Bible Encyclopedia on Antipope

Cyclopedia of Biblical, Theological and Ecclesiastical Literature by John McClintock & James Strong (1880)

(from ἀντί, against, i.e. a rival pope), a pontiff elected by the will of a sovereign, or the intrigues of a faction, in opposition to one canonically chosen. The emperors of Germany were the first to set up popes of their own nomination against those whom the Romans had elected without consulting them. Otho the Great displaced successively two bishops of Rome; and when Sylvester III had expelled from the capital of Christendom Benedict IX, whose profligacy had compromised in the eyes of all men the honor of the sovereign pontificate, Conrad II, king of Germany, brought back this worthless pastor, who hastened to sell his dignity to Gregory VI. As Benedict, however, soon repented of this transaction, there were now three popes at a time, and their number was increased to four by the election of Clement II in 1046. Shortly after, Alexander II found a rival in Honorius II; and in 1080 the same unseemly spectacle was witnessed, when Henry IV, emperor of Germany, elevated to the papal chair Guibert of Ravenna, under the title of Clement III, in opposition to his implacable adversary, Gregory VII. But after the death of Gregory Clement was himself opposed successively by Victor III and Urban II, and at last died at a distance from Rome, having just beheld the exaltation of Pascal II as the successor of Urban. During the twelfth century several antipopes flourished, such as Gregory VIII and Honorius III. On the death of the latter, France began to intermeddle in these disgraceful strifes, and upheld the cause of Innocent II against Anaclet; while the kings of Sicily, on the other hand, frequently set up a pontiff of their own against the choice of the emperors. The thirteenth and fourteenth centuries swarm with antipopes; but what specially deserves notice is “the great schism of the West,” produced by these shameless rivalries in 1378

— a schism which divided the Church for fifty years. It broke out after the death of Gregory XI, at the election of Urban VI, whom the voice of the Roman people, demanding an Italian pope, and not one who should fix his pontificate, like several of his predecessors, at a distance from Rome, had elevated to the papal throne. The French cardinals objected, withdrew to Provence, and elected a new pope, under the name of Clement VII, who was recognised by France, Spain, Savoy, and Scotland; while Italy, Germany, England, and the whole north of Europe, supported Urban VI. These two popes excommunicated each other; nor did they even fear to compromise their sacred character by the most cruel outrages and the most odious insults. The schism continued after their death, when three popes made their appearance “in the field,” all of whom were deposed by the Council of Constance in 1415, and Cardinal Colonna elected in their room, under the title of Martin V. The last antipope was Clement VIII. With him the schism ceased; but the evil was done, and nothing could remedy it. The dogma of papal infallibility had received a mortal wound “in the house of its friends,” anl the scenticism induced on this point rapidly extended to others. SEE POPE; SEE PAPACY.

Antipope

the chief of a party who causes a schism in order to dethrone a pope lawfully elected, and to assume his place. Twenty-seven such illegal competitors for the papacy are reckoned from the third century to the present time, viz.:

1. Novatian, who disputed the see with Cornelius, in 251.

2. Ursinus, with pope Damasns, in 367.

3. Eulalius, with pope Boniface I, in 418.

4. Laureutius, with pope Symmachus, in 498.

5. Dioscorus, the deacon, with pope Boniface II, in 580.

6. Peter and Theodore, with pope Conon, in 686.

7. Theodore and Pascal, with pope Sergius, in 687.

8. Theophylact, with pope Paul I, in 757.

9. Constantine, forcibly held the see thirteen months after the death of Paul.

10. Philip, a monk. declared pope by the faction of Waldipertus, in -768.

11. Zosimus, disputed the see with pope Eugenius II, in 824.

12. Anastasius, with pope Benedict III, in 855.

13. Sergius, with pope Formosus, in 891.

14. Boniface, after the death of Formosus, in 896, driven out by pope Stephen VII.

15. Leo, disputed the see with popes John XII and Benedict V, in 955 and 964.

16. Gregory, with pope Benedict VIII.

17. Silvester III and John XXII contested the see with pope Benedict IX; all three resigned in favor of Gregory VI, in 1044.

18. Mincius (styled Benedict), contested the see with pope Nicholas II, in 1059.

19. Cadolaus (Honorius II), with Alexander II, 1061.

20. Guibert of Ravenna (Clement III), with Gregory VII, in 1073.

21. Theobald (Celestine II), with Honorius II, in 1124.

22. Peter (Anacletus II), with Innocent II, in 1130.

23. Octavianus (Victor IV), with Alexander III, in 1159.

24. Peter (Nicholas V); while the see was in France pope John XXII arrested him.

25. Robert (Clement VII), began the great schism in 1378, and held the’ see at Avignon, against popes Urbani VI and Boniface IX.

26. Peter of Luna (Benedict XI, XII, or XIII, according to different writers), held the see thirty years at Pehiscola, Spain, against Boniface IX and his successors.

27. Giles de Mufioz, a Spaniard (Clement VIII), opposed pope Martin V five years, viz. from 1424 to 1429.

1909 Catholic Dictionary by Various (1909) ↑

A false claimant to the Holy See in opposition to a pontiff canonically elected. The following is a list of the antipopes whose histories will be found in this document under their respective names:

New Catholic Dictionary

The Catholic Encyclopedia by Charles G. Herbermann (ed.) (1913) ↑

A false claimant of the Holy See in opposition to a pontiff canonically elected. At various times in the history of the Church illegal pretenders to the Papal Chair have arisen, and frequently exercised pontifical functions in defiance of the true occupant. Hergenröther enumerates thirty in the following order:Hippolytus (?), III century Novatian, 251 Felix II, 355-365 Ursicinus, 366-367 Eulalius, 418-419 Laurentius, 498-501 Constantine II, 767 Philip, VIII century Anastasius, 855 Leo VIII, 956-963 Boniface VII, 974 John XVI, X century Gregory, 1012 Sylvester III, 1044 Benedict X, 1058 Honorius II, 1061-72 Guibert or Clement III, 1080-1100 Theodoric, 1100 Aleric, 1102 Maginulf, 1105 Burdin (Gregory VIII), 1118 Anacletus II, 1130-38 Victor IV, 1159-64 Pascal III, 1164-68 Calixtus III, 1168-77 Innocent III, 1178-80 Nicholas V, 1328-30 Robert of Geneva (Clement VII), 20 September, 1378 to 16 September, 1394 Amadeus of Savoy (Felix V), November, 1439 to April, 1449[Note: See also Dioscorus (d. 530), and John XXIII (1370-1419)]-----------------------------------Transcribed by Paul T. Crowley Dedicated to Pope John Paul II The Catholic Encyclopedia, Volume ICopyright © 1907 by Robert Appleton CompanyOnline Edition Copyright © 2003 by K. KnightNihil Obstat, March 1, 1907. Remy Lafort, S.T.D., CensorImprimatur. +John Cardinal Farley, Archbishop of New York