Quadratus of Athens

Last updated • 2 min readFrom Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia

Quadratus of Athens
Quadratus of Athens (Menologion of Basil II).jpg
Martyrdom of Saint Quadratus depicted in the 11th century Menologion of Basil II.
Bishop of Athens, Apologist
BornFirst century
Died129
Venerated in Roman Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodox Church
Canonized Pre-Congregation
Feast 26 May (Roman Catholic Church), 21 September (Eastern Orthodox Church)

Saint Quadratus of Athens (Ancient Greek : Κοδρᾶτος) was a Greek Apostolic Father, bishop of Athens. [1] He is counted among the Seventy Apostles in the tradition of the Eastern Churches.

Contents

Ministry

According to the early church historian Eusebius of Caesarea he is said to have been a disciple of the Apostles (auditor apostolorum). [2]

In his Ecclesiastical History , Book IV, chapter 3, Eusebius records that:

1. After Trajan had reigned for nineteen and a half years Ælius Adrian became his successor in the empire. To him Quadratus addressed a discourse containing an apology for our religion, because certain wicked men had attempted to trouble the Christians. The work is still in the hands of a great many of the brethren, as also in our own, and furnishes clear proofs of the man's understanding and of his apostolic orthodoxy.
2. He himself reveals the early date at which he lived in the following words: But the works of our Saviour were always present, for they were genuine:— those that were healed, and those that were raised from the dead, who were seen not only when they were healed and when they were raised, but were also always present; and not merely while the Saviour was on earth, but also after his death, they were alive for quite a while, so that some of them lived even to our day. Such then was Quadratus. [3]

In other words, Eusebius is stating that Quadratus addressed a discourse to the Roman Emperor Hadrian containing a defense, or apology, of the Christian religion, when the latter was visiting Athens in AD 124 or 125, which Eusebius states moved the emperor to issue a favourable edict. The mention that many of those healed or raised from the dead by Christ were still living seems to be part of an argument that Christ was no mere wonder-worker whose effects were transitory.

Eusebius later summarises a letter by Dionysius of Corinth which simply states that Quadratus was appointed Bishop of Athens 'after the martyrdom of Publius', and which states that 'through his zeal they [the Athenian Christians] were brought together again and their faith revived. [4]

P. Andriessen has suggested that Quadratus' Apology is the work known as Epistle to Diognetus , [5] a suggestion Michael W. Holmes finds "intriguing". While admitting that Epistle to Diognetus does not contain the only quotation known from Quadratus' address, Holmes defends this identification by noting "there is a gap between 7.6 and 7.7 into which it would fit very well." [6] Edgar J. Goodspeed states it is an ingenious theory, but says it is improbable and that the fragment does not fit the gap. [7]

Because of the similarity of name, some scholars [8] have concluded that Quadratus the Apologist is the same person as Quadratus, a prophet mentioned elsewhere by Eusebius (H. E., 3.37). The 1913 Catholic Encyclopedia, however, finds the evidence too slight to be convincing. [9] The later references to Quadratus in Jerome and the martyrologies are all based on Eusebius, or are arbitrary enlargements of his account.

Another apologist, Aristides, presented a similar work. Eusebius had copies of both essays. Because he was bishop of Athens after Publius, Quadratus is sometimes figured among the Apostolic Fathers. Eusebius called him a "man of understanding and of Apostolic faith", and Jerome in Viri illustrissimi intensified the apostolic connection, calling him "disciple of the apostles".

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pope Linus</span> Head of the Catholic Church from c. 68 to c. 80 AD

Pope Linus was the bishop of Rome from c. AD 68 to his death. He is generally regarded as the second Bishop of Rome, after St. Peter. As with all the early popes, he was canonized.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Polycarp</span> Christian bishop of Smyrna (69-155)

Polycarp was a Christian bishop of Smyrna. According to the Martyrdom of Polycarp, he died a martyr, bound and burned at the stake, then stabbed when the fire failed to consume his body. Polycarp is regarded as a saint and Church Father in the Eastern Orthodox Church, Roman Catholic Church, Oriental Orthodox Churches, Lutheranism, and Anglicanism.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pope Evaristus</span> Head of the Catholic Church from c. 99 to c. 107

Pope Evaristus was the bishop of Rome from c. 99/100 to his death in 107/108. He was also known as Aristus and is venerated as a saint in the Eastern Orthodox Church, the Catholic Church, and Oriental Orthodoxy. It is likely that John the Apostle died during his reign period, marking the end of the Apostolic Age.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Clement of Rome</span> Head of the Catholic Church from 88 to 99 AD

Clement of Rome, also known as Pope Clement I, was the bishop of Rome in the late first century AD. He is considered to be the first of the Apostolic Fathers of the Church, and a leading member of the Church in Rome in the late 1st century.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hippolytus of Rome</span> Christian theologian and saint (c. 170 – c. 235)

Hippolytus of Rome was a Bishop of Rome and one of the most important second–third centuries Christian theologians, whose provenance, identity and corpus remain elusive to scholars and historians. Suggested communities include Rome, Palestine, Egypt, Anatolia and other regions of the Middle East. The best historians of literature in the ancient church, including Eusebius of Caesarea and Jerome, openly confess they cannot name where Hippolytus the biblical commentator and theologian served in leadership. They had read his works but did not possess evidence of his community. Photios I of Constantinople describes him in his Bibliotheca as a disciple of Irenaeus, who was said to be a disciple of Polycarp, and from the context of this passage it is supposed that he suggested that Hippolytus so styled himself. This assertion is doubtful. One older theory asserts he came into conflict with the popes of his time and seems to have headed a schismatic group as a rival to the bishop of Rome, thus becoming an antipope. In this view, he opposed the Roman Popes who softened the penitential system to accommodate the large number of new pagan converts. However, he was reconciled to the Church before he died as a martyr.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Patriarch of Alexandria</span> Archbishop of Alexandria, Egypt; includes the designation "pope"

The Patriarch of Alexandria is the archbishop of Alexandria, Egypt. Historically, this office has included the designation "pope".

Athenagoras was a Father of the Church, an Ante-Nicene Christian apologist who lived during the second half of the 2nd century of whom little is known for certain, besides that he was Athenian, a philosopher, and a convert to Christianity.

The Apostolic Fathers, also known as the Ante-Nicene Fathers, were core Christian theologians among the Church Fathers who lived in the 1st and 2nd centuries AD who are believed to have personally known some of the Twelve Apostles or to have been significantly influenced by them. Their writings, though widely circulated in early Christianity, were not included in the canon of the New Testament. Many of the writings derive from the same time period and geographical location as other works of early Christian literature which came to be part of the New Testament.

<i>Epistle to Diognetus</i> 2nd century Christian apologetic text

The Epistle to Diognetus is an example of Christian apologetics, writings defending Christianity against the charges of its critics. The Greek writer and recipient are not otherwise known. Estimates of dating based on the language and other textual evidence have ranged from AD 130, to the general era of Melito of Sardis, Athenagoras of Athens, and Tatian.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Saint Publius</span> 1st-century Maltese bishop and Christian Saint

Saint Publius was a 1st century Maltese Christian bishop and saint. He is considered the first Bishop of Malta and one of the first Bishops of Athens.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Simeon of Jerusalem</span> 1st century Bishop of Jerusalem

Simeon of Jerusalem, or Simon of Clopas, was a Jewish Christian leader and according to most Christian traditions the second Bishop of Jerusalem, succeeding James, brother of Jesus. Simeon is sometimes identified with Simon, brother of Jesus, and has also been identified with the Apostle Simon the Zealot.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Addai of Edessa</span> Christian saint and one of the seventy disciples of Jesus

According to Eastern Christian tradition, Addai of Edessa or Thaddeus of Edessa was one of the seventy disciples of Jesus.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pope Heraclas of Alexandria</span> Head of the Coptic Church from 232 to 248

Pope Heraclas was the 13th Pope and Patriarch of Alexandria, reigning 232–248.

The Apology of Aristides was written by the early Christian writer Aristides. Until 1878, knowledge of Aristides was confined to some references in works by Eusebius of Caesarea and Saint Jerome. Eusebius said that he was an Athenian philosopher and that Aristides and another apologist, Quadratus, delivered their Apologies directly to Emperor Hadrian. Aristides is also credited with a sermon on Luke 23:43. He remained a philosopher after his conversion to Christianity working in Athens.

Christian apologetics is a branch of Christian theology that defends Christianity.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aristides of Athens</span> 2nd-century Christian Greek author

Aristides the Athenian was a 2nd-century Christian Greek author who is primarily known as the author of the Apology of Aristides. His feast day is August 31 in Roman Catholicism and September 13 in Eastern Orthodoxy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jude, brother of Jesus</span> Member of Jesus family according to the New Testament

Jude is one of the "brothers" of Jesus (Greek: ἀδελφοί, romanized: adelphoi, lit. 'brethren') according to the New Testament. He is traditionally identified as the author of the Epistle of Jude, a short epistle which is reckoned among the seven general epistles of the New Testament—placed after Paul's epistles and before the Book of Revelation—and considered canonical by Christians. Catholics and Eastern Orthodox Christians believe this Jude is the same person as Jude the Apostle; Catholics hold that Jude was a cousin, but not literally a brother of Jesus, while the Eastern Orthodox hold that Jude is St. Joseph's son from a previous marriage.

Early Christianity, otherwise called the Early Church or Paleo-Christianity, describes the historical era of the Christian religion up to the First Council of Nicaea in 325. Christianity spread from the Levant, across the Roman Empire, and beyond. Originally, this progression was closely connected to already established Jewish centers in the Holy Land and the Jewish diaspora throughout the Eastern Mediterranean. The first followers of Christianity were Jews who had converted to the faith, i.e. Jewish Christians, as well as Phoenicians, i.e. Lebanese Christians. Early Christianity contains the Apostolic Age and is followed by, and substantially overlaps with, the Patristic era.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Saint Peter</span> Christian apostle

Saint Peter, also known as Peter the Apostle, Simon Peter, Simeon, Simon, or Cephas, was one of the Twelve Apostles of Jesus Christ and one of the first leaders of the early Christian Church. He appears repeatedly and prominently in all four New Testament gospels as well as the Acts of the Apostles. Catholic tradition accredits Peter as the first bishop of Rome‍—‌or pope‍—‌and also as the first bishop of Antioch.

Tobias of Jerusalem was the fifth Bishop of Jerusalem, who lived in the 2nd century. He was acquainted with Addai of Edessa, one of the seventy disciples and a miraculous healer.

References

  1. Walker, Williston; Norris, Richard; Lotz, David; Handy, Robert (1985). The History of the Christian Church (4th ed.). New York: Simon & Schuster. p. 53. ISBN   9780684184173.
  2. Chronicon "ad annum Abrahamum 2041" (AD 124).
  3. Historia Ecclesiastica 4.3.1–2, http://www.newadvent.org/fathers/250104.htm
  4. ' Historia Ecclesiastica , 4.23.
  5. Andriessen, "The Authorship of the Epistula ad Diognetum", Vigiliae Christianae 1 (1947), pp. 129–36.
  6. Michael W. Holmes, The Apostolic Fathers in English (Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2006), p. 290
  7. Goodspeed, Edgar J. (1966). A History of Early Christian Literature. Chicago: University of Chicago Press. pp. 97. ISBN   0226303861.
  8. For example, Otto Bardenhewer, Patrology, p. 40
  9. Herbermann, Charles, ed. (1913). "Quadratus"  . Catholic Encyclopedia . New York: Robert Appleton Company.
Catholic Church Titles
Preceded by Bishop of Athens
125–129
Succeeded by
Leonidas