Saintly Spotlight: St. Hippolytus of Rome

"A heavenly light more brilliant than all others sheds its radiance everywhere, and he who was begotten before the morning star and all the stars of heaven, Christ, mighty and immortal, shines upon all creatures more brightly than the sun."

St. Hippolytus, a third century Roman who wrote in Greek and maintained a theology and philosophy of the Logos consistent with Eastern teaching, maintained a wide variety of interests and addressed more practical issues than theologians such as Origen, with whom an apparently overstated comparison has been made according to Fr. Georges Florovsky. St. Hippolytus was the last Christian writer in Rome to have written in Greek, and St. Photius indicates that he was a disciple of St. Irenaeus. One of Hippolytus’ most unique contributions to theology was his dogmatic work on the discussion of the Antichrist. He also wrote a history of the world, which attempted to produce a calendrical cycle in the Church independent from its Jewish predecessors, and an early work on The Apostolic Tradition, which expounds upon the liturgical life of the worship of the early Church. Due to Hippolytus’ weak Christology, he has been accused of ditheism, according to Florovsky, although he “was groping for terminology.” He does, however, present the Logos in different stages between the pre-existent and incarnate, and affirms the appearances of the Logos in Old Testament theophanies. Regardless of his Christology’s lack of precision, Hippolytus still maintains the unity of the God-man in Jesus Christ.

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A blog on theology, mystery, and paradox. Christ is Risen, and you are loved! Christ is Risen, and the oppressed are liberated! Death has been assassinated and Hades has been damned. The Light has dispelled the darkness. Love has conquered hate . This is the Good News. All are welcome to feast at the banquet table of the Kingdom. Recent years have given rise to "inclusive orthodoxy," and an increased awareness of the existence of progressive people of Faith; however, the intersection of diverse and seemingly contradictory ideologies and values as a point of human fascination and speculation is not a new phenomenon. Often relegated to the obscurity of marginal spaces, typically beyond the radar of the general public, communities of Faith dedicated to causes frequently considered progressive have existed at great length, as well as in great number and with great depth. The phrase “oil and water” evokes not only the common metaphor of the apparent separation of t

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