The Nicene Age · AD 313–400
Abraham Kidunaia
d. AD 366 · Recluse · Reluctant missionary-bishop · Mesopotamia, near Edessa
The Nicene Age
Who Abraham Kidunaia was
A Mesopotamian recluse dragged from his cell to evangelize a stubbornly pagan village, and later famous for descending into the world in disguise to rescue his fallen niece Mary from a brothel — the tale that made him a favorite of medieval drama. An encomium ascribed to Ephrem the Syrian and a Syriac Life carry his memory.
One Syriac tradition — the Ephremic hymn-cycle with its dependent Life.
Also listed in bishops beyond the great sees and desert fathers & mothers.
Common questions
When did Abraham Kidunaia die?
Abraham Kidunaia is dated d. AD 366 in the archive, which places Abraham Kidunaia in the Nicene Age (AD 313–400).
Which early sources mention Abraham Kidunaia?
Abraham Kidunaia is named in 1 primary-source passage catalogued here, drawn from (ascribed to) Ephrem the Syrian. Every passage is quoted from a named public-domain translation, earliest first.
Where was Abraham Kidunaia from?
The archive associates Abraham Kidunaia with Mesopotamia, near Edessa. The sources record more than one location, so the places are listed in the order the record moves through them.
Who were Abraham Kidunaia’s contemporaries?
The archive links Abraham Kidunaia to 1 other figure, including Ephrem the Syrian. Each connection is drawn from a source that places them together, not from inference.
Primary-source mentions (1)
Every passage below is quoted from a named public-domain translation, earliest first.
Hymns on Abraham Kidunaya (transmitted under Ephrem's name, 4th century) with the later Syriac Life (5th–6th century); original Syriac, summarized
c. AD 370[Near-contemporary hymn-cycle — the ascription to Ephrem is debated — with the fuller legendary Life following a century later. The hymns praise the recluse whose cell stayed shut for fifty years; the Life adds the two famous descents: dragged out to evangelize a stubborn pagan village near Edessa, and going down in soldier's dress to a brothel to bring home his fallen niece Mary.](ascribed to) Ephrem the Syrian · source text
Connected in the archive
People
Events in this lifetime
- AD 301 · Hripsime and her company, AD 301
- AD 303 · The Great Persecution begins, AD 303
- AD 303 · The search of the church at Cirta, AD 303
- AD 306 · The Council of Elvira, AD 306
- AD 311 · Galerius’ edict of Serdica, AD 311
- AD 313 · The Edict of Milan, AD 313
- AD 314 · The Council of Arles, AD 314
- AD 320 · Silvanus tried before Zenophilus, AD 320
- AD 325 · The Council of Nicaea, AD 325
- AD 339 · The persecution of Shapur II, AD 339
- AD 343 · The Council of Serdica, AD 343
- AD 361 · Julian’s pagan restoration, AD 361
- AD 366 · Damasus and the catacomb epigrams, AD 366
Place
Places served
The 2 places the sources put Abraham Kidunaia, in the order the record moves through them. This is what the sources attest, not a reconstructed route.
- 1Mesopotamiaprovince only
- 2Edessa