The Nicene Age · AD 313–400
Colluthus of Alexandria
fl. c. AD 320–330 (death unrecorded) · Presbyter-schismatic · Ordainer of a rival line · Alexandria
The Nicene Age
Who Colluthus of Alexandria was
The Alexandrian presbyter who, in the first confusion of the Arian quarrel, took to ordaining as though he were a bishop — a rigorist schism on the opposite flank from Arius. The council under Hosius annulled his orders, and the annulment mattered: Ischyras, 'priested' by Colluthus, became the manufactured accuser in the Melitian plot against Athanasius.
Also listed in heretics & schismatics.
Common questions
When was Colluthus active?
Colluthus of Alexandria is dated fl. c. AD 320–330 (death unrecorded) in the archive, which places Colluthus in the Nicene Age (AD 313–400). 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 Colluthus?
Colluthus of Alexandria is named in 2 primary-source passages catalogued here, drawn from Athanasius of Alexandria and Epiphanius of Salamis. Every passage is quoted from a named public-domain translation, earliest first.
Where was Colluthus from?
The archive associates Colluthus of Alexandria with Alexandria.
Who were Colluthus’ contemporaries?
The archive links Colluthus of Alexandria to 3 other figures, including Alexander of Alexandria, Arius and Athanasius of Alexandria. 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.
Apology Against the Arians 76
c. AD 350Ischyras… received his appointment from Colluthus, a presbyter who pretended to the episcopate, and whose ordinations were pronounced void by a general council, Hosius and the bishops with him deposing them all to their former rank.Athanasius of Alexandria · 76 · source text
Panarion 69.2 (the Colluthian ordinations remembered)
c. AD 375Connected in the archive
People
Events in this lifetime
- 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
- AD 320 · Silvanus tried before Zenophilus, AD 320
- AD 325 · The Council of Nicaea, AD 325
Place
Places served
The one place the sources put Colluthus.