The Nicene Age · AD 313–400
Acilius Severus
d. c. AD 375 · Spanish Christian writer · Autobiographer in prose and verse · Hispania
The Nicene Age
Who Acilius Severus was
A Spanish Christian of the senatorial Acilii who wrote his own life as a journey — a Hodoeporicon in mingled prose and verse, 'a woven tale of his whole career,' as Jerome describes the lost book. The first Christian verse-autobiography we know of, and its author known solely from the catalogue entry that failed to save it.
Jerome (DVI 111) alone.
Common questions
When did Acilius Severus die?
Acilius Severus is dated d. c. AD 375 in the archive, which places Acilius Severus in the Nicene Age (AD 313–400). The dating is traditional and approximate; the archive marks it as uncertain rather than fixing a year the sources do not give.
What did Acilius Severus write?
Acilius Severus has 1 catalogued writing in the archive: Katastrophe (the 'Hodoeporicon' of his whole life). All are lost, known only from later citation.
Which early sources mention Acilius Severus?
Acilius Severus is named in 1 primary-source passage catalogued here, drawn from Jerome. Every passage is quoted from a named public-domain translation, earliest first.
Where was Acilius Severus from?
The archive associates Acilius Severus with Hispania.
Writings (1)
Katastrophe (the 'Hodoeporicon' of his whole life)
A lost autobiography in prose and verse — a genre a century before the ConfessionsHe composed a volume of mingled prose and verse, as it were a travel-journal of his whole life, which he called Catastrophe. (Jerome, On Illustrious Men 111)Lost — known only from later citation.
Primary-source mentions (1)
Every passage below is quoted from a named public-domain translation, earliest first.
On Illustrious Men 111
c. AD 393Acilius Severus of Spain composed a volume of mingled prose and verse, as it were a guide-book of his own whole life, which he called Catastrophe or Trial; he died in the reign of Valentinian.Jerome · 111 · source text
Connected in the archive
People
Events in this lifetime
- 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
- AD 367 · Athanasius lists the 27 NT books, AD 367
- AD 372 · The martyrdom of Sabbas the Goth, AD 372
Place
Places served
The one place the sources put Acilius Severus.
- 1Hispaniaprovince only