The Nicene Age · AD 313–400
Apollinaris of Laodicea
c. 310 – c. 390 · Bishop of Laodicea · Heresiarch of the Incarnation · Laodicea, Syria
The Nicene Age
Who Apollinaris of Laodicea was
Bishop of Laodicea, a learned defender of Nicaea and friend of Athanasius — who, in his zeal to guard the unity of Christ, taught that in the Incarnation the divine Word took the place of a human mind — the position against which the doctrine later called the hypostatic union was defined or rational soul, so that Christ was not fully human. The Cappadocians answered with the principle that decided the matter: “that which He has not assumed He has not healed” (Gregory of Nazianzus). Condemned at Constantinople in 381, his followers persisted for a time; his own considerable learning (he and his father rewrote scripture as classical poetry when Julian barred Christians from the schools) makes him the most tragic of the heresiarchs — an orthodox champion undone by one over-reaching solution.
Also listed in bishops beyond the great sees and heretics & schismatics.
Common questions
When did Apollinaris live?
Apollinaris of Laodicea is dated c. 310 – c. 390 in the archive, which places Apollinaris 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.
Which early sources mention Apollinaris?
Apollinaris of Laodicea is named in 3 primary-source passages catalogued here, drawn from Basil of Caesarea, Gregory of Nazianzus and Jerome of Stridon. Every passage is quoted from a named public-domain translation, earliest first.
Where was Apollinaris from?
The archive associates Apollinaris of Laodicea with Laodicea, Syria. The sources record more than one location, so the places are listed in the order the record moves through them.
Who were Apollinaris’ contemporaries?
The archive links Apollinaris of Laodicea to 3 other figures, including Athanasius of Alexandria, Gregory of Nazianzus and Gregory of Nyssa. Each connection is drawn from a source that places them together, not from inference.
Primary-source mentions (3)
Every passage below is quoted from a named public-domain translation, earliest first.
Letter 263.4 (Basil denounces the Laodicean's speculations)
c. AD 377Letter 101, to Cledonius
c. AD 380If anyone has put his trust in Him as a man without a human mind, he is himself mindless and unworthy of salvation. For that which He has not assumed He has not healed.Gregory of Nazianzus · source text
On Illustrious Men 104
c. AD 392Apollinaris, bishop of Laodicea in Syria, produced innumerable volumes on the Holy Scriptures; he died in the time of the emperor Theodosius.Jerome of Stridon · On Illustrious Men 104 · source text
Connected in the archive
People
Events in this lifetime
- 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
- AD 378 · Queen Mavia’s revolt, AD 378
- AD 380 · The Edict of Thessalonica, AD 380
- AD 381 · The Council of Constantinople, AD 381
- AD 381 · The Council of Aquileia, AD 381
- AD 384 · The Altar of Victory petition, AD 384
- AD 390 · Thessalonica and the penance of Theodosius, AD 390
Place
Places served
The 2 places the sources put Apollinaris, in the order the record moves through them. This is what the sources attest, not a reconstructed route.