[Officium]
St. Eleutherius, Pope and Martyr

[Name]
Eleutherius

[Lectio93]
Eleutherius was a Greek by race, and was born at Nicopolis, a city of Epirus. His father's name was Abundius. He was a Priest of the holy Roman Church. In the year of our Lord 179, during the reign of the Emperor Marcus Aurelius Augustus, after the death of Soter, he was chosen Bishop of Rome by the votes of all the clergy. He discharged the duties of this office excellently, and with all praise, for fifteen years and twenty-three days. He held three ordinations in the month of December, wherein he ordained twelve Priests, eight Deacons, and fifteen Bishops for diverse places. He was consulted by the church of Lyons by letter concerning certain questions. The bearer of these letters was that most learned Irenaeus. Him he hospitably welcomed, and to him he opened the traditions of the Apostles which the Church of Rome had kept pure. He condemned the superstitious dry-meat system of the Montanists. He laid down excellent rules as to the right form of church sentences. When Marcion and Valentine had oftentimes relapsed he cast them out of the Church. In his days the Church enjoyed the utmost peace, and he brought many even of the chiefest of Rome to believe in Christ. He received letters by messengers from Lleurwg, Prince of the Britons (of Morganwg,) praying him for ministers of the Word of God, and he sent unto him Fagan and Dyfan, Priests of the Roman Church, through whose hands the Prince himself, with his whole household and nearly all his subjects, were born again in the sacred washing of regeneration. At length, when he had done all these things and others for the worship of God, Eleutherius died a holy death upon the 28th day of May, (in the year of our Lord 192,) in the reign of the Emperor Commodus, and was buried upon the Vatican Mount.
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