Victor OF TuNL'NA was a bishop who died about A.D. 56(5. He was one of the defenders of the so-called Three Chapters (q. v.), and was im|)risoned and banish- ed because of his resistance in op])osing Justinian's edict in condemnation of the chapters. He composed a Chronicon ah Orbe Condito, of which the part extend- ing from A.D. 444 to 465 is still extant. See Thesaur.
site of the notions entertained by the Ebionizing Dyna- tiiists. See Eusebius, Hist. Eccles. v, 22-28.
Victor II, pope from 1055 to 1057, was a relative of the emperor Henry IH. His name was Gebhard, and he was previously bishop of Kichstiidt, Leo of Oslia {Chron. Casin. ii, 89) states that the elevation of Gebhard to ilie pontificate was the work of the famous Hildebrand. The motive of that schemer's action in choosing so decided a friend of the emperor to till the papal chair would seem to have been a desire to divide the imperial catnji into two opposing factions. The ex- periment succeeded well, at least in so far as that Geb- liard identilied himself with the Cliuiiacensian party, whose head was Hildebrand. He attacked the prac- tices of simony and marriage among the priests, issuing energetic prohibitions and holding several councils in France against them. In 1056 he was jireseiit at the death-bed of Henry HI in (iermany, and I)ecame the guardian of the infant heir of tliat prince and the coun- sellor of his widow. He died soon after his return to Italy in the summer of 1057. See Pagi, Breriarium Paparum Rnm. i, 528 sq. ; Hrifler, Gesch. d, dentscheii Pdpste; Gfrorer, Gregor. VII, i, 560; and the Church histories.
Victor III, pope and successor to Gregory YII, was a son of Landulph V, jjrince of Benevento. His name was Desiderius, and he had been abbot of Monte Casino. Chosen by (iregory, he was elected by the cardinals to the papal chair in 1086, but refused to obey their call. He laid aside the papal insignia in solemn form at Terracina, and returned to his monastery, but in the spring of 1087 was nevertheless induced to enter on the higli office for which he had been selected. He displayed much of the energetic spirit and tendency of his predecessor. At Benevento he excommunicated his rival, Clement III, and at the same time forbade all in- vestiture of clergymen by the laity, called upon the Italians to undertake a sort of crusade against the Sara- cens of Africa, and instructed all bishops and ecclesias-
Temp. Eusebii Pamphili, opera et studio J. J. Scaligeri tics to avoid all association with the arclibishop Hugo (Amst. 1658), ii, 1 sq.; Thesaur. Monum. Eccles. sice Henrici Cauisii Lectiones A ntiqiue, ed. Basuage (Antv. 1725), i, 321 sq.
Victor OF YiTA ( Vilensis, not bishop of LTtica, as is often stated) was a bishop who lived in the latter half of the 5th century. In A.D. 487 he wrote a Hist. Persecnt. Afric. sub Gense/'ico et Hi/nne?'ico Vandrd. lie- ffibus, which is given in Ruinart, f/ist. Persecnt. Vandal. (Paris. 1694 ; Venice, 1732). See also Papencordt, Gesch. d. vandal. Herrschaft in Afriku (Berl. 1837), p. 66 sq., 1 13 sq., 269 sq.
Victor I, pope from 185 to 197, or from 187 to about 200, was an African by birth and a hot-blooded character. He is noted for the part he took in tlie dis- pute with the Quartodccimaiiians of Asia Minor about the observance of Easter. He wrote a letter to Polyc- rates of E[)hesus demanding that he should conform to the Occidental rule respecting Easter, on pain of ex- communication in case of refusal ; and when Polycrates declined, he severed ecclesiastical relations with tliat bishop and the churches of Asia Elinor by which Polyc- rates was supported. The opposition of many Western ecclesiastics to such measures, however, cotnpelled Victor to recede from bis arbitrary position. The eventual re- sidt of the whole dispute was the prevalence of the Western theory of Easter. See Eastek Controvf:r- siKS. Victor |)articipated also in the beginnings of the Monarchian controvers}- by expelling from the Church the Dynamistic Monarchian Theodotus the T'anner (o aKvrdiQ ), who denied tlie deity of Christ. This step pave rise to the sect of Theodotianists, which ex- isted for a time in Rome, Certain expressions used by TertuUian {Adv. Praxeam, c. 1; A pp. ad Libr. de Prmscript. c. 53) would seem to indicate that Victor was disposed to favor the views of Praxeas (q. v.) and the Patripassians (q. v.), which were the direct oppo-
of Lyons, who, with the abbot Kichard of Marseilles, had rebelled against his authority and grossly maligned his person. While engaged in the prosecution of far-reach- ing plans, he was suddenly cut down by death, in Sep- tember, 1087, after having been the actual possessor of the papal chair during scarcely half a year. See Leo Ostiens. Chron. Casin. contin. a Petr. Diacon., bk. iii, c. 7.1, p. 480 sq. ; Muratori, Gesch. Ital. im Mittelalttr (Germ, transl.), vi, 464 stj.
Victor IV, popes. 1. The successor of Anacletiis II (died 1138), who was previously cardinal Gregory Conti. but who, after a reign of two months, was in- duced by Bernard of Clairvaux to give place to the more pjowerful Innocent II (q. v. ; and comp. Petr. Di- acon., in the Chron. Casin. iv, 130).