Hyginus

Hyginus considered as the eighth or tenth bishop of Rome, appears to have held that station from A.D. 137 to 141. According to the Liberpont ficalis, he was a native of Athens, and before his election to the see of Rome taught philosophy. Nothing is known of his life, and the Liber pontif merely says of him, "Clerum composuit et distribuit gradus." The Pseudo Decretals SEE DECRETALS ascribe to him a number of rules on Church discipline, and he is said to have introduced the customs of godfathers and Church consecrations, but this is doubtful The Martyrologies give some the 10th, others the 11th of January, 142, as the date of his death. Some critics deny his having been more than a simple confessor. A certain Hyginus, bishop of Cordova, is said to have been the first opponent of Priscillian (q.v.). See Papebroch, Acta Sanctorum; Tillemont, Memoires Baillet, Vies des Saints; Hoefer, Nouv. Biog. Géneralé, 25, 705; Dupin, Eccles. Writers, cent. 2.