THE POPES OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH AND THE ROMAN EMPERORS from AD 14

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THE POPES OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH AND
THE ROMAN EMPERORS from AD 14 – 337

m = murdered; † = martyred

ROMAN EMPEROR		DATE OF REIGN	BISHOP OF ROME		DATE OF REIGN
Tiberius - m.		14 – 37	(Jesus' earthly ministry is from AD 28-30)		St. Peter the Apostle, Vicar of Christ AD 30 – 67
Caligula - m.		37 – 41
Claudius - m.		41 – 54	St. Peter the Apostle †		42 – June 29^th 67 (in Rome)
Nero - m		54 – 68
Galba - m		68 – 69	St. Linus †		67 – 78
Otho - m		69
Vitellius - m		69
Vespasian		69 – 79	St. Cletus †		78 – 90
Titus		79 – 81
Domitian - m		81 – 96	St. Clement I †		90 – 100
Nerva		96 – 98	St. Anacletus †		100 – 112
Trajan		98 – 117	St. Evaristus †		112 – 121
Hadrian		117 – 138	St. Alexander I †		121 – 132
Antoninus Pius		138 – 160	St. Sixtus I (Xystus) †		132 – 142
			St. Telesphorus †		142 – 154
			St. Hyginus †		154 – 158
Marcus Aurelius		160 – 180	St. Pius I †		158 – 167
			St. Anicetus †		? – 175
Commodus - m		180 – 192	(This is a period of intense persecution)
Pertinax - m		193	St. Soter †		? – 182
Julianus - m		193	St. Victor †		193 – 203
Septimius Severus		193 – 211	St. Zephyrinus †		203 – 221
Caracalla - m		211 – 217
Macrinus - m		217 – 218
Elagabalus - m		218 – 222	St. Callixtus †		221 – 227
Alexander Severus		222 – 230
			St. Urban I †		227 – 233
Maximinus Thrax – m		235 – 238	St. Pontianus †		233 – 238
Gordiani – m		238
Pulienus – m		238	St. Anterus †		238 – 239
Gordian III – m		238 – 244	St. Fabian †		239 – 253
Philip the Arabian - m		244 – 251
Decius – m		249 – 251
& sons – m		251 – 253	St. Cornelius †		253 – 255
Valerian – m		253 – 260	St. Lucius †		255 – 257
			St. Stephen †		257 – 260
			St. Sixtus II (Xystus) †		260 – 261
Gallienus – m		260 – 268	St. Dionysius		261 – 272
Claudius Gothicus		268 – 270
Aurelian – m		270 – 275	St. Felix I †		272 – 275
Tacitus – m?		275 – 276	St. Eutychianus †		275 – 283
Florianus – m		276
Probus – m		276 – 282
Carus – m		282 – 283
WESTERN EMPEROR	DATE OF REIGN	EASTERN EMPEROR	DATE OF REIGN	BISHOP OF ROME	DATE OF REIGN
Carinus – m	283 – 285	Numerian – m	283 – 284	St. Caius (Gaius) †	283 – 296
Diocletian	284 – 286	Diocletian (rules in east with Maximian in west)	284 - 305
Maximian	286 – 305			St. Marcellinus †	296 – 304
Constantius	305 – 306	Galerius	305 – 311	St. Marcellus †	304 – 309
Constantine	307 – 337	Lincinius – m	308 – 324	St. Eusebius	309 – 310
Constantine eliminates his rival in the east and rules solo as first Christian Roman Emperor	324 – 337 (united Roman Empire)			St. Melchiades (Miltiades)	311 – 314
				St. Sylvester I	314 – 337

313 AD – Edict of Milan recognizes Christianity as a legitimate religion protected by the Roman Empire and ends organized persecution of Christians by the Roman State.
Roman Emperor Constantine is baptized on his death bed in 337 AD.

The list of Popes and dates is taken from the Annuario Pontificio, the official publication of the Holy See. The earliest part of this official list is taken from the 5^th century catalogue of Popes on a wall at the ancient Basilica of St. Paul's, outside the Walls in Rome, placed there on the order of Pope St. Leo the Great (440 – 461AD). Pope Leo's list continues through his pontificate but I have limited the list to the reign of Constantine and Pope St. Sylvester I. Another earlier list is found in Bishop Eusebius' History of the Church written in the early 4^th century in which Eusebius records a list of the first twelve Popes / Bishops of Rome from a list composed by St. Irenaeus in the 2^nd century AD. St. Irenaeus' list agrees with Pope Leo's list with the exception of Pope Anacletus [100-112 AD] whose name is missing from Irenaeus' 2^nd century list. For St. Irenaeus' 2^nd century list see Church History, Bishop Eusebius, Book V, chapter VI, 1-5 [Nicene and Post Nicene Fathers, volume 1, page 221, Hendricks Publishing Company]. For the chronological list of the Popes from the Annuario Pontificio see Church History, Father John Laux, Tan Book Publishers, Inc., Appendix I**. The chronological list of Roman Emperors is for the most part adapted from Augustus to Constantine, Robert M. Grant, Westminster Press, 1970.