Saint Hyginus succeeded Saint Telesphorus to became the ninth pope of the Church. He was elected in AD136.

Born in Athens around 74, he spent his early life in Achaea, which was part of the Roman Empire. Similar to the martyr Saint Justin, he was an accomplished philosopher and defender of the faith. Although he led the church for only four years, his contribution to the church was remarkable. During the reign of Pope Hyginus, the Church faced a period of severe religious persecution from the Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius.

Cerdo and Valentinus, the Gnostic propagandists, were contemporaries of Pope Hyginus. Cerdo, of Syrian descent, came to Rome and began to spread his teachings contrary to Christian beliefs. His studies were later followed by the Martians and more widely disseminated.

Cerdo taught that there are actually two gods, the Old Testament God and the New Testament God, Christ, who came to save us from the dictatorship of the Old Testament. In the same way, he strongly taught that Christ was not born of the Virgin Mary, but only appeared on earth.

Realizing that such studies were contrary to the teachings of the Church and the truths of the faith, Pope Hyginus expelled Cerdo from the Church. Later, when Cerdo corrected his mistakes and repented, Pope Hyginus accepted him back into the Church. Cerdo later turned against the Church and was excommunicated by the Pope.

Hyginus ruled as pope for four years and six days, which makes him one of the only popes in history to reign for less than five years. During his time as pope, he faced opposition from a number of people who did not agree with the Church’s teachings. Some of the persecutions he experienced made it difficult for him to reign and led to the pope exhibiting some signs of illness.

According to church tradition, he was martyred in 140. Following his death, the Church had Hyginus moved to St. Peter’s Tomb in Rome and buried him on Vatican Hill.