The Ante-Nicene Church · AD 180–313 · External witness
Culcianus, Prefect of Egypt
fl. 306 (death unrecorded) · Prefect · Judge of Phileas · Alexandria
External witness
Who Culcianus, Prefect of Egypt was
Clodius Culcianus, prefect of Egypt under Maximinus Daza, the interrogator in the trial of bishop Phileas of Thmuis — an exchange preserved both in the literary Acts and on a contemporary papyrus (Chester Beatty XV), where the prefect presses the bishop with something close to bafflement and Phileas courteously declines his own rescue. One of the few persecutors whose courtroom voice survives on papyrus written within living memory of the trial.
Also listed in non-christian witnesses.
Common questions
When was Culcianus, Prefect active?
Culcianus, Prefect of Egypt is dated fl. 306 (death unrecorded) in the archive, which places Culcianus, Prefect in the Ante-Nicene Church (AD 180–313).
Which early sources mention Culcianus, Prefect?
Culcianus, Prefect of Egypt is named in 2 primary-source passages catalogued here, drawn from Court record on papyrus and Eusebius of Caesarea. Every passage is quoted from a named public-domain translation, earliest first.
Where was Culcianus, Prefect from?
The archive associates Culcianus, Prefect of Egypt with Alexandria.
Who were Culcianus, Prefect’s contemporaries?
The archive links Culcianus, Prefect of Egypt to 2 other figures, including Phileas of Thmuis and Emperor Maximinus Daza. 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.
Acts of Phileas (P. Chester Beatty XV)
c. AD 306Culcianus said to him, ‘Now sacrifice.’ Phileas answered, ‘I do not sacrifice; I have learned to offer to God alone the sacrifice of praise.’Court record on papyrus · source text
Ecclesiastical History IX.11 (his execution among the persecutors' ends)
c. AD 325Connected in the archive
People
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
Place
Places served
The one place the sources put Culcianus, Prefect.