The Ante-Nicene Church · AD 180–313
Caecilius (Caecilianus)
d. c. 250 · Presbyter of Carthage · Convert-maker of Cyprian · Carthage
The Ante-Nicene Church
Who Caecilius (Caecilianus) was
The aged Carthaginian presbyter who led Thascius Cyprianus to the faith — so decisively that Cyprian took the old man’s name, styling himself Caecilius Cyprianus, and cared for his widow and household after his death. Pontius, Cyprian’s biographer, records that the dying presbyter “commended his wife and children to him,” making the convert the guardian of the man who had converted him. A single relationship preserves him: the spiritual father of Latin Christianity’s greatest bishop.
Common questions
When did Caecilius die?
Caecilius (Caecilianus) is dated d. c. 250 in the archive, which places Caecilius 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 Caecilius?
Caecilius (Caecilianus) is named in 2 primary-source passages catalogued here, drawn from Pontius the Deacon and Jerome of Stridon. Every passage is quoted from a named public-domain translation, earliest first.
Where was Caecilius from?
The archive associates Caecilius (Caecilianus) with Carthage.
Who were Caecilius’ contemporaries?
The archive links Caecilius (Caecilianus) to 3 other figures, including Cyprian of Carthage, Pontius the Deacon and Minucius Felix. Each connection is drawn from a source that places them together, not from inference.
Primary-source mentions (2)
Every passage below is quoted from a named public-domain translation, earliest first.
Life of Cyprian 4
c. AD 258He loved that man of venerable memory, Caecilius, by whose agency he had attained the faith… him he esteemed and honoured with all observance and honour, regarding him no longer as the friend of his soul, but as its parent.Pontius the Deacon · source text
On Illustrious Men 67 (the presbyter from whom Cyprian took his surname)
c. AD 392He was converted to Christianity by Caecilius, a presbyter, from whom he received his surname.Jerome of Stridon · On Illustrious Men 67 · 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 Caecilius.