The Ante-Nicene Church · AD 180–313
Lucius the Presbyter
fl. AD 257 (death unrecorded) · Presbyter of Alexandria · Alexandria
The Ante-Nicene Church
Who Lucius the Presbyter was
The third of the presbyters who hid in Alexandria and kept the church running underground while its bishop was in exile. Distinct from Lucius I of Rome, Lucius of Alexandria the Arian, and the four other Lucii in the archive.
Named once in Eusebius’ Ecclesiastical History; no other ancient source names him.
Common questions
When was Lucius active?
Lucius the Presbyter is dated fl. AD 257 (death unrecorded) in the archive, which places Lucius in the Ante-Nicene Church (AD 180–313).
Which early sources mention Lucius?
Lucius the Presbyter is named in 1 primary-source passage catalogued here, drawn from Dionysius of Alexandria. Every passage is quoted from a named public-domain translation, earliest first.
Where was Lucius from?
The archive associates Lucius the Presbyter with Alexandria.
Who were Lucius’ contemporaries?
The archive links Lucius the Presbyter to 3 other figures, including Dionysius the Great, Dioscorus the Presbyter and Demetrius the Presbyter. 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.
Letter to Germanus / Letter to Domitius and Didymus, VII.11.24 — transmitted in Eusebius, Ecclesiastical History (c. 325)
c. AD 257[Of the presbyters, Maximus, Dioscorus, Demetrius and Lucius concealed themselves in the city, and visited the brethren secretly.]Dionysius of Alexandria · Ecclesiastical History VII.11.24 · source text
Connected in the archive
People
Named alongside Lucius in the sources
This figure is placed with Lucius by the record — in a council roll, a martyr-act, a letter or a history — without Lucius naming them in return.
Events in this lifetime
- AD 190 · The Quartodeciman controversy, AD 190
- 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 one place the sources put Lucius.