The POPE Encyclopedia
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ANTIPOPE
A rival claimant to the papacy who might be elected, appointed, installed, or even proclaim himself to be the legitimate pontiff; such an individual is said by the Church to have assumed the title of pope illegally or in opposition to the legitimate pope. The antipope was a fairly common occurrence during the Middle Ages, and most were often pathetic Churchmen who were propped up by powerful rulers, such as a Holy Roman Emperor, during a feud with the Holy See over various issues. Their authority was frequently very limited and, after the resolution of a conflict, the king who created them might convince them to step down or simply abandon them to the whim or caprices of the real successor to St. Peter. Other antipopes were genuinely notable prelates who came to stand as real threats to the authentic pope. Among them were Benedict XIII (1394-1423) and John XXIII (1410-1415). Some antipopes were also present in the early Church, when competing parties in Rome offer their own candidate for the papacy. In sorting out the lists of antipopes, scholars and experts have been confronted with serious questions over legitimacy, proper dates, accurate historical records, and in some cases the absence of supporting evidence. Church authorities, however, maintain the list of recognized popes and antipopes. In all, there have been some thirty-nine antipopes, from Hippolytus (217-235) to Felix V (1439-1449). (See table; see also under individual antipopes for details.) ANTIPOPES (217-1449) Hippolytus - 217-235 Novatian - 251-258 Felix II - 355-365 Ursinus - 366-367 Eulalius - 418-419 Lawrence - 498-506 Dioscorus - 530 Theodore - 687 Paschal - 687 Constantine - 767-768 Philip - 768 John - 844 Anastasius--855 Christopher - 903-904 Boniface VII - 974,984-985 John XVI - 997-998 Gregory VI - 1012 Benedict X - 1058-1059 Honorius II - 1061-1064 Clement III - 1080-1100 Theodoric - 1100-1101 Albert - 1101 Sylvester IV - 1105-1111 Gregory VIII - 1118-1121 Celestine II - 1124 Anacletus II - 1130-1138 Victor IV - 1138 Victor IV - 1159-1164 Paschal III - 1164-1168 Callistus III - 1168-1178 Innocent III - 1179-1180 Nicholas V - 1328-1330 Clement VII - 1378-1394 Benedict XIII - 1394-1423 Alexander V - 1409-1410 John XXIII - 1410-1415 Clement VIII - 1423-1429 Benedict XIV - 1425-1430 Felix V - 1439-1449
THE POPE ENCYCLOPEDIA - Matthew Bunson Published by Crown Trade Paperbacks 201 East 50th Street, New York New York 10022, USA ISBN 0-517-88256-6
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