta), Potthast (Bibliotheca Hist. Medii
Aevi), Lipsius and others compared. See a continuation of the list in my History of Mediaeval
Christianity, p. 205 sqq.
Date
Popes
Emperors
Date
Augustus
27 b.c.
Tiberius
a.d. 14–37
Caligula
67–41
Claudius
41–54
? 42–67
Petrus-Apostolus
(63–64)
Nero
54–68
? 67–79
Linus-Presbyter
Galba
68
Otho
68–69
Vitellius
69 –69
? 79–91
Cletus or Anacletus
Titus
79–81
Domitian
81–96
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Christianity. A.D. 100-325.
? 91–100
Clemens I
Nerva
96–98
Trajan
98–117
? 100–109
Evaristus
? 109–119
Alexander I
Hadrian
117–138
? 119–128
Xystus or Sixtus I
? 128–139
Telesphorus (Martyr)
Antoninus Pius
138–161
? 139–142
Hyginus
? 142–154
Pius I
? 154–168
Anicetus
Marcus
Aurelius
161–180
? 168–176
Soter
? 177- 190
Eleutherus
Commodus
180–190
? 190–202
Victor I
Pertinax
190–191
Didius Julianus
191–192
Niger
192–193
Septimius Severus
193–211
202–218
Zephyrinus
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Ante-Nicene
Christianity. A.D. 100-325.
Caracalla
211–217
Geta (d. 212)
211–217
M.Opilius Macrinus
217–218
218–223
Callistus, or Calixtus I
Heliogabalus
218–222
(Hippolytus,Antipope)
? 223–230
Urbanus I
Alexander Severus
222–235
? 230–235
Pontianus (resigned in exile)
235–236
Anterus
Maximin I (the Thracian)
235–237
236–250
Fabianus, Martyr
The two Gordians:
Maximus Pupienus,
Balbinus
237–238
Gordian, the Younger
238–244
Philip
244–249
250–251
The See vacant till March, 251
Decius
249–251
? 251–252
Cornelius (in exile)
Gallus
251–252
? 251
(Novatianus, Antipope)
252–253
Lucius I
Volusian
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Christianity. A.D. 100-325.
252–253
? 253–257
Stephanus I
Aemilian
253–268
Valerian
256–259
Gallienus
259–268
? 257–258
Xystus (Sixtus) II
Till July 21, 259
The See vacant
259–269
Dionysius
Claudius II
268–270
269–274
Felix I
Aurelian
270–275
275–283
Eutychianus
Tacitus
275–276
Probus
276–282
283–296
Gajus (Caius)
Carus
282–284
Carinus
284–286
Numerian
Diocletian (d. 313 )
284–305
Maximian joint Emp.
with Diocletian
286–305
296–304
Marcellinus
Constantius (d. 306)
304 or 307
304–307
The See vacant
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Galerius (d. 311)
Licinius (d. 323)
Maximin II (Daza)
308–309
Constantine
the Great,
309–323
Galerius (d. 311),
308–309
Marcellus
Licinius (d.323),
309–310
Eusebius, d. Sept. 26 (?) 309
Maximin (d. 313),
Maxentius (d. 312),
309–310
The See Vacant
reigning jointly.
311–314
Miltiades (Melchiades)
314-335 Silvester I.
Constantine the Great,
323-337
sole ruler.
The whole number of popes, from the Apostle Peter to Leo XIII. (1878) is two hundred and
sixty-three. This would allow about seven years on an average to each papal reign. The traditional
twenty-five years of Peter were considered the maximum which none of his successors was permitted
to reach, except Pius IX., the first infallible pope, who reigned twenty-seven years (1846-1878).
The average term of office of the archbishops of Canterbury is fourteen years.
§ 53. The Catholic Unity.
J. A. Möhler (R.C.)
: Die Einheit der Kirche oder das Princip des Katholicismus.
Tübingen 1825. Full of Catholic
enthusiasm for the unity of the church.
R. Rothe:
Die Anfänge der christl. Kirche.
Wittenb. 1837 (pp. 553–711). A Protestant counterpart of Möhler’s
book.
Huther.: Cyprian
’s Lehre von der Einheit der Kirche.
Hamb. 1839.
J. W. Nevin: Cyprian; four articles in the "Mercersburg Review," 1852. Comp. Varien’s strictures
on these articles in the same "Review" for 1853, p. 555 sqq.
Joh. Peters (Ultramontane):
Die Lehre des heil.
Cyprian
von der Einheit der Kirche gegenüber den beiden Schismen in Carthago
und Rom
. Luxemb. 1870.
Jos. H. Reinkens (Old Cath. Bishop):
Die Lehre des heil.
Cyprian
von der Einheit er Kirche.
Würzburg, 1873.
Comp. also Hartel’s ed. of Cyprian’s Opera (3 Parts, Vienna, 1868–’71), and the monographs on
Cyprian by Rettberg (1831), Peters (1877), Fechtrup (1878), and O. Ritschl (1883).
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