The Ante-Nicene Church · AD 180–313
Heliodorus of Laodicea
fl. c. AD 260 (death unrecorded) · Bishop of Laodicea · Laodicea, Syria
The Ante-Nicene Church
Who Heliodorus of Laodicea was
Bishop of Laodicea named among the Eastern bishops in Dionysius’ letter on the restored peace of the churches, alongside Theoctistus of Caesarea, Mazabanes of Jerusalem and Marinus of Tyre. He held the see before Eusebius the former deacon of Alexandria came to it.
Named once in Eusebius’ Ecclesiastical History; no other ancient source names him.
Also listed in bishops beyond the great sees.
Common questions
When was Heliodorus active?
Heliodorus of Laodicea is dated fl. c. AD 260 (death unrecorded) in the archive, which places Heliodorus 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 Heliodorus?
Heliodorus of Laodicea is named in 1 primary-source passage catalogued here, drawn from Eusebius of Caesarea. Every passage is quoted from a named public-domain translation, earliest first.
Where was Heliodorus from?
The archive associates Heliodorus of Laodicea with Laodicea, Syria. The sources record more than one location, so the places are listed in the order the record moves through them.
Who were Heliodorus’ contemporaries?
The archive links Heliodorus of Laodicea to 4 other figures, including Dionysius the Great, Thelymidres, Eusebius of Laodicea and Mazabanes of Jerusalem. 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.
Ecclesiastical History VII.5.1
c. AD 325[Named with Theoctistus, Mazabanes and Marinus among the bishops of the East in Dionysius’ peace-letter.]Eusebius of Caesarea · Ecclesiastical History VII.5.1 · source text
Connected in the archive
People
Named alongside Heliodorus in the sources
This figure is placed with Heliodorus by the record — in a council roll, a martyr-act, a letter or a history — without Heliodorus naming them in return.
Events in this lifetime
- 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
- AD 257 · The Valerian persecution, AD 257
- AD 260 · Gallienus’ edict of toleration, AD 260
Place
Places served
The 2 places the sources put Heliodorus, in the order the record moves through them. This is what the sources attest, not a reconstructed route.