Page:Catholic Encyclopedia, volume 12.djvu/158

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PITYUS


126


PIUS


Scranton), 15; Bernardine Sisters (Motherhouse, Reading, Pennsylvania), 5. Total, 1754 members.

General statistics of the diocese (1911): bishop, 1; archabbot, 1; diocesan priests, 353; regular, 145; churches with resident priests, 275; missions, 29; parochial schools, 145; pupils, 45,593; diocesan sem- inarians, 70; seminaries of religious orders, 3; boys' colleges, 3, with 700 students; girls' academies, 4, with 490 pupils; preparatory schools for boys, 2, with 129 pupils; deaf-mute school, 1, with 37 pupils; or- phan asylums, 4, with 1586 orphans; foundling asy- lum, 1; industrial school for boys, 2; for girls, 1. Total number of pupils in schools and asylums, 48,555; hospitals, 7; home for aged poor, 2; homes of the Good Shepherd, 2; homes for working girls, 2. Catholic population, about 475,000.

Baron, Register of Baptisms and Burials in Fort Duquesne, 1753-1756: Cr.iio, History of Pittsburg (Pittsburg, 1851—); TAe CoMoiic (Pittsburg, 1844-1911), files; St. Vincent's in Penn- sylvania (New York, 1873) ; O'Connor, Diocesan Register (Pitta- burg, 1843); Lambing. History of the Diocese of Pittsburg (New York, 1880); Beck, The Redemptorists in Pittsburg (Pittsburg, 1889); liksivma. Catholic Historical Researches {Vittshnrg, [18S4- 86); Griffin. American Catholic Historical Researches (Philadel- phia. 1886-1911); Idem, History of Bishop Egan (Philadelphia, 1893) ; History of Pittsburg (Pittsburg, 1908) ; Cathedral Record, Pittsburg (Pittsburg. 1895-1911): Shea. H istory of the Catholic Church in the United Stales (New York, 1892).

Regis Canevin.

Pityus, a titular see in Pontus Polemoniacus, suffra- gan of Neocaesarea. Pityus was a large and wealthy Greek city on the northeast of the Black Sea (Artemi- dorus, in Strabo, XI, 496), which was destroyed before the time of Pliny (Hist, nat., VI, v, 16). Arrianus mentions its anchorage in "Periplus Ponti Euxini", 27. The city was rebuilt and fortified by the Romans, captured by the Scythians under Gallienus, and de- stroyed by the Byzantines to prevent Chosroes from entering it (Zosimus, I, 32; Prooopius, "De bello gothico", IV, 4; "De aedificiis", IV, 7). In 535 it was "a fortress rather than a city" (Justinian, "No- vella", 28). Stratophilus, Bishop of Pityus, assisted at the Council of Nicaea in 325; since then there is no mention of the see, which does not figure in any of the Greek "NotitiEe episcopatuum" (Le Quien, "Oriens Christ.", 1, 519). It was towards Pityus that St. John Chrysostom (q. v.) was being led by the imperial sol- diers, in execution of thedecree of exile, when he diedon the way (Theodoret, "Hist, eccl.", V, 34). Pityus was located at the end of the gulf, east of Cape Pitsunda, near the River ChjTiesta and the village of Abchasik, in the vilayet of "Trebizond.

NoRDMANN, Reise durch die westlichen Provinzen des Caucasus in Annalen der Erd- und Volkerkunde (Berlin, 1839), 257; Smith, Did. of Greek and Roman Geogr., s. v.

S. PilTRIDfes.

Pius I, Saint, Pope, date of birth unknown ; pope from about 140 to about 154. According to the earh- est list of the popes, given by Irenaeus ("Adv. hser.", II, x.xxi; cf. Eusebius, "Hist, eccl.", V, vi), Pius was the ninth successor of St. Peter. The dates given in the Liberian Catalogue for his pontificate (146-61) rest on a false calculation of earlier chroniclers, and cannot be accepted. The only chronological datum we possess is supplied by the year of St. Polycarj) of Smyrna's death, which may be referred with great certainty to 155-6. On his visit to Rome in the year before his death Polycarp found Anicetus, the suc- cessor of Pius, bishop there; consequently, the death of Pius must have occurred about 154. The "Liber Pontificalis" (ed. Duchesne, I, 132) says the father of Pius was Rufinus, and makes him a native of Aquileia; this is, however, probably a conjecture of the author, who had heard of Rufinus of Aquileia (end of fourth century). From a notice in the " Liberian Catalogue" (in Duchesne, "Liber Pontificalis", I, 5), which is confirmed by the Muratorian Fragment (ed. Preu- schen, "Analecta", I, Tubingen, 1910), we learn that a brother of this pope, IIerma« by name, published


"The Shepherd" (see Hermas). If the information which the author gives concerning his personal condi- tions and station (first a slave, then a frecdman) were historical, we should know more about the origin of the pope, his brother. It is very possible that the story which Hermas relates of himself is a fiction. During the pontificate of Pius the Roman Church was visited by various heretics, who sought to propa- gate their false doctrine among the faithful of the capital. The Gnostic Valentinus, who had made his appearance under Pope Hyginus, continued to sow his heresy, apparently not without success. The Gnostic Cerdon was also active in Rome at this period, during which Warcion arrived in the capital (see Marcio.vites). Excluded from communion by Pius, the latter founded his heretical body (Irenseus, "Adv. ha?r. ", III, iii). But Catholic teachers also visited the Roman Church, the most important be- ing St. Justin, who expounded the Christian teach- ings during the pontificate of Pius and that of his suc- cessor. A great activity thus marks the Christian community in Rome, which stands clearly conspicuous as the centre of the Church. The " Liber Pontificalis" (ed. cit.) speaks of a decision of this pope to the effect that Jewish converts to Christianity should be ad- mitted and baptized, \^^lat this means we do not know; doubtless the author of the "Liber Pontifi- cahs", here as frequently, refers to the pope a decree valid in the Church of his own time. A later legend refers the foundation of the two churches, the titulus Pudenlis (ecclesia Pudeniiana) andthe/i(»Zi/s Praxedis, to the time of this pope, who is also supposed to have built a baptisterj- near the former and to have exer- cised episcopal functions there (Acta SS., IV May, 299 sqq.; cf. de Rossi, " Musaici delle chiese di Roma: S. Pudenziana, S. Prassede"). The storj', however, can lay no claim to historical credibility. These two churches came into existence in the fourth century, although it is not impossible that they replaced Chris- tian houses, in which the faithful of Rome assembled for Divine service before the time of Constantine; the legend, however, should not be alleged as proof of this fact. In many later writings (e. g. the "Liber Pon- tificalis") the "Pastor" or "Shepherd" in the work of Hermas is erroneously accepted as the name of the author, and, since a Roman priest Pastor is assigned an important role in the foundation of these churches, it is quite possible that the writer of the legend was similarly misled, and consequently interwove Pope Pius into his legendary narrative (see Praxedes and Pudentiana). Two letters written to Bishop Justus of Vienne (P. L., V, 1125 sq.; JaS6, "Regesta", I, 2nd ed., pp. 7 sq.), ascribed to Pius, are not authentic. The feast of St. Pius I is celebrated on 1 1 July.

Liber Ponlif.. I, ed. Duchesne. 132 sq. ; Lanoen, Gesch. der rbm. Kirche. I (Bonn. 1881). Ill sq.; DccHEsNE. Hist, ancienne de I'eglise, I (Paris, 1906) , 236 sqq. On chronological questions cf. LiGHTFOOT. The Apostolic Fathers. I. i (2nd ed., London, 1890), 201 sqq.; Harnack. Gesch. der altchristl. Lit., II (Leipzig, 1897), i, 133 sqq.; Metrick, Lives of the Early Popes (London, 1880). J. P. IVIRSCH.

Pius II, Pope (Enea Silvio de' Piccolomini), b. at Corsignano, near Siena, 18 Oct., 1405; elected 19 Aug., 1458; d. at Ancona, 14 Aug., 1464. He was the eldest of eighteen children of Silvio de' Piccolomini and Vittoria Forteguerra. Although of noble birth, straitened circumstances forced him to help his father in the cultivation of the estate which the family owned at Corsignano. This village he later ranked as a town and made an epi.scopal residence with the name of Pienza (Pius). Having received some elementary in- struction from a priest, he entered, at the age of eighteen, the University of Siena. Here he gave him- self up to diligent study and the free enjoyment of sensuid pleasures. In 1425 the preaching of St. Ber- nanliue of Siena kiiicllcd in him the desire of embracing a monastic life, but he was dissuaded from his purpose