Believing that he would never return to govern the Church from Rome, St.
Pontian resigned from his office, the first Pope to do so. This action may
have impressed and humbled Hippolytus, for soon after he abandoned his
schism, received absolution from St. Pontian, and sent a message to his
followers to reconcile with the new Pope.
That Pope was Anteros, who lived for only six weeks after his elevation.
He was sentenced to death by Roman imperial officials for having
collected the acts of the martyrs and adding them the Church’s records. He
was buried in the Catacombs and was succeeded by the simple farmer
Fabian. Fabian would see the end of Thrax’s persecution and rule the
Church effectively for the next fourteen years. During that time, Pope
Fabian had the relics of Pope Pontian placed in the Catacomb of Callistus,
divided Rome into seven diaconal regions, kept a vigilant watch against
heresy and sent missionaries into central and northern Gaul.
It was during the pontificate of St. Fabian that Rome celebrated her
millennium in 248. The Emperor at the time was Philip the Arab, a
sympathizer of Christianity, perhaps even a Christian himself. The Church
was enjoying a general respite from official persecution, though sporadic
outbreaks of violence were occurring here and there. Further, the nature of
the attack was also changing. Paganism now felt the need to combat
Christianity by the pen as well as by the sword. The philosopher Celsus
launched a comprehensive attack on Christianity, only to be refuted by the
great Origen even more comprehensively. The fact that the pagan
intelligentsia felt a need to make such an attack was an acknowledgement
that Christianity possessed a life and strength that no sword could quash.
On the other hand, the Empire of pagan Rome was moving ever faster
towards her death throes through political disintegration, depopulation and
the proliferation of competing religious sects.
One man who could sense the on-rushing death was the Roman senator
Decius. He was a motivated and strong man who saw himself as the savior
of Rome. In him was embodied all the old Roman conservatism and
austerity. Unable to bear seeing Rome rot from within, he aimed to restore
her as one, strong unity under the traditional gods. eastern cults were no
longer to be patronized; Christianity was to disappear. Four months after
becoming Emperor, in January 250, Decius decreed that every man,
woman and child in the Empire publicly sacrifice to the pagan gods or die.
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