Pope Zephyrinus, whose feast is traditionally celebrated on August 26th, governed the Church for 18 years at the end of the third century (199 – 217), during the persecution of Emperor Septimus Severus. In accord with Saint Paul’s warning to the Corinthians that heresies are sure to come (11:19), heresies did indeed abound from the very first days of the Church, and it was the Zephyrinus’ unenviable task to battle them: the heresies of Marcion (that the Old Testament was null and void); of Praexas (that the Father, Son and Holy Spirit were not distinct Persons); of Valentine (not the later saint, but a major form of Gnosticism); of Theodotus the Tanner (that Christ only became God after the Resurrection); and of Montanus (a fanatical cult-of-personality movement, that set up a distinct Church, and which drew in the contemporaneous Tertullian). There may be more, but that suffices for the main ones.
Along with this, was the decree of Severus that converting to Christianity was punishable by death.
It’s never easy to be a Pope, but some times are less easy than others. But Zephyrinus steered the barque of Peter through these turbulent waters, and, by the grace of God, somehow was not martyred himself, unlike many of his predecessor and subsequent Popes. As Christ promised Peter that He would be with him, the Church not only survived, but thrived in these times of persecution, until the era of Constantine. His legalization of Christianity in the next century would had its own difficulties with getting too comfortable with the ‘world’, a problem that is plaguing us now more than ever.
But the Church will continue to survive and thrive unto the end of time, when Christ comes again in that glorious Parousia.
I have said this to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33)