The Ante-Nicene Church · AD 180–313
Coracion of Arsinoë
fl. c. 255 (death unrecorded) · Presbyter · Leader of the Egyptian chiliasts, persuaded back · Arsinoë, Egypt
The Ante-Nicene Church
Who Coracion of Arsinoë was
The presbyter who led the millenarian party of Nepos in the Arsinoïte villages after the bishop’s death — and the hero of the debate’s resolution: after three days of patient argument with Dionysius of Alexandria, Coracion, “in the hearing of all the brethren,” declared himself convinced and promised to teach the doctrine no more. The rare named figure whose place in history is the gracious changing of his mind.
Dionysius (via Eusebius VII.24) only.
Common questions
When was Coracion active?
Coracion of Arsinoë is dated fl. c. 255 (death unrecorded) in the archive, which places Coracion 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 Coracion?
Coracion of Arsinoë is named in 1 primary-source passage catalogued here, drawn from Dionysius of Alexandria. Every passage is quoted from a named public-domain translation, earliest first.
Where was Coracion from?
The archive associates Coracion of Arsinoë with Arsinoë, Egypt. The sources record more than one location, so the places are listed in the order the record moves through them.
Who were Coracion’s contemporaries?
The archive links Coracion of Arsinoë to 2 other figures, including Nepos of Arsinoe and Dionysius 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.
Dionysius of Alexandria, via Eusebius VII.24
c. AD 255Coracion, the founder and leader of this teaching, in the hearing of all the brethren that were present, acknowledged and testified to us that he would no longer hold this opinion nor discourse upon it.Dionysius of Alexandria · VII.24 · source text
Connected in the archive
People
Events in this lifetime
- 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
- AD 251 · The Novatianist schism, AD 251
- AD 257 · The Valerian persecution, AD 257
- AD 260 · Gallienus’ edict of toleration, AD 260
Place
Places served
The 2 places the sources put Coracion, in the order the record moves through them. This is what the sources attest, not a reconstructed route.