Athenodorus of Pontus

When did Athenodorus die?

Athenodorus of Pontus is dated d. c. 270 in the archive, which places Athenodorus 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.

Which early sources mention Athenodorus?

Athenodorus of Pontus is named in 3 primary-source passages catalogued here, drawn from Eusebius of Caesarea, Gregory of Nyssa and Jerome of Stridon. Every passage is quoted from a named public-domain translation, earliest first.

Where was Athenodorus from?

The archive associates Athenodorus of Pontus with Neocaesarea, Pontus. The sources record more than one location, so the places are listed in the order the record moves through them.

Who were Athenodorus’ contemporaries?

The archive links Athenodorus of Pontus to 4 other figures, including Gregory Thaumaturgus, Origen of Alexandria, Hymenaeus of Jerusalem and Helenus of Tarsus. Each connection is drawn from a source that places them together, not from inference.

Gregory and his brother Athenodorus… Origen inspired them with such love of divine things that they became distinguished bishops of the churches of Pontus.

[Gregory of Nyssa records that the two brothers left the law for Origen’s school at Caesarea, and that both came back as bishops.]

Gregory of Nyssa's De vita Gregorii Thaumaturgi, a panegyric preached at Neocaesarea c. AD 380 — the earliest life of the wonderworker, and the source of most of what is told of him. Greek: Günter Heil, Gregorii Nysseni Opera 10.1 (1990). English translation by Michael Slusser, St Gregory Thaumaturgus: Life and Works, Fathers of the Church 98 (1998); no public-domain English exists.

Theodore, afterwards called Gregory, when quite young, in company with his brother Athenodorus, studied at Caesarea under Origen.