The Lives and Times of the Popes - Saint Alexander I – A.D. 109

It is said that this pontiff pursued his studies under the direction and advice of Pliny the Younger and Plutarch. There are attributed to him two decrees and three decretal letters; the first addressed to all the orthodox, the second to all the bishops, and the third to all the priests. Modern critics have decided those pieces to be apocryphal. They find in them no trace of the system of composition of the two great writers above mentioned. Novaes credits what is said of Saint Alexander’s connection with Pliny. As regards Plutarch, he himself confesses that during his travels in Italy he could not command sufficient leisure to acquire a profound knowledge of the Latin language, occupied as he was with the public business which was entrusted to him, and with the conferences with the learned men who came to consult and listen to him. In all probability Plutarch could not give lessons in Latin literature to Alexander; but the painter of the virtue of the Greeks, who was born A.D. 66, in the little town of Chaeronea, in Boeotia, could instruct the Christian in the art of meditating upon the Greek literature. This a pontiff could not neglect, as he necessarily had to maintain correspondence with so many illustrious cities which spoke the language of Homer and Herodotus. It is unfortunate that we have no letter or other document from the pen of Alexander containing any expression of a feeling of gratitude towards such masters, as it might have enabled us to learn something as to the various sentiments of Pliny and Plutarch upon the great question of religion which at that period divided the pagans. The letter that Pliny wrote in favor of the Christians is justly famous, and does credit to his enlightened tolerance. The virtues of that friend of Trajan, who was then proconsul and governor of Bithynia, induced, it is said, some persons to reckon him among them, and to assign him a place in their diptychs. Unfortunately, however, those partisans of Plinius Secundus have confounded him with another Secundus, a true Christian, whose name was quite properly placed on the Christian roll.

Alexander was still young when he arrived at the pontificate. Some say that he was only twenty, and others that he was thirty, when he became pope. On that point Novaes says: “Alexander was young in years; but in morals, knowledge, and virtue, he was a veteran.” It was he who ordered that the priests should celebrate but one Mass daily, which rule was observed until the papacy of Saint Deodatus, in 615. Alexander converted to the faith: Ermes, prefect of Rome, that officer’s wife, and numerous illustrious citizens. Being thrown into prison for those glorious efforts, he converted the tribune Quirinus and his daughter Balbina. Alexander, in three ordinations, created six bishops, six priests, and two or three deacons. He suffered martyrdom under Adrian, who had not sufficiently weighed the plea which Pliny the Younger had addressed to Trajan.

Pliny to the Emperor Trajan –

“I feel it my duty, my Lord, to make known to you all my doubts; for who can better decide for me and instruct me? I have never been present at the trial and sentence of any Christian, so that I know not the particulars of the information against them, or to how great a degree of punishment they should be consigned. I feel great hesitation on the subject of different ages. Should Christians be subject to punishment without any distinction being made between the older and the younger? Ought those to be pardoned who repent, or is renunciation of Christianity useless when it has once been professed? Are they punishable for the mere name of Christianity, or for the crimes connected with that name? The following is the rule by which I have governed myself in the cases which have been brought before me concerning the Christians. I have questioned a second and even a third time those who have avowed their Christianity, and I have threatened them with punishment should they persist, and I have sent to execution those who did so persist; for no matter what may be the nature of that which they confessed, I felt that I must not neglect to punish their disobedience and their inflexible obstinacy. Others, though confessedly guilty of the same folly, I have sent to Rome, because they are Roman citizens. Subsequently this crime, or accusations of it, having spread, as is usual in such cases, charges were made in great variety. An anonymous memorial has been placed in my hands, accusing of Christianity many persons who deny that they are or ever have been such. In my own presence, and in terms that I dictated to them, they have invoked the gods, and offered wine and incense to your image, which I expressly ordered to be brought with the images of the gods. They have even indulged in furious imprecations against Christ, which I am assured no real Christians can be made to do. I therefore deemed that they ought to be acquitted. Others, accused by an informer, at first admitted that they were Christians, but immediately afterwards denied it, declaring that indeed they had been, but had ceased to be so, some for three years and others for more, even to the extent in some cases of twenty years. All of this class have venerated your image and the statues of the gods, and have also cursed Christ. They protested that their error or their crime had been confined to the following particulars: On appointed days they assembled before sunrise, and sang by turns verses in praise of Christ, as being God; that they engaged themselves on oath, not to any crime, but that they would not be guilty of larceny, theft, or adultery, or of breach of promise or denial of deposit made with them. That afterwards it was their custom to separate, and then reassemble to eat in company innocent food; and that they had ceased to hold those assemblies when my edict was published, in obedience to your orders forbidding such assemblies. This made me feel it all the more necessary to get at the whole truth, by dint of torture, from two young slave-girls, who confessed to ministering in this worship; but as I ascertained only that they carried to excess a stupid superstition, for that reason I suspended further proceedings until I can receive your orders.

“This business appears to me to be worthy of your consideration, on account of the multitude of those that are placed in this peril; for a great number of persons of all ages and ranks, and of both sexes, are and will be implicated in this accusation. This contagious evil has not only diffused itself in the cities and towns, but also in villages and in the open country. I believe, however, that it can be remedied and arrested. What is certain is that our temples, which were almost deserted, are now frequented, and sacrifices long neglected recommence. Victims are now everywhere in demand, which formerly found no purchasers; whence we may infer what numbers of persons would be redeemed from their errors if repentance would procure pardon.”

Trajan replied in the following terms:

“You have taken the right course, my dear Secundus, as to the cases of Christianity that have been referred to you; for it is not practicable to establish a certain and general form of procedure in a business of this kind. Inquiry and search should not be ordered; but those who are accused and convicted should be punished. If, however, the accused denies his Christianity, and authenticates his denial by his conduct – I mean, by invoking the gods – his repentance should obtain his pardon, whatever the suspicions under which he has formerly labored. In no kind of accusation should anonymous denunciations be received, for they set an evil example, and suit not our age.”

Fleury, after transcribing this letter, makes the following judicious observations:

“That reply of the emperor in some sort put a stop to the persecution which threatened the Christians, yet left their enemies no less pretext to annoy them. In some places the populace and in others the authorities set snares for them; so that without any declared general persecution, there were individual persecutions in every province.”

The persecution in which Pope Saint Alexander perished had not been expressly ordered by the emperor, but the sycophantic governors, hoping to please him, and often without any orders, or under misinterpreted orders, sent Christians to execution.

Saint Alexander governed the Holy See ten years, five months, and twenty days; he has the title of martyr in the Sacramentary of Pope Gregory the Great, in the old calendar published at Verona in 1733 by Father Fronteau, and in all the martyrologies. After several centuries his body was removed to Saint Sabina, and placed beneath the high altar erected by Sixtus V.

- from "The Lives and Times of the Popes", by Alexis-François Artaud de Montor