The Ante-Nicene Church · AD 180–313
Anatolius of Laodicea
d. c. 283 · Bishop of Laodicea · Mathematician & astronomer · Alexandria → Laodicea
The Ante-Nicene Church
Who Anatolius of Laodicea was
An Alexandrian of vast learning — “most skilled in arithmetic, geometry, astronomy, and the whole of philosophy,” Eusebius says — who was asked to found a school of Aristotelian philosophy at Alexandria. During the siege of the Christian quarter in the Alexandrian revolt he cleverly negotiated the evacuation of the non-combatants, saving many lives. Travelling east, he was made bishop of Laodicea. He wrote a Canons on the date of Easter, applying real astronomy to the paschal calculation, and ten books of arithmetical Institutes. A bishop who was also one of the age’s genuine scientists.
Also listed in bishops beyond the great sees.
Common questions
When did Anatolius die?
Anatolius of Laodicea is dated d. c. 283 in the archive, which places Anatolius in the Ante-Nicene Church (AD 180–313). The dating is traditional and approximate; the archive marks it as uncertain rather than fixing a year the sources do not give.
What did Anatolius write?
Anatolius of Laodicea has 1 catalogued writing in the archive: Canons on the Pascha.
Which early sources mention Anatolius?
Anatolius of Laodicea is named in 2 primary-source passages catalogued here, drawn from Eusebius of Caesarea and Jerome of Stridon. Every passage is quoted from a named public-domain translation, earliest first.
Where was Anatolius from?
The archive associates Anatolius of Laodicea with Alexandria, Laodicea. The sources record more than one location, so the places are listed in the order the record moves through them.
Writings (1)
Canons on the Pascha
c. 270In the first year there is the new moon of the first month, which is the beginning of every cycle of nineteen years, on the twenty-sixth day of the Egyptian Phamenoth.Read the interlinear source text →
Primary-source mentions (2)
Every passage below is quoted from a named public-domain translation, earliest first.
Ecclesiastical History VII.32
c. AD 325Anatolius… was celebrated for his learning in arithmetic, geometry, astronomy, and the other sciences, whether of philosophy or of rhetoric; and on account of these things he was thought worthy of the bishopric of Laodicea.Eusebius of Caesarea · VII.32 · source text
On Illustrious Men 73
c. AD 392Anatolius of Alexandria, bishop of Laodicea in Syria, a man of wonderful learning in arithmetic, geometry, astronomy, grammar, rhetoric and dialectic.Jerome of Stridon · On Illustrious Men 73 · source text
Connected in the archive
People
Events in this lifetime
- AD 235 · Maximinus Thrax targets the clergy, AD 235
- AD 250 · The Decian persecution, AD 250
- AD 251 · The Novatianist schism, AD 251
- AD 257 · The Valerian persecution, AD 257
- AD 260 · Gallienus’ edict of toleration, AD 260
- AD 268 · Antioch deposes Paul of Samosata, AD 268
- AD 272 · Aurelian awards the Antioch church, AD 272
Place
Places served
The 2 places the sources put Anatolius, in the order the record moves through them. This is what the sources attest, not a reconstructed route.