Eleutherus

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Eleutherus
Depiction of Eleutherus in the Basilica of Saint Paul Outside the Walls
Depiction of Eleutherus in the Basilica of Saint Paul Outside the Walls
Born 2nd century ( Nicopolis , Greece )
Deceased May 24, 189 ( Rome )
Holiday May 26
Attributes Tiara , cross staff , book

Eleutherus or Eleutherius (* according to Liber pontificalis in Nicopolis , Greece; † May 24, 189 in Rome , buried on the Vatican Hill ) was bishop of Rome from around 175 to 189 .

The earliest list of the bishops of Rome by Irenaeus of Lyons ends with this Greek . References to him can also be found in Eusebius of Caesarea and in other documents of the time. Like his predecessors, he struggled with montanism . According to his contemporary Hegesippus , Eleutherus is said to have been a deacon during the term of office of the Roman bishop Anicetus .

The Liber Pontificalis from the beginning of the 6th century reports that he had relations with the British King Lucius, who had a desire to convert to Christianity . This legend - of Roman, not British origin - probably has its origins in the parallel literary tradition of King Abgar IX. from Edessa to do.

pontificate

In contrast to the professing Christians in Asia Minor and Gaul , the Roman community lived without persecution during the time of his pontificate . Eleutherus turned against the heresies of the Marcionites , Montanists and Valentinians , who wanted to explain the secrets of the Christian faith or to prophesy the imminent end of the world through philosophical speculations - according to their self- image.

Death and adoration

Eleutherus is said to have died of natural causes in Rome around 189 , not a martyr . He is shown in pictures in papal robes with a tiara and cross staff , as well as with a book. The holy day of remembrance of Eleutherius is May 26th, his name means: "the free" or "the liberator".

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Eleutherius on heiligenlexikon.de. Retrieved August 19, 2015.
  2. ↑ Cf. Georg Schwaiger: Eleutherus . In: Walter Kasper (Ed.): Lexicon for Theology and Church . 3. Edition. tape 3 . Herder, Freiburg im Breisgau 1995, Sp. 586 .
  3. ^ Lexicon of the Saints (page 157), Weltbild Publishing Group , Augsburg, 2005, ISBN 3-8289-4980-0

literature

Web links

Commons : Eleutherus  - collection of images, videos and audio files
predecessor Office successor
Soterus Bishop of Rome
(the term Pope was first used after 384)
around 175–189 		Viktor I.
personal data
SURNAME Eleutherus
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Eleutherius
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Bishop of Rome
DATE OF BIRTH 2nd century
PLACE OF BIRTH uncertain: Nicopolis , Greece
DATE OF DEATH May 24th 189
Place of death buried Vatican Hill