The Ante-Nicene Church · AD 180–313
Callistus I of Rome
d. c. 222 · Bishop of Rome · Rome
The Ante-Nicene Church
Who Callistus I of Rome was
Bishop of Rome (c. 217–222), the most controversial of the third-century popes — a former slave who, by Hippolytus’s hostile account, had been condemned to the Sardinian mines before rising to the diaconate under Zephyrinus and then the episcopate. He earned Hippolytus’s and Tertullian’s fury for two pastoral relaxations: readmitting to communion those guilty of grave sexual sin after penance, and recognizing unions between free women and their slaves. His enemies branded him lax and heretical; the church remembered him as a martyr and gave his name to the great catacomb he had administered. The clash with Hippolytus produced the first antipope.
Also listed in the bishops of Rome.
Common questions
When did Callistus I die?
Callistus I of Rome is dated d. c. 222 in the archive, which places Callistus I in the Ante-Nicene Church (AD 180–313). The dating is traditional and approximate; the archive marks it as uncertain rather than fixing a year the sources do not give.
Which early sources mention Callistus I?
Callistus I of Rome is named in 3 primary-source passages catalogued here, drawn from Hippolytus of Rome, Eusebius of Caesarea and The chronographer of 354. Every passage is quoted from a named public-domain translation, earliest first.
Where was Callistus I from?
The archive associates Callistus I of Rome with Rome.
Who were Callistus I’s contemporaries?
The archive links Callistus I of Rome to 6 other figures, including Zephyrinus of Rome, Hippolytus of Rome, Urban I of Rome and Marcia. Each connection is drawn from a source that places them together, not from inference.
Primary-source mentions (3)
Every passage below is quoted from a named public-domain translation, earliest first.
Refutation of All Heresies IX.7
c. AD 225Callistus… propounded the opinion that, if a bishop were to sin, even a sin unto death, he ought not to be deposed. About the time of this man, bishops, priests, and deacons who had been twice and thrice married began to be allowed to retain their place.Hippolytus of Rome · IX.7 · source text
Ecclesiastical History VI.21 (the succession from Zephyrinus)
c. AD 325After Zephyrinus had held the office for eighteen years, Callistus received the episcopate.Eusebius of Caesarea · Ecclesiastical History VI.21 · source text
Depositio martyrum (Chronography of 354): 'Callisti in via Aurelia'
c. AD 354XIX Kal. Nov.: Callisti in via Aurelia, miliario III — Callistus, on the Aurelian Way, at the third milestone.The chronographer of 354 · Depositio martyrum · source text
Connected in the archive
People
Events in this lifetime
- AD 156 · The New Prophecy erupts, AD 156
- AD 177 · Persecution at Lyon and Vienne, AD 177
- AD 180 · The Scillitan martyrs, AD 180
- AD 190 · The Quartodeciman controversy, AD 190
- AD 202 · Perpetua and Felicity martyred, AD 202
Place
Places served
The one place the sources put Callistus I.
- 1Rome