The Ante-Nicene Church · AD 180–313
Fabius of Antioch
d. c. 253 · Bishop of Antioch · Antioch
The Ante-Nicene Church
Who Fabius of Antioch was
Successor of the martyred Babylas in the see of Antioch, and the wavering axis of the Novatianist crisis in the East: inclined to the rigorists’ refusal of the lapsed, he received the long letter of Cornelius of Rome (our census of the Roman church) and the counsel of Dionysius of Alexandria urging mercy — the whole surviving dossier of the controversy exists because Fabius had to be persuaded. He died as a synod gathered at Antioch to settle the question.
Also listed in the bishops of Antioch.
Common questions
When did Fabius die?
Fabius of Antioch is dated d. c. 253 in the archive, which places Fabius 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 Fabius?
Fabius of Antioch is named in 2 primary-source passages catalogued here, drawn from Dionysius of Alexandria and Eusebius of Caesarea. Every passage is quoted from a named public-domain translation, earliest first.
Where was Fabius from?
The archive associates Fabius of Antioch with Antioch.
Who were Fabius’ contemporaries?
The archive links Fabius of Antioch to 8 other figures, including Babylas of Antioch, Cornelius of Rome, Dionysius the Great and Demetrianus of Antioch. 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.
Dionysius of Alexandria to Fabius, via Ecclesiastical History VI.41–42 (the persecution letter addressed to him)
c. AD 251The persecution among us did not begin with the royal decree, but preceded it an entire year.Dionysius of Alexandria · Ecclesiastical History VI.41 · source text
Ecclesiastical History VI.43–44
c. AD 325Cornelius, bishop of Rome, wrote to Fabius, bishop of the church at Antioch… who leaned somewhat toward the schism.Eusebius of Caesarea · VI.43–44 · source text
Connected in the archive
People
- Babylas of Antioch
- Cornelius of Rome
- Dionysius the Great
- Demetrianus of Antioch
- Novatian of Rome
- Sarapion of Alexandria
- Julian the Confessor
- Sidonius
Events in this lifetime
- AD 190 · The Quartodeciman controversy, AD 190
- AD 202 · Perpetua and Felicity martyred, AD 202
- AD 235 · Maximinus Thrax targets the clergy, AD 235
- AD 250 · The Decian persecution, AD 250
- AD 251 · The Novatianist schism, AD 251
Place
Places served
The one place the sources put Fabius.