The Ante-Nicene Church · AD 180–313
Alexander the Martyr of Alexandria
d. AD 250 (burned) · Confessor in long imprisonment · Martyr · Alexandria
The Ante-Nicene Church
Who Alexander the Martyr of Alexandria was
Imprisoned and tortured with Epimachus over a long period, and burned with him. Distinct from Alexander of Alexandria the bishop, who died about 328, from Alexander of Jerusalem, and from the four other Alexanders in the archive — this is one of the two homonym traps that kept the second half of Eusebius VI.41 out of the corpus.
Named once in Eusebius’ Ecclesiastical History; no other ancient source names him.
Also listed in martyrs and the decian persecution.
Common questions
When did Alexander die?
Alexander the Martyr of Alexandria is dated d. AD 250 (burned) in the archive, which places Alexander in the Ante-Nicene Church (AD 180–313).
Which early sources mention Alexander?
Alexander the Martyr of Alexandria is named in 1 primary-source passage catalogued here, drawn from Dionysius of Alexandria. Every passage is quoted from a named public-domain translation, earliest first.
Where was Alexander from?
The archive associates Alexander the Martyr of Alexandria with Alexandria.
Who were Alexander’s contemporaries?
The archive links Alexander the Martyr of Alexandria to 2 other figures, including Epimachus of Alexandria and Ammonarium. 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.
Letter to Fabius of Antioch, VI.41.17 — transmitted in Eusebius, Ecclesiastical History (c. 325)
c. AD 251After them Epimachus and Alexander, having remained in bonds for a long time, and endured countless agonies from scrapers and scourges, were also consumed in a fierce fire.Dionysius of Alexandria · Ecclesiastical History VI.41.17 · source text
Connected in the archive
People
Events in this lifetime
- AD 180 · The Scillitan martyrs, AD 180
- AD 190 · The Quartodeciman controversy, AD 190
- AD 202 · Perpetua and Felicity martyred, AD 202
- AD 235 · Maximinus Thrax targets the clergy, AD 235
- AD 250 · The Decian persecution, AD 250
Place
Places served
The one place the sources put Alexander.