26th October is the official “saint day” for one of the early popes, namely St Evaristus, who is fifth on the official list of popes, of which St Peter was the first.
Not much is known about St Evaristus, so one can only write
about what are generally understood to be the facts of his life although they
could be wildly inaccurate.
Evaristus is believed to have been born a Jew in Bethlehem,
which would have been an excellent feature to have on one’s CV if one wanted,
after becoming a Christian, to aspire to high office!
After reaching Rome, Evaristus agreed to become leader of
the small underground community of Christians who lived in constant fear of
persecution through their refusal to worship the pagan gods. According to one
legend, Evaristus’s predecessor, Pope Clement I, had been martyred by being
tied to an anchor and thrown into the sea. It is therefore hardly surprising
that Evaristus and his flock would have been highly secretive about their activities.
Evaristus probably became pope in around the year 99 AD
(when Trajan was Emperor of Rome). Although Christians were never safe, there
were periods when they were better tolerated than at other times. Trajan was
more interested in defending and expanding the Empire than in persecuting
Christians, so this was probably a relatively quiet time for the infant Church.
Evaristus is credited with having divided Rome into seven
parishes for the purposes of missionary work, each parish being the charge of a
deacon whose task was to serve the poor.
Evaristus died in about the year 107. He is listed as a
martyr, but there is no reliable evidence either to confirm or deny this.
© John Welford
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