The Apostolic Fathers · AD 70–130

Damas of Magnesia

fl. c. 108 (death unrecorded) · Bishop of Magnesia · Magnesia on the Maeander

The Apostolic Fathers

Who Damas of Magnesia was

The young bishop of Magnesia whose apparent youth Ignatius urges the congregation not to presume upon: “it becometh you also not to presume on the youth of your bishop, but… to render him all reverence.” The counsel is our earliest evidence that age and office had already begun to be weighed against each other in the churches.

Verified single attestation

Ignatius only (To the Magnesians 2–3); a single author attests him.

Also listed in bishops beyond the great sees.

Common questions

When was Damas active?

Damas of Magnesia is dated fl. c. 108 (death unrecorded) in the archive, which places Damas in the Apostolic Fathers (AD 70–130). 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 Damas?

Damas of Magnesia is named in 1 primary-source passage catalogued here, drawn from Ignatius of Antioch. Every passage is quoted from a named public-domain translation, earliest first.

Where was Damas from?

The archive associates Damas of Magnesia with Magnesia on the Maeander.

Who were Damas’ contemporaries?

The archive links Damas of Magnesia to 5 other figures, including Ignatius of Antioch, Polybius of Tralles, Apronianus of Magnesia and Bassus of Magnesia. 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.

To the Magnesians 3

c. AD 108
…having regard to the youth of your bishop, to yield him all reverence according to the power of God the Father.
Ignatius of Antioch · 3 · source text

Connected in the archive

People

Events in this lifetime

Place

Places served

The one place the sources put Damas.

  1. 1Magnesia on the Maeander

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