The Nicene Age · AD 313–400
Chrestus of Syracuse
fl. AD 314 (death unrecorded) · Bishop of Syracuse · Syracuse, Sicily
The Nicene Age
Who Chrestus of Syracuse was
Bishop of Syracuse, and the one man summoned to Arles whose summons survives. Constantine’s letter ordering him to the council — with two presbyters of his choosing, three servants, and the use of the imperial post — is preserved verbatim by Eusebius, so his attendance is attested inside the horizon and not only by a later subscription list. The letter is also the clearest surviving evidence of how an emperor convened a council.
Named once, in the roll of the Council of Aquileia (3 September 381); no other ancient source names him.
Also listed in bishops beyond the great sees.
Common questions
When was Chrestus active?
Chrestus of Syracuse is dated fl. AD 314 (death unrecorded) in the archive, which places Chrestus in the Nicene Age (AD 313–400).
Which early sources mention Chrestus?
Chrestus of Syracuse is named in 1 primary-source passage catalogued here, drawn from Eusebius of Caesarea. Every passage is quoted from a named public-domain translation, earliest first.
Where was Chrestus from?
The archive associates Chrestus of Syracuse with Syracuse, Sicily. The sources record more than one location, so the places are listed in the order the record moves through them.
Who were Chrestus’ contemporaries?
The archive links Chrestus of Syracuse to 3 other figures, including Constantine the Great, Marinus of Arles and Caecilian of Carthage. 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.
Ecclesiastical History X.5.21–24 (Constantine’s letter summoning Chrestus to Arles)
c. AD 325Constantine Augustus to Chrestus, bishop of Syracuse… that thou shouldst come to the city of Arles by the above-mentioned day, taking with thee two of the second rank, whom thou thyself shalt choose, and three servants to wait upon you on the way.Eusebius of Caesarea · Ecclesiastical History X.5.21 · source text
Connected in the archive
People
Named alongside Chrestus in the sources
These figures are placed with Chrestus by the record — in a council roll, a martyr-act, a letter or a history — without Chrestus naming them in return.
Events in this lifetime
- AD 250 · The Decian persecution, AD 250
- AD 251 · The Novatianist schism, AD 251
- AD 257 · The Valerian persecution, AD 257
- AD 260 · Gallienus’ edict of toleration, AD 260
- AD 268 · Antioch deposes Paul of Samosata, AD 268
- AD 272 · Aurelian awards the Antioch church, AD 272
- AD 301 · Hripsime and her company, AD 301
- AD 303 · The Great Persecution begins, AD 303
- AD 303 · The search of the church at Cirta, AD 303
- AD 306 · The Council of Elvira, AD 306
- AD 311 · Galerius’ edict of Serdica, AD 311
- AD 313 · The Edict of Milan, AD 313
- AD 314 · The Council of Arles, AD 314
Place
Places served
The 2 places the sources put Chrestus, in the order the record moves through them. This is what the sources attest, not a reconstructed route.