The Apostolic Age · AD 4–70
Evodius of Antioch
d. c. 66 · Bishop of Antioch, after Peter · Antioch
The Apostolic Age
Who Evodius of Antioch was
First in the Antiochene succession after the apostolic foundation: “Evodius, the first that was chosen bishop of the Antiochians,” Eusebius records, with Ignatius following him. A late but persistent tradition credits Evodius’s episcopate with the moment Acts attaches to Antioch itself — that “the disciples were called Christians first in Antioch.” No writing survives under his name that antiquity trusted; he is the earliest link between Peter’s foundation and Ignatius’s martyrdom.
Also listed in the bishops of Antioch.
Common questions
When did Evodius die?
Evodius of Antioch is dated d. c. 66 in the archive, which places Evodius in the Apostolic Age (AD 4–70). 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 Evodius?
Evodius of Antioch is named in 3 primary-source passages catalogued here, drawn from Eusebius of Caesarea, The Constitutions' compiler and Jerome of Stridon. Every passage is quoted from a named public-domain translation, earliest first.
Where was Evodius from?
The archive associates Evodius of Antioch with Antioch.
Who were Evodius’ contemporaries?
The archive links Evodius of Antioch to 3 other figures, including Simon Peter, Ignatius of Antioch and Nicolaus of Antioch. Each connection is drawn from a source that places them together, not from inference.
Scripture record
Primary-source mentions (3)
Every passage below is quoted from a named public-domain translation, earliest first.
Ecclesiastical History III.22
c. AD 325And Evodius having been established the first bishop of the church of Antioch, Ignatius flourished at this time, the second in succession.Eusebius of Caesarea · III.22 · source text
Apostolic Constitutions VII.46 (ordained by Peter)
c. AD 380Of Antioch, Euodius, ordained by me Peter; and Ignatius by Paul.The Constitutions' compiler · Apostolic Constitutions VII.46 · source text
Chronicle of Jerome (first bishop of Antioch)
c. AD 380Connected in the archive
People
Events in this lifetime
- AD 30 · Crucifixion, Resurrection and Pentecost, AD 30–33
- AD 44 · Persecution under Herod Agrippa I, AD 44
- AD 49 · The Council of Jerusalem, AD 49
- AD 57 · Paul writes Romans, AD 57
- AD 62 · James the Just stoned, AD 62
- AD 64 · The Great Fire and Nero’s persecution, AD 64
Place
Places served
The one place the sources put Evodius.