The Ante-Nicene Church · AD 180–313 · External witness
Dinocrates
d. c. AD 196, aged seven · Brother of Perpetua · Child seen in her prison visions · Carthage
External witness
Who Dinocrates was
Perpetua's little brother, dead of a facial cancer at seven, unbaptized — whom she saw in prison first parched and scarred, then, after her prayers, healed, drinking from a golden bowl, 'playing after the manner of children.' The passage became a foundation-text for prayer for the dead.
Perpetua's own visions only (Passio 7–8).
Also listed in non-christian witnesses.
Common questions
When did Dinocrates die?
Dinocrates is dated d. c. AD 196, aged seven in the archive, which places Dinocrates 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 Dinocrates?
Dinocrates is named in 1 primary-source passage catalogued here, drawn from Vibia Perpetua. Every passage is quoted from a named public-domain translation, earliest first.
Where was Dinocrates from?
The archive associates Dinocrates with Carthage.
Who were Dinocrates’ contemporaries?
The archive links Dinocrates to 1 other figure, including Vibia Perpetua. 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.
Passion of Perpetua 7–8
c. AD 203I saw Dinocrates coming forth from a dark place, very hot and thirsty, his face pale, with the wound on his face which he had when he died… Then I knew my brother was in travail; and I prayed for him every day. And I saw him clean of body, well clad, refreshed — and he began to play after the manner of children.Vibia Perpetua · 7 · source text
Connected in the archive
People
Events in this lifetime
- AD 135 · Bar Kokhba crushed; Aelia Capitolina, AD 135
- AD 144 · Marcion expelled at Rome, AD 144
- AD 156 · The New Prophecy erupts, AD 156
- AD 177 · Persecution at Lyon and Vienne, AD 177
- AD 180 · The Scillitan martyrs, AD 180
- AD 190 · The Quartodeciman controversy, AD 190
Place
Places served
The one place the sources put Dinocrates.