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Our father among the [[saint]]s '''Miltiades of Rome''', also called Melchiades (Greek: Μελχιάδης ὁ Ἀφρικανός ), was the [[bishop]] of the [[Church of Rome]] from 311 to 314. His episcopate marked the end of the church's persecutions under the Roman emperors and the advent of the Christian emperor, [[Constantine the Great]]. His [[feast day]] is [[December 10]].

==Life==
The early life of Miltiades is largely unknown. He apparently was a Berber from Africa. He was elected bishop of Rome after the [[cathedra]] had been vacant ten and a half months, since the death of Bishop Eusebius who had been banished by Western Roman emperor Maxentius to Sicily for involvement in factional violence within the church in Rome. Bp. Miltiades' episcopate began on [[July 2]], 311. 

At the time Bp. Miltiades began his episcopate, Galerius and his co-emperors issued a decree of toleration giving the Christians the legal right to practice their faith. After the defeat of Maxentius by emperor Constantine in October 312, Constantine took control of Rome. With the issuance of the [[Edict of Milan]] in 313, the Church began the recovery of church property that the state had confiscated during the persecutions. Also, Constantine presented the bishop with the Lateran Palace that came to be the papal residence and seat of church governance in Italy.  

On [[October 2]], 313, Bp. Miltiades convened a [[synod]] of eighteen bishops from Gaul and Italy at the Lateran Palace to consider the election of bishops for the African churches that were in the midst of the Donatist controversy. After three days considering the matter, the synod elected and [[consecration of a bishop|consecrated]] Caecilian as the legitimate bishop of Carthage and declared [[Donatism]] to be [[heresy|heretical]], an important decision during the Donatist controversy.

Bp. Miltiades reposed on [[January 10]], 314 and was buried in the Catacomb of Callixtus. His [[veneration]] as a saint began shortly after his death. He was already commemorated as a saint on January 10 later in the fourth century.  

{{start box}}
{{succession|
before=Eusebius|
title=[[List of Popes of Rome|Bishop of Rome]]|
years=311-314|
after=[[Sylvester I of Rome|Sylvester I]]}}
{{end box}} 

==Sources==
*[[Wikipedia:Pope Miltiades]] 
*[http://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Pope_Miltiades  Miltiades]
*[http://www.orthodoxengland.org.uk/saintsm.htm  Miltiades Dec 10] 
*[http://www.ccel.org/ccel/wace/biodict.html?term=Miltiades,%20bishop%20of%20Rome  Miltiades, bishop of Rome]

[[Category: Bishops]] 
[[Category:4th-century bishops]]
[[Category: Popes of Rome]] 
[[Category: Saints]] 
[[Category:Italian Saints]]
[[Category: Ante-Nicene Saints]]
[[Category: Pre-Schism Western Saints]]
[[Category:4th-century saints]]