The Ante-Nicene Church · AD 180–313

Ischyrion of Alexandria

d. AD 250 (impaled) · Steward · Martyr of the Decian persecution · Alexandria

The Ante-Nicene Church

Who Ischyrion of Alexandria was

The hired steward of a magistrate who, refusing his employer's order to sacrifice, was abused, then run through with a great stake — a working man's martyrdom, preserved in Dionysius's letter with the dignity of a bishop's.

Verified single attestation

Dionysius (via Eusebius VI.42) only.

Also listed in martyrs and the decian persecution.

Common questions

When did Ischyrion die?

Ischyrion of Alexandria is dated d. AD 250 (impaled) in the archive, which places Ischyrion in the Ante-Nicene Church (AD 180–313).

Which early sources mention Ischyrion?

Ischyrion of Alexandria is named in 1 primary-source passage catalogued here, drawn from Dionysius the Great. Every passage is quoted from a named public-domain translation, earliest first.

Where was Ischyrion from?

The archive associates Ischyrion of Alexandria with Alexandria.

Who were Ischyrion’s contemporaries?

The archive links Ischyrion of Alexandria to 1 other figure, including Dionysius the Great. 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.

Dionysius of Alexandria, via Ecclesiastical History VI.42

c. AD 255
Ischyrion was employed as a steward by one of the rulers. His employer ordered him to sacrifice; and on his refusal, reviled him, and as he remained firm, seized a great stake and thrust it through his bowels.
Dionysius the Great · VI.42 · source text

Connected in the archive

People

Events in this lifetime

Place

Places served

The one place the sources put Ischyrion.

  1. 1Alexandria

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