The Ante-Nicene Church · AD 180–313
Domnus of Antioch
d. c. 273 · Bishop of Antioch (elected against Paul of Samosata) · Antioch
The Ante-Nicene Church
Who Domnus of Antioch was
Son of the earlier bishop Demetrianus, chosen by the synod of Antioch in 268 to replace the deposed Paul of Samosata — “a man adorned with all the qualities becoming a bishop,” the synodal letter said. But Paul, backed by queen Zenobia of Palmyra, refused to yield the church building, and Domnus could not take possession until 272, when the emperor Aurelian ruled that the property belonged to whoever was in communion with the bishops of Italy and Rome — the first imperial adjudication of a church dispute. Domnus thus embodies the moment the Roman state first arbitrated who held a church.
Also listed in the bishops of Antioch.
Common questions
When did Domnus die?
Domnus of Antioch is dated d. c. 273 in the archive, which places Domnus 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 Domnus?
Domnus of Antioch is named in 2 primary-source passages catalogued here, drawn from Eusebius of Caesarea and Jerome of Stridon. Every passage is quoted from a named public-domain translation, earliest first.
Where was Domnus from?
The archive associates Domnus of Antioch with Antioch.
Who were Domnus’ contemporaries?
The archive links Domnus of Antioch to 5 other figures, including Demetrianus of Antioch, Paul of Samosata, Malchion of Antioch and Emperor Aurelian. 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.
Ecclesiastical History VII.30
c. AD 325The bishops assembled appointed as bishop of the church of Antioch, in the place of Paul, Domnus, son of Demetrianus, who had formerly been a distinguished bishop of the same church.Eusebius of Caesarea · VII.30 · source text
Chronicle of Jerome (the Antiochene succession)
c. AD 380Connected in the archive
People
Named alongside Domnus in the sources
These figures are placed with Domnus by the record — in a council roll, a martyr-act, a letter or a history — without Domnus naming them in return.
- Aelianus (signatory at Antioch 268)
- Bolanus (signatory at Antioch 268)
- Eutychius (signatory at Antioch 268)
- Hierax (bishop, signatory at Antioch 268)
- Lucius (signatory at Antioch 268)
- Maximus of Bostra
- Nicomas
- Paul (signatory at Antioch 268)
- Proclus (signatory at Antioch 268)
- Protogenes
- Theodorus (signatory at Antioch 268)
- Theophilus (signatory at Antioch 268)
Events in this lifetime
- 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
- AD 268 · Antioch deposes Paul of Samosata, AD 268
- AD 272 · Aurelian awards the Antioch church, AD 272
Place
Places served
The one place the sources put Domnus.