Died: 136 A.D.
How do we know he was pope?
St. Irenaeus (seriously, good thing he wrote this stuff down…) identified St. Telesphorus as Pope No. 8 and the seventh successor of St. Peter in Adversus haeresis (“Against Heresy”).
Give me the scoop on Telesphorus.
He was born in Terranuova, a little town on the tip of Italy’s boot, and had Greek ancestry. Telesphorus is traditionally understood as the first pope to have been a hermit and monk prior to his papacy. St. Irenaeus describes him as having been a “glorious martyr” in the Adversus haeresis, probably under the emperor Hadrian.
What was he known for?
St. Irenaeus also added, in a letter to Pope Victor I, that Telesphorus always celebrated Easter on Sunday instead of during the week, whenever the Jewish Passover was calculated. However, he still said, “it’s okay guys” to the churches who didn’t observe that tradition, choosing to stay unified with them instead of breaking up the Church unnecessarily.
Fun Fact…
Telesphorus is the patron and namesake of the town of Saint-Télesphore, located in the southwest corner of the province of Quebec, Canada.
What else was going on in the world at the time?
In 126 A.D., Roman emperor Hadrian demolished the old Pantheon and began building a new one in Rome, which just so happens to still exist today. What’s more, since the 7th Century it’s been a church dedicated to St. Mary and the Martyrs. Joke’s on you, Hadrian.
Coming tomorrow….Pope St. Hyginus
SOURCES (and further reading)
– https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pope_Telesphorus
– http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/14477b.htm
– https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pantheon,_Rome