The Apostolic Fathers · AD 70–130
Agabus the Prophet
d. c. 70 (trad.) · Prophet of Jerusalem · Jerusalem → Antioch → Caesarea Maritima
The Apostolic Fathers
Who Agabus the Prophet was
The chief named prophet of the first generation: at Antioch he “signified by the Spirit that there should be great dearth throughout all the world; which came to pass in the days of Claudius Caesar” — triggering the first inter-church relief mission — and a decade later, at Caesarea, he bound his own hands and feet with Paul’s girdle: “So shall the Jews at Jerusalem bind the man that owneth this girdle.” His acted prophecy is the Old Testament sign-tradition alive in the church; the martyrologies give him a martyr’s end at Antioch.
Common questions
When did Agabus die?
Agabus the Prophet is dated d. c. 70 (trad.) in the archive, which places Agabus in the Apostolic Fathers (AD 70–130). The dating is traditional and approximate; the archive marks it as uncertain rather than fixing a year the sources do not give.
Which early sources mention Agabus?
Agabus the Prophet is named in 2 primary-source passages catalogued here, drawn from Luke the Evangelist and Luke. Every passage is quoted from a named public-domain translation, earliest first.
Where was Agabus from?
The archive associates Agabus the Prophet with Jerusalem, Antioch, Caesarea Maritima. The sources record more than one location, so the places are listed in the order the record moves through them.
Who were Agabus’ contemporaries?
The archive links Agabus the Prophet to 5 other figures, including Paul of Tarsus, The Four Daughters of Philip, Philip the Evangelist and Emperor Claudius. Each connection is drawn from a source that places them together, not from inference.
Scripture record
Primary-source mentions (2)
Every passage below is quoted from a named public-domain translation, earliest first.
Acts 11:28 (the famine prophecy, years earlier)
c. AD 62And there stood up one of them named Agabus, and signified by the Spirit that there should be great dearth throughout all the world.Luke the Evangelist · read ↗
Acts 21:11
c. AD 85…Thus saith the Holy Ghost, So shall the Jews at Jerusalem bind the man that owneth this girdle, and shall deliver him into the hands of the Gentiles.Luke · read ↗
Connected in the archive
People
Events in this lifetime
- AD 30 · Crucifixion, Resurrection and Pentecost, AD 30–33
- AD 44 · Persecution under Herod Agrippa I, AD 44
- AD 49 · The Council of Jerusalem, AD 49
- AD 57 · Paul writes Romans, AD 57
- AD 62 · James the Just stoned, AD 62
- AD 64 · The Great Fire and Nero’s persecution, AD 64
- AD 70 · The fall of Jerusalem, AD 70
Place
Places served
The 3 places the sources put Agabus, in the order the record moves through them. This is what the sources attest, not a reconstructed route.