Silverius
Martyrological notice
The birth-day of St. Silverius, pope and martyr, who refusing to restore Anthimus, an heretical bishop, deposed by his predecessor Agapitus, was, at the instigation of the wicked Theodora, empress, banished into the island of Pontia by Belliworn away with many miseries for sarius, where, the he departed this life. Catholic faith, At Rome, the deposition of S Novatus, son to bless- ed Pudens the senator, and brother to St. Timothy, priest, and to the holy virgins Pudentiana and Praxedes, who were all instructed in the faith by the apostles and their house, afterwards convert-; ed into a church, was called by the title of Pastor.
The lives of the saints · 6 · 1 The author of the Life in Anastasius says plainly " Hie (Silverius) elevatut
1 The author of the Life in Anastasius says plainly " Hie (Silverius) elevatut est a tyranno Theodohate sine deliberatione decretl: qui Theodohatus corruptus pecunia, talem tiriiorem induxit clero, ut, qui non consentiret in ejus ordinationem gladio puniretur. Equidem sacerdotes non subscripserunt secundum morem antiquam, neque decretum confirmaverunt ante ordinationem. Jam autem ordi- natio sub vi et metu Silverio, propter adunationem Ecclesiz et religionis, se sub- scriperunt Presbyteri."
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276
Lives of the Saints.
[June ao.
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their voluntary allegiance, and to enter the city, whose gates would be thrown open for his reception. Belisarius entered on Dec. 9th, 536, the garrison departed unmo- lested, and Rome, after sixty years' servitude, was de- livered from the yoke of the barbarians.
The first days, which coincided with the old Satur- nalia, were devoted to mutual congratulation and public joy ; and the Catholics prepared to celebrate, without the irritating presence of Arian rivals, the approaching festival of the Nativity of Christ.
But this joy was speedily brought to a close by the news of the hostile preparations of Vitiges, who rapidly collected his forces, descended upon Rome, and pro- ceeded to invest it.
During the siege a letter was intercepted, which as- sured the king of the Goths that the Asinarian gate, adjoining the Lateran church, should be secretly opened to his troops. Belisarius had no sooner made himself master of the capital, than the consequence of the sub- jection of Rome to Byzantium had broken on the pope and on Rome.
Whether Sylverius, alarmed for the stability of his throne which he owed to the Goths, had any part in the treasonable offer to introduce them into the city, cannot be decided. Probably he had not ; and the letter was employed simply as the excuse for his degradation. This task had been arranged beforehand. It had been committed to the hands surer than those of Belisarius — to those of his wife Antonina, the accomplice of the empress in all her intrigues, and her counterpart in the arbitrary power with which she ruled her husband.
Belisarius summoned the pope before him, Sylverius denied having written the letter. The general sifted the evidence, and found that the letter had been written
Martyrologium Romanum · Latin witness
In insula Pontia natalis sancti Silverii, Papae et Martyris, qui, cum Anthimum, Episcopum haereticum, a suo praedecessore Agapito depositum, restituere noluisset, a Belisario, agente impia Theodora Augusta, in exsilium pulsus est, et ibidem, pro fide catholica multis aerumnis confectus, defecit.