The Ante-Nicene Church · AD 180–313
Archelaus of Carrhae
fl. c. AD 277 (death unrecorded) · Bishop in Mesopotamia · Disputant against Mani · Carrhae / Kaskar, Mesopotamia
The Ante-Nicene Church
Who Archelaus of Carrhae was
The bishop who, in the church's founding anti-Manichaean dossier, meets Mani himself in staged debate and routs him before pagan judges — the Acta Archelai, source of nearly everything later Christian writers believed about the sect and its founder. Whether the disputation happened as written, Archelaus's book became the armoury: Cyril, Epiphanius, and Jerome all drew from it.
Also listed in bishops beyond the great sees.
Common questions
When was Archelaus active?
Archelaus of Carrhae is dated fl. c. AD 277 (death unrecorded) in the archive, which places Archelaus 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 Archelaus write?
Archelaus of Carrhae has 1 catalogued writing in the archive: The Disputation with Manes (Acta Archelai).
Which early sources mention Archelaus?
Archelaus of Carrhae is named in 2 primary-source passages catalogued here, drawn from Hegemonius and Jerome. Every passage is quoted from a named public-domain translation, earliest first.
Where was Archelaus from?
The archive associates Archelaus of Carrhae with Carrhae / Kaskar, Mesopotamia. The sources record more than one location, so the places are listed in the order the record moves through them.
Writings (1)
The Disputation with Manes (Acta Archelai)
The anti-Manichaean debate that circulates under his name — composed by Hegemonius, and so flagged[The acta cast Archelaus as victorious disputant; authorship belongs to Hegemonius, c. 340]Read the interlinear source text →
Primary-source mentions (2)
Every passage below is quoted from a named public-domain translation, earliest first.
Acts of the Disputation with Manes
c. AD 350Archelaus the bishop withstood him face to face… and the judges, though worshippers of the gods, gave the crown of the disputation to the Christian.Hegemonius · source text
On Illustrious Men 72
c. AD 393Archelaus, bishop of Mesopotamia, composed in the Syriac language the book of his disputation held with Manichaeus when he came forth from Persia.Jerome · 72 · source text
Names proposed by later tradition
Not Herod Archelaus
This Archelaus is the fourth-century bishop of Carrhae. He is unrelated to Herod Archelaus, ethnarch of Judaea 4 BC – AD 6, whom this archive also holds. The two are frequently confused by name search.
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 Archelaus, in the order the record moves through them. This is what the sources attest, not a reconstructed route.
- 1Carrhae
- 2Mesopotamiaprovince only