Sylvester, born of a mother who was Justa both in fact and in name, and educated by the priest Cyrinus, exercised hospitality to the highest degree. Now a certain most Christian man, Timothy, was received by him into his lodging, who nevertheless was shunned by others because of the persecution. This man attained the crown of martyrdom while he most steadfastly preached the faith of Christ. Now Tarquinius the prefect, thinking that Timothy had abounded in many riches, demanded them from Sylvester, threatening him with death. But when he learned that Timothy had had no such riches, he commanded Sylvester to sacrifice to the idols, otherwise on the morrow he would receive various kinds of torments. Sylvester said to him:
"Fool, this night you will die and receive everlasting torments, and, whether you will or not, you will acknowledge that he whom we worship is the true God." Sylvester therefore was delivered to prison, and Tarquinius was invited to dinner. While he was eating, a fish bone so turned in his throat that by no means could he eject it or swallow it. And so at midnight, having died, he was led with mourning to the tomb, and Sylvester was freed from prison with joy; and he was loved with wondrous affection not only by the Christians but also by the pagans. For he was angelic in appearance, polished in speech, sound in body, holy in work, great in counsel, catholic in faith, most patient in hope, abounding in charity.
When therefore Melchiades, bishop of the city of Rome, had died, Sylvester, though strongly resisting, was elected by all the people as supreme pontiff. He kept the names of all the orphans and widows and poor written in a register and provided necessities for all. He instituted that the fourth and sixth day and the Sabbath should be observed by fasting, but that the fifth should be kept as a kind of Lord's day. But when the Greek Christians said that the Sabbath rather than the fifth day should be celebrated, he answered that this ought not to be done, both because this is of apostolic tradition and because compassion is owed to the Lord's burial. They said to him: "There is one Sabbath of the burial, on which once in the year a fast is to be kept." To them Sylvester said:
"Just as every Lord's day is adorned with the glory of the resurrection, so every Sabbath is adorned with the Lord's burial." They therefore acquiesced concerning the Sabbath, but they contended vehemently concerning the fifth day, asserting that it ought not to be associated with the solemnities of the Christians. But Sylvester showed its dignity chiefly in three things: because on this day the Lord ascended into heaven, and instituted the sacrament of his body and blood, and the Church made the holy chrism. All therefore acquiesced in his reasons. Now when Constantine was persecuting the Christians, Sylvester went out from the city and remained on a certain mountain with his clergy. But Constantine himself, by reason of his tyrannical persecution, fell into the incurable plague of leprosy.
At length, on the counsel of the priests of the idols, three thousand boys were brought, that he might have them killed and bathe himself in their fresh and warm blood. But as he was going out to the place where the bath was to be prepared, the mothers of the boys ran to meet him, who, with their hair loosened, wailed pitifully; and weeping, Constantine ordered the chariot to halt, and raising himself up he said: "Hear me, companions and fellow soldiers and all you peoples who stand by. The dignity of the Roman people is born from the fountain of piety, which also gave this law, that whoever in war had killed an infant should be subjected to capital sentence. How great therefore will be the cruelty, if we do to our own children that which we have forbidden to be done to strangers!
What does it profit to have overcome barbarians, if we are conquered by cruelty? For to have conquered foreign nations is by reason of the strength of warring peoples, but to conquer vices and sins is the virtue of morals. In those battles, therefore, we prove ourselves stronger than they; but in these, let us be stronger than our very selves. For whoever is overcome in this contest, the vanquished obtains the victory. But the victor after victory is conquered, if piety is overcome by impiety. Let piety therefore conquer in this encounter. For we shall be able to be victors over all our adversaries, if we conquer by piety alone. For he proves himself to be lord of all who has shown himself the servant of piety.
It is better therefore that I should die with the lives of the innocent preserved, than to recover life through their destruction." Now when Constantine was persecuting the Christians, Sylvester went out from the city and remained on a certain mountain with his clergy. But Constantine himself, by reason of his tyrannical persecution, fell into the incurable plague of leprosy. At length, on the counsel of the priests of the idols, three thousand boys were brought, that he might have them killed and bathe himself in their fresh and warm blood. But as he was going out to the place where the bath was to be prepared, the mothers of the boys ran to meet him, who, with their hair loosened, wailed pitifully; and weeping, Constantine ordered the chariot to halt, and raising himself up he said:
"Hear me, companions and fellow soldiers and all you peoples who stand by. The dignity of the Roman people is born from the fountain of piety, which also gave this law, that whoever in war had killed an infant should be subjected to capital sentence. How great therefore will be the cruelty, if we do to our own children that which we have forbidden to be done to strangers! What does it profit to have overcome barbarians, if we are conquered by cruelty? For to have conquered foreign nations is by reason of the strength of warring peoples, but to conquer vices and sins is the virtue of morals. In those battles, therefore, we prove ourselves stronger than they; but in these, let us be stronger than our very selves. For whoever is overcome in this contest, the vanquished obtains the victory.
But the victor after victory is conquered, if piety is overcome by impiety. Let piety therefore conquer in this encounter. For we shall be able to be victors over all our adversaries, if we conquer by piety alone. For he proves himself to be lord of all who has shown himself the servant of piety. It is better therefore that I should die with the lives of the innocent preserved, than to recover through their destruction a cruel life. Which life, moreover, it is uncertain that I should recover, while it is certain that, recovered thus, it is cruel." He therefore commanded that the boys should be restored to their mothers, and that very many and boundless gifts and vehicles should be provided. And so the mothers, who had come weeping, returned to their homes with joy. But the emperor himself returned to his palace.
But on the following night Peter and Paul appeared to him, saying: "Since you have shuddered at the shedding of innocent blood, the Lord Jesus Christ has sent us to give you counsel for recovering your health. Therefore summon Sylvester the bishop, who is hiding near Mount Soracte. He will show you a pool in which, immersed three times, you will be cured of all the disease of leprosy. But do you render this recompense to Christ: that you destroy the temples of the idols, restore the churches of Christ, and henceforth become his worshiper." Constantine therefore, awaking, immediately sent soldiers to Sylvester. But Sylvester, seeing the soldiers, immediately believed that he was being summoned to the palm of martyrdom.
Commending himself to God and exhorting his companions with him, Sylvester was presented to Constantine fearlessly. Constantine said to him: "We rejoice that you have come well." Having been greeted in return by Sylvester, he related to him in order the vision of his dream. But when Constantine inquired who those two gods were who had appeared to him, Sylvester answered that they were apostles of Christ and not gods. Then at the emperor's request Sylvester ordered images of the apostles to be brought to him. When the emperor beheld them, he exclaimed that they were such as had appeared to him. Sylvester therefore made him a catechumen and enjoined upon him a fast of one week and admonished him to open the prisons.
And when he had descended into the water of baptism, a wondrous splendor of light shone forth there, and so he came forth thence cleansed and declared that he had seen Christ. Now on the first day of his baptism he gave this law, that Christ should be worshiped in the city of Rome as the true God. The second, that if anyone should blaspheme Christ, he should be punished. The third, that whoever should do injury to a Christian should be deprived of half of his goods. The fourth, that just as the emperor at Rome, so the Roman pontiff should be held as head by all the bishops. The fifth, that whoever should take refuge in the churches should be kept immune from all injuries by all. The sixth, that no one, except by the permission of his bishop, should build a church within the walls of any city.
The seventh, that for the building of churches the tithes of the royal possessions should be granted. As the eighth, the emperor came to the church of Saint Peter and lamentably accused himself of his faults. Afterward, taking up a mattock, he was the first to open the earth for laying the foundation of the basilica church, and he cast out twelve baskets of earth upon his shoulders. After some days, however, the priests of the idols came to the emperor, saying: "Most sacred emperor, that dragon which is in the pit, after you received the faith of Christ, kills more than three hundred men daily with its breath." When Constantine consulted Sylvester about this, he answered:
"By the power of Christ I will make it cease from all harm." The priests promised that, if he did this, they would believe. Now while Sylvester was praying, the Holy Spirit appeared to him, saying: "Descend securely to the dragon, you and the two priests who are with you, and when you come to it, address it thus: 'Our Lord Jesus Christ, born of the Virgin, crucified and buried, who rose again and sits at the right hand of the Father, he is to come to judge the living and the dead. You therefore, Satan, await him in this pit until he comes.' But you shall bind its mouth with a thread, and seal it from above with a ring bearing the sign of the cross.
Afterward you will come to me safe and unharmed and will eat the bread which I shall have prepared for you." Sylvester therefore descended with the two priests into the pit by one hundred and fifty steps, carrying with them two lanterns. Then he spoke the aforesaid words to the dragon and, as he had been commanded, bound the mouth of it as it hissed and snarled; and ascending he found two magicians who had followed them, to see whether they would descend as far as the dragon, nearly dead from the dragon's stench. He brought them out with him safe and sound; and they were immediately converted together with a countless multitude, and so the people of the Romans were delivered from a double death, namely from the worship of the demon and the venom of the dragon.
At length the blessed Sylvester, drawing near to death, admonished the clergy concerning three things, namely that they should have charity among themselves, govern their churches more diligently, and guard the flock from the bites of the wolves. After these things he happily fell asleep in the Lord around the year of the Lord 320.