The Ante-Nicene Church · AD 180–313 · External witness
Autolycus
fl. c. 180 (death unrecorded) · Learned pagan · Addressee of Theophilus · Antioch
External witness
Who Autolycus was
The cultivated pagan friend to whom Theophilus of Antioch addressed his three books — an “idolater,” Theophilus calls him frankly, yet a friend whose demand “Show me thy God” drew the famous answer: “Show me thyself, and I will show thee my God.” Across the work Autolycus stands for the fair-minded Hellene: proud of his books, contemptuous of the Christians' name, and worth three volumes of patient argument. Whether he was ever persuaded, the record does not say.
Theophilus's addressee only.
Also listed in non-christian witnesses.
Common questions
When was Autolycus active?
Autolycus is dated fl. c. 180 (death unrecorded) in the archive, which places Autolycus 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 Autolycus?
Autolycus is named in 1 primary-source passage catalogued here, drawn from Theophilus of Antioch. Every passage is quoted from a named public-domain translation, earliest first.
Where was Autolycus from?
The archive associates Autolycus with Antioch.
Who were Autolycus’ contemporaries?
The archive links Autolycus to 1 other figure, including Theophilus of Antioch. 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.
To Autolycus I.1–2
c. AD 180But if you say, ‘Show me thy God,’ I would reply, ‘Show me yourself, and I will show you my God.’Theophilus of Antioch · source text
Connected in the archive
People
Events in this lifetime
- AD 117 · Symeon and Ignatius martyred, AD 117
- AD 135 · Bar Kokhba crushed; Aelia Capitolina, AD 135
- AD 144 · Marcion expelled at Rome, AD 144
- AD 156 · The New Prophecy erupts, AD 156
- AD 177 · Persecution at Lyon and Vienne, AD 177
- AD 180 · The Scillitan martyrs, AD 180
Place
Places served
The one place the sources put Autolycus.