Brutius

When was Brutius active?

Brutius is dated fl. c. AD 230 in the archive, which places Brutius 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 Brutius?

Brutius is named in 1 primary-source passage catalogued here, drawn from Gaianus. Every passage is quoted from a named public-domain translation, earliest first.

Where was Brutius from?

The archive associates Brutius with Kfar Othnay, by the camp at Legio. The sources record more than one location, so the places are listed in the order the record moves through them.

Who were Brutius’ contemporaries?

The archive links Brutius to 3 other figures, including Jesus of Nazareth, Gaianus, also called Porphyrius and Akeptous. Each connection is drawn from a source that places them together, not from inference.

“Gaianus, also called Porphyrius, centurion, our brother, has made the pavement at his own expense as an act of liberality. Brutius has carried out the work.” (Tepper and Di Segni) [Brutius is named in the second clause as the man who executed the work — “a good Roman name”, and the phrasing implies a single artisan rather than a workshop. **Whether he was himself a believer the inscription does not say**, and the archive does not supply an answer; he may have been a member of the congregation or a hired mosaicist. He was, either way, thought worth recording on the floor.]

Object. The Megiddo Mosaic — floor of a Christian worship hall at Kfar Othnay, beside the Roman legionary camp at Legio, c. AD 230. Excavated by Yotam Tepper for the Israel Antiquities Authority during salvage work on the grounds of Megiddo Prison, 2003–2005; the inscriptions edited by Leah Di Segni. Lifted in 2024 in ten pieces and exhibited at the Museum of the Bible, Washington DC, 15 September 2024 – 6 July 2025, then returned to Israel. Three Greek panels name seven people; five are women.