The Ante-Nicene Church · AD 180–313
Ater
d. AD 250 (burned) · Egyptian layman · Martyr · Alexandria
The Ante-Nicene Church
Who Ater was
Second of the three Egyptians burned after the judge failed to break the boy Dioscorus. The name also appears as Atir and Ather.
Named once in Eusebius’ Ecclesiastical History; no other ancient source names him.
Also listed in martyrs and the decian persecution.
Common questions
When did Ater die?
Ater is dated d. AD 250 (burned) in the archive, which places Ater in the Ante-Nicene Church (AD 180–313).
Which early sources mention Ater?
Ater 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 Ater from?
The archive associates Ater with Alexandria.
Who were Ater’s contemporaries?
The archive links Ater to 3 other figures, including Heron the Martyr of Alexandria, Isidorus of Alexandria and Dioscorus of Alexandria. 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.41.19 — transmitted in Eusebius, Ecclesiastical History (c. 325)
c. AD 251The Egyptians, Heron and Ater and Isidorus, and with them Dioscorus, a boy about fifteen years old, were delivered up.Dionysius of Alexandria · Ecclesiastical History VI.41.19 · 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 Ater.