View source for Pope Linus

{{Short description|Head of the Catholic Church from c. 68 to c. 80}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2021}}
{{Infobox Christian leader
| type             = Pope
| honorific-prefix = [[Pope Saint]]
| name             = Linus
| title            = [[Bishop of Rome]]
| term_start       = {{circa}} 68
| term_end         = {{circa}} 80
| predecessor      = [[Saint Peter|Peter]]
| successor        = [[Pope Anacletus|Anacletus]]
| ordination       = {{circa}} 67
| ordained_by      = [[Paul the Apostle]]
| birth_date       = {{circa|10}}
| birth_place      = [[Volterra]], [[Italy (Roman Empire)|Italy]], [[Roman Empire]]
| death_date       = {{circa|80}}
| death_place      = [[Rome]], Italy, Roman Empire
| buried           = possibly [[Vatican Hill]]
| parents          = Herculanus
| feast_day        = 23 September
| venerated        = All [[Christian denominations]] that venerate [[saint]]s
| canonized_date   = [[Pre-Congregation]]
| attributes       = [[Papal vestments]] and [[pallium]]
| patronage        = [[#Patronage|Patronage list]]
| image            = Menologion of Basil II - Patrobulus, Hermas, Linus, Caius, Philologus of 70 disciples (Portrait of Linus).jpg
| caption          = 10th-century [[Byzantine art|Byzantine portrait]] of Linus from ''[[Menologion of Basil II]]'' in the [[Vatican Library]]
| church           = [[Early Church]]
}}
'''Pope Linus''' ({{IPAc-en|audio=Pope Linus Pronunciation.ogg|ˈ|l|aɪ|n|ə|s}}; {{Langx|el|Λῖνος}}, ''Linos''; died {{circa}} 80) was the [[bishop of Rome]] from {{circa|lk=no}} 68 to his death in 80. He is generally regarded as the second bishop of Rome, after [[Saint Peter]].  As with all the early popes, he was [[canonized]].

According to [[Irenaeus]], Linus is the same person as the one mentioned in the [[New Testament]].<ref name="kirsch">{{cite book|last=Kirsch|first=Johann Peter|author-link=Johann Peter Kirsch|chapter-url=http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/09272b.htm|year=1910|chapter=Pope St. Linus|title=[[Catholic Encyclopedia]]|volume=9|location=New York, New York, USA|publisher=Robert Appleton Company}}</ref> Linus is mentioned in the [[valediction]] of the [[Second Epistle to Timothy]] (2{{nbsp}}Timothy 4:21) as being with [[Paul the Apostle]] in [[Rome]] near the end of Paul's life.

== Background ==
The earliest reference to the episcopate of Linus was [[Irenaeus]], who in {{circa|lk=no}} 180 wrote that "the blessed apostles, then, having founded and built up the Church, committed into the hands of Linus the office of the episcopate".<ref>Irenaeus, ''Against Heresies'', [http://www.newadvent.org/fathers/0103303.htm 3: 3.3]</ref>

According to the earliest succession lists of bishops of Rome, passed down by Irenaeus and [[Hegesippus (chronicler)|Hegesippus]] and attested by the historian [[Eusebius of Caesarea|Eusebius]], Linus was entrusted with his office by the apostles [[Peter the Apostle|Peter]] and [[Paul the Apostle|Paul]] after they had established the Christian church in Rome. By this reckoning he might be considered therefore the first pope, but from the late 2nd or early 3rd century the convention began of regarding Peter as the first pope.<ref>J. N. D. Kelly, ''Oxford Dictionary of Popes'', 2005, pp. 6–7.</ref>

[[Jerome]] described Linus as "the first after Peter to be in charge of the Roman Church"<ref>"Post Petrum primus Ecclesiam Romanam tenuit Linus" (''[[Chronicon (Jerome)|Chronicon]]'', [http://www.tertullian.org/fathers/jerome_chronicle_06_latin_part2.htm 14g] (p. 267))</ref> and [[Eusebius]] described him as "the first to receive the episcopate of the church at Rome, after the martyrdom of Paul and Peter".<ref>''Church History'', [http://www.ccel.org/ccel/schaff/npnf201/Page_133.html 3.2]</ref> [[John Chrysostom]] wrote that "this Linus, some say, was second bishop of the Church of Rome after Peter",<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.newadvent.org/fathers/230710.htm|title=Church Fathers: Homily 10 on Second Timothy (Chrysostom)}}</ref> while the ''[[Liberian Catalogue]]''<ref>''The Chronography of 354 AD'', [http://www.tertullian.org/fathers/chronography_of_354_13_bishops_of_rome.htm Part 13: Bishops of Rome]</ref> described Peter as the first bishop of Rome and Linus as his successor in the same office.

The ''[[Liber Pontificalis]]''<ref>''[[Liber Pontificalis]]'', [http://www.thelatinlibrary.com/liberpontificalis1.html 2]</ref> also enumerated Linus as the second [[bishop of Rome]] after Peter, and stated that Peter consecrated two bishops, Linus and [[Anacletus]], for the priestly service of the community, while devoting himself instead to prayer and preaching, and that it was [[Clement I]] to whom he entrusted the universal Church and whom he appointed as his successor. [[Tertullian]] also wrote of Clement as the successor of Peter.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.newadvent.org/fathers/0311.htm|title=CHURCH FATHERS: The Prescription Against Heretics (Tertullian)}}</ref> [[Jerome]] named Clement as "the fourth bishop of Rome after Peter, if indeed the second was Linus and the third Anacletus, although most of the Latins think that Clement was second after the apostle".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.newadvent.org/fathers/2708.htm|title=CHURCH FATHERS: ''De Viris Illustribus'' (Jerome)}}</ref>

The ''[[Apostolic Constitutions]]''<ref>''[[Apostolic Constitutions]]'', [http://www.ccel.org/ccel/schaff/anf07.ix.viii.iv.html 7.4]</ref> note that Linus, whom Paul the Apostle consecrated, was the first bishop of Rome and that he was succeeded by Clement I, whom Peter the Apostle ordained and consecrated.

== Episcopate ==
The chronology of the early popes is heavily disputed.<ref>[[Eusebius]], [[Ecclesiastical History (Eusebius)|''Ecclesiastical History'']], [https://www.ccel.org/ccel/schaff/npnf201.iii.viii.xxxiv.html book VIII, chapter 34, note 3]. [[Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers]] edition, 1890. See also the extensive note in [https://www.ccel.org/ccel/schaff/npnf201.iii.viii.ii.html Book VIII, Chapter 2].</ref> [[Eusebius]] and [[Jerome]] dated Linus' episcopate between the years 68<ref>[[Jerome]], ''[[Chronicon (Jerome)|Chronicon]]'', [https://www.tertullian.org/fathers/jerome_chronicle_03_part2.htm AD 68], 14th year of [[Nero]] (Oct. 67–Oct. 68): "After Peter, Linus first held the church of Rome for 11 years." Jerome's work is a translation of [[Eusebius]]' ''[[Chronicon (Eusebius)|Chronicon]]'', which actually uses a calendar that begins in 3 October, hence why Nero's accession is dated to 55 (instead of 54). See {{Cite book |last=Burgess |first=R. W. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=9R_CGC9wL9MC&pg=PA28 |title=Studies in Eusebian and Post-Eusebian Chronography |date=1999 |publisher=Franz Steiner Verlag |isbn=978-3-515-07530-5 |pages=22–24}}</ref> and 80.<ref>[[Jerome]], ''Chronicon'', [https://www.tertullian.org/fathers/jerome_chronicle_03_part2.htm AD 80], 2nd year of [[Titus]] (Oct. 79–Oct. 80): "Cletus (also called [[Anencletus]]) is appointed second bishop of the Roman church for 12 years."</ref><ref>[[Eusebius]], [[Ecclesiastical History (Eusebius)|''Ecclesiastical History'']], [https://www.ccel.org/ccel/schaff/npnf201.iii.viii.xiii.html VIII, 13]. "After [[Vespasian]] had reigned ten years [[Titus]], his son, succeeded him. In the second year of his reign, Linus, who had been bishop of the church of Rome for twelve years, delivered his office to [[Anencletus]]."</ref> The ''[[Liberian Catalogue]]'' and the ''[[Liber Pontificalis]]'' date it as 56 to 67, during the reign of [[Nero]].<ref>The [https://www.tertullian.org/fathers/chronography_of_354_13_bishops_of_rome.htm ''Liberian Catalogue''] gives him a tenure of 12 years, while the [https://www.thelatinlibrary.com/liberpontificalis1.html ''Liber Pontificalis''] gives him 11 years. Both date it between the [[Roman consul|consulates]] of [[Quintus Volusius Saturninus|Q. Volusius Saturninus]] with [[Publius Cornelius Scipio (consul 56)|P. Cornelius Scipio]] and that of [[Lucius Julius Rufus|L. Julius Rufus]] with [[Fonteius Capito (consul 67)|Fonteius Capito]], a tenure of 12 years if [[Inclusive counting|counted inclusively]].</ref> This is most likely a mistake, as all four sources give Peter an episcopate of 25 years in Rome, and the ''Liber Pontificalis'' even records that Peter died 38 years after Jesus' death, that is, 67–68.{{sfn|Loomis|2006|p=4, note 3. "Our author gives two incompatible traditions, the first that Peter did not come to Rome before the reign of Nero, the second that after a pontificate of twenty-five years at Rome he was put to death under Nero. The latter is Jerome version"}} The ''[[Catholic Encyclopedia]]'' gives his years as {{circa}} 64–76 or {{circa}} 67–79.<ref name="kirsch" />

Linus is named in the [[valediction]] of the [[Second Epistle to Timothy]].<ref>{{bibleverse|2|Timothy|4:21}}</ref> In that epistle, Linus is noted as being with Paul the Apostle in Rome near the end of Paul's life. Irenaeus stated that this is the same Linus who became Bishop of Rome.

According to the ''Liber Pontificalis'', Linus was an Italian born in [[Volterra]] in [[Tuscany]]. His father's name was recorded as Herculanus. The ''Apostolic Constitutions'' denominated his mother Claudia; immediately after the name Linus in 2 ''Timothy'' 4:21 a Claudia is named, but the [[Bible]] does not explicitly identify Claudia as Linus' mother. According to the ''Liber Pontificalis'', Linus decreed that women should cover their heads in church, created the first 15 bishops, and died a [[martyr]].{{sfn|Loomis|2006|p=6}} It dated his burial as 23 September, on which date he is still commemorated.<ref name=martyr>''Martyrologium Romanum'' (Typis Vaticanis, 2004, p. 532).</ref> His name is included in the [[Roman Canon]] of the [[Mass (liturgy)|Mass]].

With respect to Linus' purported decree prescribing the covering of women's heads, [[J.P. Kirsch]] commented in the ''[[Catholic Encyclopedia]]'' that "without doubt this decree is apocryphal, and copied by the author of the ''Liber Pontificalis'' from Paul's ''[[First Epistle to the Corinthians]]'' (11:5) and arbitrarily attributed to the first successor of the Apostle in Rome. The statement made in the same source, that Linus suffered [[martyrdom]], cannot be proved and is improbable. For between [[Nero]] and [[Domitian]] there is no mention of any persecution of the Roman Church; and Irenaeus (1. c., III, iv, 3) from among the early Roman bishops designates only [[Pope Telesphorus|Telesphorus]] as a glorious martyr."<ref name="kirsch" /> The ''[[Roman Martyrology]]'' does not categorize Linus as a martyr as does the ''[[Liber Pontificalis]]''; the current entry in the former regarding him states: "At Rome, the commemoration of Saint Linus, Pope, to whom, as Saint Irenaeus narrates, the blessed Apostles entrusted the responsibility of the episcopate of the Church founded in the City, and whom the blessed Paul the Apostle mentions as a companion of his."<ref name=martyr/>

==Legacy==
A tomb that [[Francesco Maria Torrigio|Torrigio]] discovered in [[Saint Peter's Basilica]] in 1615 and which was inscribed with the letters LINVS was assumed to be the tomb of Pope Linus. However, a note by Torrigio records that these were merely the final five letters of some unknown longer name, such as "Aquilinus" or "Anullinus". A letter on the martyrdom of Peter and Paul was attributed to Linus, but in fact it was determined to date to the 6th century.<ref name="kirsch"/> The ''[[Liber Pontificalis]]'' asserts that Linus was buried on the [[Vatican Hill]] adjacent to Peter the Apostle in what is now known as the [[Vatican Necropolis]] beneath [[Saint Peter's Basilica]] in Vatican City.{{sfn|Loomis|2006|p=6}}

The city of [[Saint-Lin–Laurentides]] in Canada is named in his honour.{{citation needed|date=April 2025}}

==See also==
{{Portal|Biography|Christianity|History}}
*[[List of Catholic saints]]
*[[List of popes]]
*[[Papal selection before 1059]]

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

== Further reading ==
*{{Cite book |last=Loomis |first=Louise Ropes |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=N1KMTRsvPGUC&pg=PA4 |title=The Book of the Popes (Liber Pontificalis) |date=2006 |publisher=Arx Publishing, LLC |isbn=978-1-889758-86-2|orig-date=1917}} (Ends with [[Pope Pelagius II]], 579–90; English translation with scholarly footnotes and illustrations).

== External links ==
{{Spoken Wikipedia|En-Pope Linus-article.ogg|date=1 July 2014}}
* {{Cite EB1911|wstitle= Linus (saint) |volume= 16 |last= Delehaye |first= Hippolyte |author-link= Hippolyte Delehaye | page = 736 |short= 1 }}
* {{Cite Catholic Encyclopedia|wstitle=Pope St. Linus}}

{{S-start}}
{{S-rel|ca}}
{{s-bef|before=[[Saint Peter|Peter]]}}
{{S-ttl|title=[[Bishop of Rome]]|years=67/68–79/80}}
{{S-aft|after=[[Anacletus]]}}
{{s-end}}
{{Popes}}
{{Catholic saints - popes}}
{{New Testament people}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Linus, Pope}}
[[Category:79 deaths]]
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[[Category:People in the Pauline epistles]]
[[Category:Papal saints]]
[[Category:Seventy disciples]]
[[Category:Year of birth unknown]]
[[Category:People from Volterra]]
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[[Category:Burials at St. Peter's Basilica]]
[[Category:Christian saints from the New Testament]]