The Apostolic Fathers · AD 70–130
Linus of Rome
d. c. 76 · Bishop of Rome after the apostles · Rome
The Apostolic Fathers
Who Linus of Rome was
“The blessed apostles, then, having founded and built up the church, committed into the hands of Linus the office of the episcopate” — Irenaeus’s sentence, the earliest link in the Roman succession, adding: “Of this Linus, Paul makes mention in the Epistles to Timothy.” The identification with the Linus of 2 Timothy 4:21 was thus already standard by 180. Eusebius allots him twelve years, to the second of Titus (c. 68–80). Of his acts, nothing early survives; his office is his biography — the first man to hold in Rome what the apostles left.
Also listed in the bishops of Rome.
Common questions
When did Linus die?
Linus of Rome is dated d. c. 76 in the archive, which places Linus in the Apostolic Fathers (AD 70–130). 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 Linus?
Linus of Rome is named in 4 primary-source passages catalogued here, drawn from Paul, Irenaeus of Lyon, Eusebius of Caesarea and The Constitutions' compiler. Every passage is quoted from a named public-domain translation, earliest first.
Where was Linus from?
The archive associates Linus of Rome with Rome.
Who were Linus’ contemporaries?
The archive links Linus of Rome to 7 other figures, including Simon Peter, Paul of Tarsus, Anacletus (Cletus) of Rome and Clement of Rome. Each connection is drawn from a source that places them together, not from inference.
Scripture record
Primary-source mentions (4)
Every passage below is quoted from a named public-domain translation, earliest first.
2 Timothy 4:21
c. AD 55Eubulus greeteth thee, and Pudens, and Linus, and Claudia, and all the brethren.Paul · read ↗
Against Heresies III.3.3
c. AD 180The blessed apostles, then, having founded and built up the Church, committed into the hands of Linus the office of the episcopate. Of this Linus, Paul makes mention in the Epistles to Timothy.Irenaeus of Lyon · III.3.3 · source text
Ecclesiastical History III.2 (first after the martyrdoms of Peter and Paul)
c. AD 325Linus was the first that received the episcopate of the church at Rome, after the martyrdom of Paul and Peter.Eusebius of Caesarea · Ecclesiastical History III.2 · source text
Apostolic Constitutions VII.46 ('Linus the son of Claudia', ordained by Paul)
c. AD 380Of the church of Rome, Linus the son of Claudia was the first, ordained by Paul.The Constitutions' compiler · Apostolic Constitutions VII.46 · source text
Connected in the archive
People
- Simon Peter
- Paul of Tarsus
- Anacletus (Cletus) of Rome
- Clement of Rome
- Claudia of Rome
- Eubulus of Rome
- Pudens of Rome
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
- AD 70 · The fall of Jerusalem, AD 70
Place
Places served
The one place the sources put Linus.
- 1Rome