Saint Felix I

Pope Felix I (died 30 December 274) was the bishop of Rome from 5 January 269 to his death on 30 December 274. Born in Rome, he succeeded Pope Dionysius and is noted for his theological contributions, particularly a significant dogmatic letter addressing the unity of Christ’s person. During his papacy, Felix I confronted the heresy of Paul of Samosata, who denied the divinity of Christ. The intervention of Emperor Aurelian, prompted by Felix, led to Paul’s deposition from the bishopric of Antioch, reinforcing orthodox Christological doctrine. Felix is traditionally credited with instituting the practice of celebrating Mass over the tombs of martyrs, though this attribution remains a subject of historical debate. Upon his death, Felix was interred in the Catacomb of Callixtus on the Appian Way. While later accounts mistakenly honored him as a martyr, contemporary scholarship suggests he died of natural causes. A Roman by birth, Felix was chosen to be pope on 5 January 269, in succession to Dionysius, who had died on 26 December 268. Felix was the author of an important dogmatic letter on the unity of Christ's Person. He received Emperor Aurelian's aid in settling a theological dispute between the anti-Trinitarian Paul of Samosata, who had been deprived of the bishopric of Antioch by a council of bishops for heresy, and the orthodox new bishop Domnus. Paul refused to give way, and in 272 Aurelian was asked to decide between the rivals. He ordered the church building to be given to the bishop who was "recognized by the bishops of Italy and of the city of Rome" (Felix). See Eusebius, Hist. Ecc. vii. 30. The text of that letter was later interpolated by a follower of Apollinaris in the interests of his sect. The notice about Felix in the Liber Pontificalis ascribes to him a decree that Masses should be celebrated on the tombs of martyrs ("Hic constituit supra memorias martyrum missas celebrare").