The Apostolic Age · AD 4–70 · External witness
Helen of Tyre
fl. c. AD 40–60 (death unrecorded) · Companion of Simon Magus · The Simonians' 'First Thought' · Tyre → Samaria → Rome
External witness
Who Helen of Tyre was
The woman from a Tyrian brothel whom Simon Magus carried about and proclaimed his divine Ennoia — the First Thought of God fallen into flesh and now redeemed by himself. Justin, a Samaritan who knew the sect at home, names her in the First Apology; the pairing became heresiology's founding image of the redeemer-heresiarch and his consort.
Also listed in non-christian witnesses.
Common questions
When was Helen active?
Helen of Tyre is dated fl. c. AD 40–60 (death unrecorded) in the archive, which places Helen 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 Helen?
Helen of Tyre is named in 3 primary-source passages catalogued here, drawn from Justin Martyr, Irenaeus of Lyon and Epiphanius of Salamis. Every passage is quoted from a named public-domain translation, earliest first.
Where was Helen from?
The archive associates Helen of Tyre with Tyre, Samaria, Rome. The sources record more than one location, so the places are listed in the order the record moves through them.
Who were Helen’s contemporaries?
The archive links Helen of Tyre to 1 other figure, including Simon Magus. Each connection is drawn from a source that places them together, not from inference.
Primary-source mentions (3)
Every passage below is quoted from a named public-domain translation, earliest first.
First Apology 26
c. AD 155And a certain Helena, who went about with him at that time, and had formerly been a prostitute, they say is the first idea generated by him.Justin Martyr · 26 · source text
Against Heresies I.23.2
c. AD 180Having redeemed from slavery at Tyre, a city of Phoenicia, a certain woman named Helena, he was in the habit of carrying her about with him, declaring that this woman was the first conception of his mind.Irenaeus of Lyon · Against Heresies I.23.2 · source text
Panarion 21.2
c. AD 375Connected 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 3 places the sources put Helen, in the order the record moves through them. This is what the sources attest, not a reconstructed route.