Died: 166 A.D.
How do we know he was pope?
Like his predecessors before him, Anicetus is identified as the 10th successor of St. Peter and 11th Bishop of Rome by St. Irenaeus in Adversus haeresis.
Give me the scoop on Anicetus.
Anicetus was Syrian by birth, according to the Liber Pontificalis (an early “who’s who” papal history book), and was likely born around the time St. John died at the end of the 1st Century. His name means “unconquered” in Greek, and he is remembered as a martyr. His feast day is celebrated on April 20.
What was he known for?
St. Anicetus gave the Church a good lesson in how to agree to disagree with a fellow bishop without one side or the other saying, “I’m taking my ball and going…to start my own church.”
When his friend, St. Polycarp (the guy who was St. John’s disciple), came to town to discuss whether Easter should be celebrated on a Sunday or on the 14th day of the month of Nisan (a month on the Hebrew calendar), the two couldn’t come to an agreement but decided to still remain pals.
Fun Fact…
When Anicetus was pope, a man named Hegesippus, who’s remembered as being one of the first legitimate Christian historians, came to Rome. Most Church authors throughout history take Hegesippus’ visit as a sign that the earliest Christians echoed Scott Hahn in saying “Rome Sweet Home” and affirmed the authority of Rome’s bishop, the pope.
What else was going on in the world at the time?
Around the year 160, Romans apparently started making soap from grease, lime, and ashes. Gross.
Coming tomorrow….Pope St. Soter
Can’t get enough papal history?
Click here for more on St. Anicetus (The Eleventh Pope) from The Popecast, a short podcast about popes from the author of Popes in a Year.
SOURCES (and further reading)
– John, E. (1964). The Popes: A concise biographical history. New York: Hawthorn Books.
– http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/01514a.htm
– https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pope_Anicetus
– http://www.newadvent.org/fathers/0103303.htm
– https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/160s