Fortis

fl. AD 320 (death unrecorded) · Bishop in Numidia · Cirta (Constantina), Numidia

The Nicene Age

Who Fortis was

A Numidian bishop who wrote to Silvanus and to the clergy of Cirta pressing for reconciliation before Easter, and who — in the middle of the letter — admitted his own failure under torture. His sentence is one of very few first-person accounts of what the persecution did to a bishop who did not hold out. Both his letters end with the same instruction: let no one know about it.

Verified single attestation

Named once, in the Gesta apud Zenophilum — the Cirta records of 19 May 303 and 13 December 320; no other ancient source names him.

Also listed in bishops beyond the great sees.

Common questions

When was Fortis active?

Fortis is dated fl. AD 320 (death unrecorded) in the archive, which places Fortis in the Nicene Age (AD 313–400).

Which early sources mention Fortis?

Fortis is named in 1 primary-source passage catalogued here, drawn from Gesta apud Zenophilum. Every passage is quoted from a named public-domain translation, earliest first.

Where was Fortis from?

The archive associates Fortis with Cirta (Constantina), Numidia. The sources record more than one location, so the places are listed in the order the record moves through them.

Who were Fortis’ contemporaries?

The archive links Fortis to 4 other figures, including Silvanus of Cirta, Purpurius of Limata, Sabinus the Numidian and Nundinarius. 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.

The trial before Domitius Zenophilus, 13 December 320

c. AD 320

‘For when I was roasted by the soldiers, and set apart, and had come to that pass with such foul treatment, I commended my soul to God and forgave you… Let us not come into a public court and be condemned by the Gentiles.’

Gesta apud Zenophilum · Gesta apud Zenophilum, trial of 13 December 320 · source text