The Ante-Nicene Church · AD 180–313
Epigonus
fl. c. 200 (death unrecorded) · Disciple of Noetus · Carrier of modalism to Rome · Smyrna → Rome
The Ante-Nicene Church
Who Epigonus was
The pupil who brought Noetus’s patripassian doctrine from Asia to Rome, where — Hippolytus charges — he sowed it in the days of Zephyrinus and taught Cleomenes, through whom the school persisted and touched even the bishop’s household. A single link in the chain by which a Smyrnaean error became a Roman crisis; known, like most of the heresiarch’s circle, only from his refuter.
Common questions
When was Epigonus active?
Epigonus is dated fl. c. 200 (death unrecorded) in the archive, which places Epigonus 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 Epigonus?
Epigonus is named in 2 primary-source passages catalogued here, drawn from Hippolytus of Rome and Theodoret of Cyrrhus. Every passage is quoted from a named public-domain translation, earliest first.
Where was Epigonus from?
The archive associates Epigonus with Smyrna, Rome. The sources record more than one location, so the places are listed in the order the record moves through them.
Who were Epigonus’ contemporaries?
The archive links Epigonus to 5 other figures, including Noetus of Smyrna, Zephyrinus of Rome, Hippolytus of Rome and Sabellius. 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.
Refutation of All Heresies IX.7
c. AD 225There was a certain Noetus… and one Epigonus became his minister and pupil, who, sojourning at Rome, disseminated his godless opinion.Hippolytus of Rome · IX.7 · source text
Compendium of Heretical Fables III.3 (from Hippolytus's Syntagma)
c. AD 453Connected 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
- AD 202 · Perpetua and Felicity martyred, AD 202
Place
Places served
The 2 places the sources put Epigonus, in the order the record moves through them. This is what the sources attest, not a reconstructed route.