The Nicene Age · AD 313–400

Claudianus

fl. AD 314 (death unrecorded) · Presbyter of Rome · Legate of Sylvester at Arles · Rome → Arelate (Arles)

The Nicene Age

Who Claudianus was

One of the two Roman presbyters who signed the acts of Arles in 314 for a bishop who stayed at home. Claudianus stands first of the four Roman names in the subscription list, ahead of his fellow presbyter Vitus and the deacons Eugenius and Cyriacus.

Sylvester of Rome did not come to Arles himself: he sent two presbyters and two deacons, and the council addressed its letter back to him as an absent father. **It is the earliest clear case of a bishop of Rome being represented at a council by legates rather than attending**, a practice that shaped every later council in the West.

Verified single attestation

Named once, in the subscription of the Council of Arles (314); no other ancient source names him.

Common questions

When was Claudianus active?

Claudianus is dated fl. AD 314 (death unrecorded) in the archive, which places Claudianus in the Nicene Age (AD 313–400).

Which early sources mention Claudianus?

Claudianus is named in 1 primary-source passage catalogued here, drawn from The Council of Arles. Every passage is quoted from a named public-domain translation, earliest first.

Where was Claudianus from?

The archive associates Claudianus with Rome, Arelate (Arles). The sources record more than one location, so the places are listed in the order the record moves through them.

Who were Claudianus’ contemporaries?

The archive links Claudianus to 3 other figures, including Marinus of Arles, Chrestus of Syracuse and Constantine the Great. 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.

The Synodal Letter of the Council of Arles to Pope Sylvester — the subscription list

c. AD 314
To the most beloved Pope Silvester: Marinus, Acratius, Natalis, Theodore, Proterius, Vocius, Verus, Probatius, Caecilian, Faustinus, Surgentius, Gregory, Reticius, Ambitausus, Termatius, Merocles, Pardus, Adelfius, Hibernius, Fortunatus, Aristasius, Lampadius, Vitalis, Maternus, Liberius, Gregory, Crescens, Avitianus, Dafnus, Orantalis, Quintasius, Victor, Epictetus, eternal health in the Lord!
The Council of Arles · Letter of the Council of Arles to Sylvester · source text

Connected in the archive

People

Events in this lifetime

Place

Places served

The 2 places the sources put Claudianus, in the order the record moves through them. This is what the sources attest, not a reconstructed route.

  1. 1Rome
  2. 2Arelate

See these places on the atlas →