The Nicene Age · AD 313–400
Himerius of Tarragona
fl. 385 (death unrecorded) · Bishop of Tarragona · Recipient of the first decretal · Tarraco, Hispania
The Nicene Age
Who Himerius of Tarragona was
The metropolitan of Tarragona whose letter of questions to Rome — on baptism, penance, clerical discipline, and the continence of priests — arrived as Damasus died and was answered by Siricius in 385 with the earliest surviving papal decretal, the moment the Roman see first legislated for distant churches in the settled style of imperial rescripts. Of Himerius himself nothing further is recorded: a diligent provincial bishop whose questionnaire became a constitutional document. (Classed among the church figures; the audit’s draft routing of this catholic bishop to the external column is corrected here with note.)
The decretal addressed to him alone.
Also listed in bishops beyond the great sees.
Common questions
When was Himerius active?
Himerius of Tarragona is dated fl. 385 (death unrecorded) in the archive, which places Himerius in the Nicene Age (AD 313–400).
Which early sources mention Himerius?
Himerius of Tarragona is named in 1 primary-source passage catalogued here, drawn from Siricius of Rome. Every passage is quoted from a named public-domain translation, earliest first.
Where was Himerius from?
The archive associates Himerius of Tarragona with Tarraco, Hispania. The sources record more than one location, so the places are listed in the order the record moves through them.
Who were Himerius’ contemporaries?
The archive links Himerius of Tarragona to 2 other figures, including Siricius of Rome and Fructuosus of Tarragona. 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.
Siricius, Letter to Himerius (AD 385)
c. AD 385To thy enquiry, brother Himerius, we have given, I think, sufficient reply; now we lay upon thee the charge of bringing these decrees to the notice of all our fellow-bishops of thy province.Siricius of Rome · source text
Connected in the archive
People
Events in this lifetime
- AD 320 · Silvanus tried before Zenophilus, AD 320
- AD 325 · The Council of Nicaea, AD 325
- AD 339 · The persecution of Shapur II, AD 339
- AD 343 · The Council of Serdica, AD 343
- AD 361 · Julian’s pagan restoration, AD 361
- AD 366 · Damasus and the catacomb epigrams, AD 366
- AD 367 · Athanasius lists the 27 NT books, AD 367
- AD 372 · The martyrdom of Sabbas the Goth, AD 372
- AD 378 · Queen Mavia’s revolt, AD 378
- AD 380 · The Edict of Thessalonica, AD 380
- AD 381 · The Council of Constantinople, AD 381
- AD 381 · The Council of Aquileia, AD 381
- AD 384 · The Altar of Victory petition, AD 384
- AD 390 · Thessalonica and the penance of Theodosius, AD 390
Place
Places served
The 2 places the sources put Himerius, in the order the record moves through them. This is what the sources attest, not a reconstructed route.