The Ante-Nicene Church · AD 180–313
Apphianus of Lycia
d. AD 306 (drowned at Caesarea) · Young confessor · Martyr of Caesarea · Lycia → Berytus → Caesarea Maritima
The Ante-Nicene Church
Who Apphianus of Lycia was
A rich man's son of Lycia, not yet twenty, schooled in law at Berytus and in scripture under Pamphilus at Caesarea — who slipped from the house unnoticed, walked up to the governor Urbanus in the act of pouring libation, and gripped his sacrificing hand with a word of rebuke. Tortured for a day and a half, his feet wrapped in oiled cotton and set alight, he was drowned in the sea, which — Eusebius, an eyewitness of the aftermath, insists — cast his body back before the city.
Martyrs of Palestine 4 only — Eusebius alone saw and recorded it.
Also listed in martyrs, roman emperors and the great persecution.
Common questions
When did Apphianus die?
Apphianus of Lycia is dated d. AD 306 (drowned at Caesarea) in the archive, which places Apphianus in the Ante-Nicene Church (AD 180–313).
Which early sources mention Apphianus?
Apphianus of Lycia is named in 1 primary-source passage catalogued here, drawn from Eusebius of Caesarea. Every passage is quoted from a named public-domain translation, earliest first.
Where was Apphianus from?
The archive associates Apphianus of Lycia with Lycia, Berytus, Caesarea Maritima. The sources record more than one location, so the places are listed in the order the record moves through them.
Who were Apphianus’ contemporaries?
The archive links Apphianus of Lycia to 4 other figures, including Aedesius the Martyr, Pamphilus of Caesarea, Eusebius of Caesarea and Emperor Maximinus Daza. 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.
Martyrs of Palestine 4 (with the Ecclesiastical History)
c. AD 325Unobserved by all, he drew near the governor as he was offering libation, seized his right hand, and stopped his sacrificing — exhorting him with a calm boldness to cease from his error.Eusebius of Caesarea · MP 4 · source text
Connected in the archive
People
Events in this lifetime
- 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
- AD 301 · Hripsime and her company, AD 301
- AD 303 · The Great Persecution begins, AD 303
- AD 303 · The search of the church at Cirta, AD 303
- AD 306 · The Council of Elvira, AD 306
Place
Places served
The 3 places the sources put Apphianus, in the order the record moves through them. This is what the sources attest, not a reconstructed route.
- 1Lyciaprovince only
- 2Berytus
- 3Caesarea Maritima