ey to his keeping, lost their deposits. When
Carpophorus, by whom he was now suspected of embezzlement, determined to
call him to account, Callistus fled to Portus--in the hope of escaping
by sea to some other country. He was, however, overtaken, and, after an
ineffectual attempt to drown himself, was arrested, and thrown into
prison. His master, who was placable and kind-hearted, speedily
consented to release him from confinement; but he was no sooner at
large, than, under pretence of collecting debts due to the savings bank,
he went into a Jewish synagogue during the time of public worship, and
caused such disturbance that he was seized and dragged before the city
prefect. The magistrate ordered him first to be scourged, and then to be
transported to the mines of Sardinia. He does not appear to have
remained long in exile; for, about this time, Marcia procured from the
Emperor Commodus an order for the release of the Christians who had been
banished to that unhealthy island; and Callistus, though not included in
the act of grace, contrived to prevail upon the governor to set him at
liberty along with the other prisoners. He now returned to Rome, where
he appears to have acquired the reputation of a changed character. In
due time he procured an appointment to one of the lower ecclesiastical
offices; and as he possessed much talent, he did not find it difficult
to obtain promotion. When Zephyrinus was advanced to the episcopate,
Callistus, who was his special favourite, became one of the leading
ministers of the Roman Church; and exercised an almost unbounded sway
over the mind of the superficial and time-serving bishop. The Christians
of the chief city were now split up into parties, some advocating the
orthodox doctrine of the Trinity, and others abetting a different
theory. Callistus appears to have dexterously availed himself of their
divisions; and, by inducing each faction to believe that he espoused its
cause, managed, on the death of Zephyrinus, to secure his election to
the vacant dignity.

When Callistus had attained the object of his ambition, he tried to
restore peace to the Church by endeavouring to persuade the advocates of
the antagonistic principles to make mutual concessions. Laying aside the
reserve which he had hitherto maintained, he now took up an intermediate
position, in the hope that both parties would accept his own theory of
the Godhead. "He invented," says Hippolytus, "such a heresy as follows.