The Apologists · AD 130–180
Alexander of Lyon
d. 177 · Phrygian physician · Martyr of Lyon · Phrygia → Lugdunum
The Apologists
Who Alexander of Lyon was
A physician from Phrygia, long resident in Gaul and “known to almost all for his love toward God,” who stood near the tribunal encouraging the wavering to confess — nodding to them “as though a mother in travail.” The crowd, enraged that the fallen were recovering their courage, cried out against him; questioned, he confessed and was thrown to the beasts with Attalus the next day, dying without a groan. A rare named professional — a doctor — among the martyr-companies.
Also listed in martyrs and under marcus aurelius.
Common questions
When did Alexander die?
Alexander of Lyon is dated d. 177 in the archive, which places Alexander in the Apologists (AD 130–180).
Which early sources mention Alexander?
Alexander of Lyon is named in 2 primary-source passages catalogued here, drawn from The churches of Lyon & Vienne and The Hieronymian compilers. Every passage is quoted from a named public-domain translation, earliest first.
Where was Alexander from?
The archive associates Alexander of Lyon with Phrygia, Lugdunum. The sources record more than one location, so the places are listed in the order the record moves through them.
Who were Alexander’s contemporaries?
The archive links Alexander of Lyon to 3 other figures, including Vettius Epagathus, Attalus of Pergamum and Biblis of Lyon. Each connection is drawn from a source that places them together, not from inference.
Primary-source mentions (2)
Every passage below is quoted from a named public-domain translation, earliest first.
Letter of the Churches of Lyons, via Eusebius V.1
c. AD 177A certain Alexander, a Phrygian by birth and physician by profession… standing before the tribunal and encouraging them to confession, was manifest to those standing by as one in travail.The churches of Lyon & Vienne · 49 · source text
Martyrologium Hieronymianum (the Forty-Eight of Lyon, 2 June)
c. AD 450Connected in the archive
People
Events in this lifetime
- AD 112 · Pliny writes Trajan, AD 112
- AD 117 · Symeon and Ignatius martyred, AD 117
- AD 135 · Bar Kokhba crushed; Aelia Capitolina, AD 135
- AD 144 · Marcion expelled at Rome, AD 144
- AD 156 · The New Prophecy erupts, AD 156
- AD 177 · Persecution at Lyon and Vienne, AD 177
Place
Places served
The 2 places the sources put Alexander, in the order the record moves through them. This is what the sources attest, not a reconstructed route.