Pope Saint Evaristus is the immediate successor of Saint Clement I in the first chain of the bishops of Rome. He belongs to that very early area of Church history where names are better attested than biographies: Irenaeus of Lyon places him, around 180, after Clement and before Alexander in the Roman succession; Eusebius of Caesarea then confirms this transition at the beginning of the 4th century.[1][2]
The official list of the Holy See presents him as the fifth pope of the Catholic Church, born in Greece, with a pontificate beginning in 99 or 96 and ending in 108.[3] The Liber Pontificalis, later, attributes to him a Greek origin from Antioch, a Jewish father named Juda from Bethlehem, the distribution of the Roman tituli to the priests, the ordination of seven deacons charged with liturgical oversight of the bishop, and a burial in the Vatican near the tomb of Peter.[4]
The interest of Evaristus, therefore, is not to provide a novel-like life. It is to be a discreet but necessary link between Clement, the first pope of whom we preserve a substantial writing, and Alexander, in a Church that is going through the end of the apostolic age, the beginnings of Trajan's reign, the crisis of nascent heresies and the martyrdom of Saint Ignatius of Antioch.[5][6]
"To this Clement there succeeded Evaristus. Alexander succeeded Evaristus. [...] By this order and succession, the ecclesiastical tradition from the apostles and the preaching of the truth have come down to us." — Saint Irenaeus of Lyon, Against Heresies, III, 3, 3 (working French translation from the Ante-Nicene Fathers, vol. 1 English text, verified verbatim)[7]
Why does Evaristus matter?
A name almost without anecdotes, but not without weight
Evaristus has left us no authentic letter, no certain decree, no contemporary martyrdom narrative. The Catholic Encyclopedia bluntly sums up the situation: the earliest historical sources offer "no authentic data" about his person beyond his rank in the succession.[8] This documentary poverty obliges the article to follow a rigorous method: not to invent what the sources are silent about, but not to despise what they attest.
What they attest is nevertheless important. Evaristus is already attested in the 2nd century by Irenaeus; he appears as the fourth successor of Peter, just after Clement, with a government situated at the hinge of the 1st and 2nd centuries.[9] His name thus functions as a landmark in primitive Roman memory.
Continuity after Clement
Clement is an exceptionally well-documented pope because his letter to the Corinthians has been preserved. Evaristus, for his part, represents the quieter normality of the early Church: a pastor who receives a Church already structured by Peter, Linus, Anacletus and Clement, then hands it on to Alexander.
This silent transmission matters theologically. Saint Irenaeus does not cite the Roman list out of scholarly taste; he cites it against the Gnostics, who claimed to possess secret traditions. His answer is concrete: the apostles left visible successors, and the apostolic faith is recognized in this public succession.[10]
"It is within the power of all who wish to see the truth to contemplate clearly, in every Church, the tradition of the apostles manifested throughout the whole world." — Saint Irenaeus of Lyon, Against Heresies, III, 3, 1 (working French translation from the Ante-Nicene Fathers, vol. 1 English text, verified verbatim)[11]
A pontificate at the moment when the apostolic age closes
Eusebius places Evaristus in the time of Trajan. In the same book, he connects with this period the tradition of the tomb of the apostle John at Ephesus, transmitted by the letter of Polycrates of Ephesus, as well as the rise of heresies after the disappearance of direct witnesses, the exchange of letters between Pliny the Younger and Trajan on the Christians — written around 111-113, therefore after the end of the pontificate of Evaristus (108)[12] — and the martyrdom of Ignatius of Antioch being taken to Rome.[13][14][15][16]
Evaristus therefore belongs to a critical generation: the Church no longer lives only from the physical presence of the apostles, but it is not yet an imperial institution. It must preserve doctrine, liturgy, discipline and communion within an Empire that can locally tolerate or brutally strike according to circumstances.
The ancient sources
Table of the principal witnesses
| Source | Approximate date | Name used | What it contributes | Caution |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Irenaeus, Against Heresies III, 3 | around 180 | Evaristus | Places Evaristus between Clement and Alexander | Doctrinal list, not a biography |
| Eusebius, Ecclesiastical History III, 34 | early 4th century | Evarestus | Clement hands over the government of Rome to Evaristus in the time of Trajan | Chronology dependent on earlier lists |
| Liberian Catalogue | 354 | Aristus | Variant of the name and long duration 96–108 | Precious but sometimes harmonised list |
| Liber Pontificalis | 6th–7th century in its early form | Euvaristus | Origin, ordinations, tituli, seven deacons, burial | Late source for the first popes |
| Holy See | current official list | Evaristus | Fifth pope, 99 or 96–108, birth in Greece | Contemporary official Catholic reference |
This table is enough to establish the hierarchy of evidence. Irenaeus and Eusebius are decisive for Evaristus's rank. The Liberian Catalogue and the Liber Pontificalis document later Roman tradition, but their biographical and administrative details must be filtered.
Irenaeus: the Roman list as proof of tradition
Irenaeus enumerates the bishops of Rome to refute Gnostic heresies. The chain is not decorative: it serves to show where the public faith, received from the apostles, transmitted by known men, and not by private revelations, is to be found.
In this list, Evaristus appears just after Clement. Irenaeus has just recalled the great Roman letter to the Corinthians, then he adds: "To this Clement there succeeded Evaristus. Alexander succeeded Evaristus."[17] What matters is that the name of Evaristus is already integrated, in the 2nd century, into a Catholic argument of apostolic succession.
"By this order and succession, the ecclesiastical tradition from the apostles, and the preaching of the truth, have come down to us." — Saint Irenaeus of Lyon, Against Heresies, III, 3, 3 (working French translation from the Ante-Nicene Fathers, vol. 1 English text, verified verbatim)[18]
Eusebius: a brief but clear transition
Eusebius, in chapter 34 of book III of his Ecclesiastical History, writes that in the third year of Trajan, Clement handed over the episcopal government of the Church of Rome to Evaristus, then died after nine years of teaching.[19]
The notice is very short. It says nothing of a decree, a martyrdom or a liturgical reform. But it confirms three elements: Evaristus succeeds Clement; this succession is situated at the beginning of Trajan's reign; the Church of Rome is conceived as a Church governed by an episcopal succession.
"In the third year of the reign of the emperor mentioned above, Clement committed the episcopal government of the Church of Rome to Evaristus." — Eusebius of Caesarea, Ecclesiastical History, III, 34 (working translation)[20]
The Liberian Catalogue: Aristus and the long chronology
The Liberian Catalogue, in the 4th century, calls Evaristus Aristus and places his episcopate from 96 to 108, for thirteen years, seven months and two days.[21][22][23] This variant is useful for understanding why the dates of Evaristus oscillate between 96, 99, 107 and 108.
These figures must not be read as the exact acts of a 1st-century pontifical chancery. Louise Ropes Loomis explains, in her introduction to the Book of the Popes, that the Liberian Catalogue gave durations in years, months and days, but that certain harmonisations and confusions are manifest in the primitive lists.[24] The right conclusion is therefore: tradition firmly situates Evaristus at the hinge 96–108, without allowing us to settle the exact day.
The Liber Pontificalis: a rich but late memory
The Liber Pontificalis gives the fullest notice: Evaristus is said to be "a Greek from Antioch", son of a Jew named Juda from Bethlehem; he is said to have occupied the see for nine years, ten months and two days — the reading Duchesne retains in his restitution of the text, taken up again by the Vatican synthesis[25] — while part of the manuscript tradition carries thirteen years, seven months and two days, the very figures of the Liberian Catalogue; he is said to have held three ordinations in December, ordaining seventeen priests, two deacons and fifteen bishops; he is said to have been buried in the Vatican on 27 October.[26]
The same notice attributes to him the organisation of the tituli and of the seven deacons. These elements are interesting for the history of Roman memory, but caution is required: for the first centuries, the Liber Pontificalis likes to attribute to the ancient popes institutions that often reflect later usages.[27][28]
The context: Rome under Trajan
A Church under watch, but not yet persecuted everywhere
Under Trajan, imperial policy towards Christians is not a permanent general persecution. Eusebius reports the correspondence exchanged around 111-113 between Pliny the Younger, then governor of Pontus-Bithynia, and Trajan[29]: Pliny explains that Christians rise before dawn, sing to Christ as to a god, renounce murder, adultery, theft and similar crimes; Trajan replies that they should not be actively sought out, but must be punished if they are denounced and convicted.[30]
This framework helps to understand the pontificate of Evaristus. The Church can grow, pray, organise its worship and its ministries, but it lives under a permanent threat. Peace is not guaranteed by public law; it depends on local authorities, denunciations and popular movements.
Ignatius of Antioch writes to Rome
The great spiritual witness of the time of Evaristus is Saint Ignatius of Antioch. Eusebius situates him in the same period: chosen as bishop of Antioch, sent from Syria to Rome, he becomes food for the beasts because of his witness to Christ.[31]
The letter of Ignatius to the Romans does not name Evaristus, but it gives a direct portrait of the Roman Church around this time: a prestigious, beloved Church, capable of intervening to obtain or prevent a judicial fate, and which the martyr begs not to prevent his sacrifice.[32]
"I am the wheat of God, and I am ground by the teeth of beasts, that I may be found the pure bread of Christ." — Saint Ignatius of Antioch, Letter to the Romans, 4 (working translation)[33]
This sentence shows the spiritual climate in which Evaristus governs: Rome is at once a centre of communion and a place of martyrdom. The Roman pastors do not preside over a comfortable Church; they guard a community that is exposed, honoured, but vulnerable.
The end of direct apostolic witness
Eusebius links this period to the progressive disappearance of the apostolic generation. After the death of the apostles and of those who had heard the inspired wisdom with their own ears, he reports after Hegesippus, heretical masters began boldly to proclaim a false knowledge (working paraphrase).[34]
Evaristus is therefore not only a name in a chronological table. He belongs to the moment when the Church must transfer the faith from the living witness of the apostles to structures of memory: succession of bishops, rule of faith, liturgy, discipline, recognised writings, vigilance against distortions.
What can be said of his acts?
The Roman tituli attributed to Evaristus
The tradition of the Liber Pontificalis states that Evaristus distributed the titles or churches of Rome among the priests. The tituli designate the first churches or house-churches recognised in the city, which would later become presbyteral titles linked to the organisation of the Roman clergy.[35][36]
But the Catholic Encyclopedia warns that the Liber Pontificalis arbitrarily reports to the time of Evaristus a later Roman institution.[37] Two levels must therefore be distinguished: Roman tradition associates his name with the organisation of the urban clergy; the historian cannot prove that the stable division of the tituli goes back personally to him.
The seven deacons around the bishop
The same notice attributes to him the ordination of seven deacons charged with watching over the bishop during the celebration. The notice of the State of Vatican City explains that this function probably did not concern preaching in the modern sense, but the liturgical recitation of the Preface and the Canon, in order to preserve the orthodoxy of the formulas at a time when the texts were not yet definitively fixed.[38]
The data is late, but it is spiritually eloquent. It shows that Roman tradition understood episcopal authority as inseparable from the liturgy: the pastor must guard not only administrative order, but the prayed word of the Church.
| Tradition attributed to Evaristus | Main source | Historical value | Cautious reading |
|---|---|---|---|
| Distribution of the tituli | Liber Pontificalis | Fragile for the 1st–2nd century | Memory of a Roman organisation attached to his name |
| Seven deacons beside the bishop | Liber Pontificalis; Vatican State notice | Fragile as a personal decree | Sign of Roman liturgical vigilance |
| December ordinations | Liber Pontificalis | Very difficult to verify | Catalogue formula more than certain register |
| Burial near Peter | Liber Pontificalis; Catholic Encyclopedia | More plausible than the decrees, but debated | Roman memory of the link with the primitive Vatican |
Ordinations and expansion
The Liber Pontificalis attributes to Evaristus three ordinations in December: seventeen priests, two deacons and fifteen bishops in various places.[39] These figures cannot be controlled. But they correspond to a constant theme of the ancient notices: the pope is presented as the one who transmits ministries, ordains pastors and extends ecclesial organisation.
Caution must not, however, kill meaning. Even if the numerical detail is uncertain, it recalls a general historical truth: at the turn of the 2nd century, the Church is not an informal spirituality. It has pastors, ministers, assemblies, a discipline and a transmission.
Martyrdom, burial and liturgical memory
A traditional martyrdom, not demonstrated
Evaristus is venerated as a saint. Tradition has often called him a martyr. But the Catholic Encyclopedia specifies that his martyrdom, although traditional, is not historically proven.[40] The Vatican notice of 2025 also speaks of a martyr's death according to the Liber Pontificalis — which writes Martyrio coronatur —, without making of it a contemporary critical dossier.[41][42]
The best formulation is therefore sober: Evaristus is honoured as a holy pope in Catholic tradition; his martyrdom belongs to liturgical and hagiographic memory, but the primitive sources do not provide a detailed narrative that would allow it to be established with certainty.
Burial near Saint Peter
The Liber Pontificalis says that Evaristus was buried near the body of the blessed Peter, in the Vatican, on 27 October.[43] The Catholic Encyclopedia judges this assertion more worthy of trust than the administrative details attributed to the same pope.[44]
Nevertheless, measure is required. The topography of the primitive Vatican is far more solid for Saint Peter than for each of his first successors. To say that Evaristus was associated, in Roman memory, with the Vatican area and the tomb of Peter is legitimate; to claim to reconstruct his exact tomb would be excessive.
26 or 27 October?
The Catholic Encyclopedia gives the feast of Evaristus on 26 October.[45] This is also the date of the current Roman Martyrology, which lists him without the title of martyr.[46] The notice of the State of Vatican City published for the saint of the day is dated 27 October and links this date to the tradition of the Liber Pontificalis on his death and burial.[47]
The 26 October must therefore be retained as the liturgical memorial. 27 October is not a competing feast: it is the date of the depositio given by the Liber Pontificalis and taken up again by the Vatican page.[48]
Objections and answers
"We know almost nothing about him: why write an article?"
Because the little we know touches a major point: the Roman succession immediately after Clement. Evaristus is a poorly documented name, but he is found in the list of Irenaeus, which is one of the most important texts of the 2nd century for apostolic tradition.[49]
A serious article on Evaristus must therefore not fabricate an imaginary biography. It must explain why an almost silent pontificate retains an ecclesial role: it shows that the Church of Rome does not depend only on a few brilliant figures, but on a continuity received and transmitted.
"Do contradictory dates weaken the succession?"
No. The dates vary: 96, 99, 107, 108; eight years, nine years, thirteen years according to the catalogues.[50][51][52] But the fundamental order is stable in the most important sources: Clement, Evaristus, Alexander.[53][54]
Variations in duration show the limits of ancient chronologies. They do not prove the absence of Evaristus, nor the late invention of the succession.
"Is the Liber Pontificalis reliable?"
It is indispensable, but not to be read naively. For the first popes, it preserves ancient traditions mixed with later reconstructions. Loomis explains that many decrees attributed to the first bishops correspond in reality to usages of the 6th or 7th century projected back to the origins.[55]
The right method is therefore to sort the information: rank in the succession, solid; origin and dates, useful but variable; decrees on the tituli or the seven deacons, interesting for Roman memory but historically fragile; burial in the Vatican, an ancient tradition to be handled cautiously.
"Was Evaristus Jewish?"
The Holy See indicates only a birth in Greece.[56] The Liber Pontificalis says he was a Greek from Antioch, son of a Jew named Juda, originally from Bethlehem.[57] This information is possible, but not verifiable by a primitive source.
It has, however, a theological interest if it is presented as tradition: it recalls that the primitive Roman Church, far from being cut off from Israel, still lives in deep proximity to the Jewish roots of Christianity. But it must not be turned into a biographical certainty.
Spiritual memory
The holiness of continuity
Evaristus teaches a holiness that is not spectacular: to receive, to keep, to transmit. He left no writing like Clement, no great spiritual phrase like Ignatius. Yet his name remains because he bore, in his rank, the visible continuity of the Church of Rome.
This holiness suits many Christian lives. Not everyone is called to produce a visible work; many are called not to break the chain, to keep faithfully the faith received, the prayer received, the charity received.
"What you have heard from me before many witnesses entrust to faithful men who will be able to teach others also." — Saint Paul, 2 Timothy 2:2[58]
The liturgy as guardian of the faith
The tradition of the seven deacons attached to liturgical vigilance, even if it is late as a historical decree, carries a sound intuition: faith is also kept in the words of prayer.[59] A Church that prays badly will end up believing badly; a Church that humbly watches over its prayer protects its people.
In this light, Evaristus can be read as a figure of vigilance: not the pope of great councils, but the pastor associated by Roman memory with the organisation of titles, ministers and liturgical word.
A link that refers back to Peter
The Liber Pontificalis finally links him to the Vatican, near the body of Peter.[60] Even if archaeological precision remains limited, the symbol is strong: the first popes are not understood in isolation. Each one refers to the Petrine ministry that he receives and transmits.
Evaristus is therefore a short but necessary article in a Catholic encyclopedia. It recalls that the Church does not live only from great preserved pages, but from a concrete fidelity, sometimes almost invisible, by which apostolic tradition passes through the generations.
To go further
- Pope Saint Peter — apostolic foundation of the Church of Rome.
- Pope Saint Linus — first named successor after Peter and Paul.
- Pope Saint Anacletus or Cletus — predecessor of Clement in the primitive list.
- Pope Saint Clement I — immediate predecessor of Evaristus and author of the letter to the Corinthians.
- Why is the pope necessary? — theological meaning of the Petrine ministry.
- Saint Ignatius of Antioch — great martyr of the time of Trajan, taken to Rome.
Notes and References
Saint Irenaeus of Lyon, Against Heresies, III, 3, 3, around 180. English text in Ante-Nicene Fathers, vol. 1, available on New Advent: Against Heresies III, 3. Verified English verbatim: "To this Clement there succeeded Evaristus. Alexander followed Evaristus [...] In this order, and by this succession, the ecclesiastical tradition from the apostles, and the preaching of the truth, have come down to us." The French quotations of the article are working translations from this text.
1 7 17 18 49 53Eusebius of Caesarea, Ecclesiastical History, III, 34: in the third year of Trajan, Clement committed the episcopal government of the Church of Rome to Evaristus. English text in Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 2, vol. 1, available on New Advent. Verified NPNF English verbatim: "In the third year of the reign of the emperor mentioned above, Clement committed the episcopal government of the church of Rome to Evarestus, and departed this life after he had superintended the teaching of the divine word nine years in all." The French quotations of the article are working translations from this text.
2 19 20 54Holy See, official record "Evaristus": fifth pope of the Catholic Church, beginning of pontificate 99 or 96, end 108, birth in Greece. Official page: vatican.va.
3 50 56Liber Pontificalis, notice "Evaristus", in The Book of the Popes (Liber Pontificalis), trans. Louise Ropes Loomis, Columbia University Press, 1916, p. 9-10: Greek origin from Antioch, Jewish father named Juda from Bethlehem, three December ordinations (seventeen priests, two deacons, fifteen bishops), seven deacons watching over the bishop when he speaks "to keep the truth", Martyrio coronatur, burial near Saint Peter in the Vatican on 27 October. Loomis prints side by side the two duration readings ("13 years, 7 months and 2 days"; "9 years, 10 months and 2 days"); Duchesne (Le Liber pontificalis, vol. I, Evaristus notice) likewise prints "an. XIII mens. VII dies II" and "ann. VIIII mens. X dies II", and retains the latter in his restitution — the Liberian Catalogue as transcribed by Duchesne giving for its part "Evaristus ann. XIII mens. VII d. II" (consulships from 96 to 108). Verified copy: archive.org (the previously cited Wikimedia Commons PDF no longer responds).
4 23 26 35 39 42 43 48 57 60Eusebius of Caesarea, Ecclesiastical History, III, 36, on Saint Ignatius of Antioch sent from Syria to Rome and strengthening the Churches during his journey. Text on New Advent.
5Saint Ignatius of Antioch, Letter to the Romans, greeting and ch. 1-2, on the Church of Rome "which presides in the region of the Romans" and on his fear that the Romans might prevent his martyrdom. English text in Ante-Nicene Fathers, vol. 1, available on New Advent.
6 32Johann Peter Kirsch, "Pope St. Evaristus", The Catholic Encyclopedia, vol. 5, New York, Robert Appleton Company, 1909; text on New Advent. The notice stresses the absence of primitive authentic data, the place of Evaristus in ancient lists, caution on the tituli, the seven deaconries, the martyrdom and the tradition of burial in the Vatican.
8 9 22 28 36 37 40 44 45 52Saint Irenaeus of Lyon, Against Heresies, III, 3, 1-2, on apostolic tradition manifested in the Churches, the Church of Rome founded and organised by Peter and Paul, and its "more excellent authority" (potiorem principalitatem). Text on New Advent.
10Saint Irenaeus of Lyon, Against Heresies, III, 3, 1, around 180. English text in Ante-Nicene Fathers, vol. 1, available on New Advent: Against Heresies III, 3. Verified English verbatim: "It is within the power of all, therefore, in every Church, who may wish to see the truth, to contemplate clearly the tradition of the apostles manifested throughout the whole world." The French quotation of the article is a working translation from this text.
11Pliny the Younger, Letters, X, 96-97: the exchange with Trajan dates from the governorship of Pontus-Bithynia, i.e. 111-113. Chronology in Chrétiens latins des premiers siècles (Les Belles Lettres): 111-113, Pliny governor of Pontus and Bithynia. The correspondence is therefore later than the end of the pontificate of Evaristus (108).
12 29Eusebius of Caesarea, Ecclesiastical History, III, 31, 2-3: Eusebius indicates the time of John's death in general terms, and gives his burial according to the letter of Polycrates, bishop of Ephesus — tradition of John's tomb at Ephesus, not a Eusebian account of his death. Text on New Advent. Verified NPNF English verbatim: "but his burial place is indicated by an epistle of Polycrates (who was bishop of the parish of Ephesus) [...] and moreover John, who was both a witness and a teacher, who reclined upon the bosom of the Lord, and being a priest wore the sacerdotal plate. He also sleeps at Ephesus."
13Eusebius of Caesarea, Ecclesiastical History, III, 32, 7-8, citing Hegesippus: after the death of the apostles and of the generation that had heard them, heretical masters began to proclaim a false knowledge. Text on New Advent. Verified NPNF English verbatim: "But when the sacred college of apostles had suffered death in various forms, and the generation of those that had been deemed worthy to hear the inspired wisdom with their own ears had passed away, then the league of godless error took its rise [...] with a bold face, to proclaim, in opposition to the preaching of the truth, the 'knowledge which is falsely so-called.'" The French wording of the article is a working paraphrase from this text.
14 34Eusebius of Caesarea, Ecclesiastical History, III, 33, 1-2, summarising the letter of Pliny the Younger to Trajan and the imperial reply: Christians should not be sought out, but are punished if denounced and convicted; they sing to Christ as to a god and renounce crimes. Text on New Advent. Verified NPNF English verbatim: "they arose at dawn and sang hymns to Christ as a God; but that they renounced adultery and murder and like criminal offenses [...] In reply to this Trajan made the following decree: that the race of Christians should not be sought after, but when found should be punished." The French summary of the article is a working paraphrase from this text.
15 30Eusebius of Caesarea, Ecclesiastical History, III, 36, 1-5, on Ignatius of Antioch, bishop of Antioch, sent to Rome under military guard to be delivered to the beasts. Text on New Advent. Verified NPNF English verbatim (III, 36, 2-3): "Ignatius, who was chosen bishop of Antioch, second in succession to Peter [...] Report says that he was sent from Syria to Rome, and became food for wild beasts on account of his testimony to Christ." The French summary of the article is a working paraphrase from this text.
16 31State of Vatican City, "October 27: Saint Evaristus, Pope", 27 October 2025: the Liberian Catalogue is cited there for "Aristus" (96-108, thirteen years, seven months and two days) and the Liber Pontificalis (no. 6) for nine years, ten months and two days, the Greek origin and Juda of Bethlehem, the tituli, the seven deacons watching over the bishop during the recitation of the Preface and the Canon, the martyr death on 27 October and the burial near Saint Peter. Original page now inaccessible (404 noted on 4 October 2026); archive snapshot of 27 October 2025 reopened and verified on 4 October 2026 (exact content: "Aristus", 96-108, thirteen years, seven months and two days): web.archive.org. Direct check: the Liberian Catalogue as transcribed by Duchesne (Le Liber pontificalis, vol. I) gives "Evaristus ann. XIII mens. VII d. II", from the consulships of 96 to those of 108 — verified copy: archive.org.
21 25 38 41 47 51 59Louise Ropes Loomis, introduction to The Book of the Popes (Liber Pontificalis), Columbia University Press, 1916, p. xiv-xviii: discussion of the Liberian Catalogue, ancient confusions, late attribution of decrees and institutions to the first popes. Verified copy (4 October 2026): archive.org — full text and PDF of the 1916 edition; the introduction deals there with the Liberian Catalogue (durations in years, months and days; months and days arbitrarily added to the years "in order to make the work more symmetrical") and with what could be believed in the 6th-7th centuries.
24 27 55Saint Ignatius of Antioch, Letter to the Romans, ch. 4: image of the wheat of God ground by the teeth of beasts. English text in Ante-Nicene Fathers, vol. 1, available on New Advent. Quotation from the ANF English text.
33Martyrologium Romanum, Libreria Editrice Vaticana, 2001: on 26 October, Evaristus is listed as pope, without the title of martyr. Confirmed by Kirsch's Catholic Encyclopedia notice (feast on 26 October) and the repertories citing the Martyrology on that date.
462 Timothy 2:2, apostolic principle of transmission to faithful men able to teach others in turn. Text: biblegateway.com.
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