The Nicene Age · AD 313–400
Malchus of Maronia
d. c. AD 390 (in old age) · Captive monk of Syria · Nisibis → the desert of Chalcis → Maronia
The Nicene Age
Who Malchus of Maronia was
The Syrian farm-boy turned monk whom Jerome met in old age at Maronia — a little old man sharing a hut with an aged woman, both famous in the village for holiness, and the pair's story the strangest in monastic literature: captured by Saracen raiders, enslaved as a shepherd, forced to wed a fellow captive, he kept with her a celibate marriage of consolation, and the two escaped across the Euphrates pursued by their master, hiding in a cave behind a lioness who dispatched the pursuers. 'Tell it,' Jerome has him say, 'that chastity is never captive.'
Jerome's Life of Malchus only — a story with one teller.
Also listed in desert fathers & mothers.
Common questions
When did Malchus die?
Malchus of Maronia is dated d. c. AD 390 (in old age) in the archive, which places Malchus in the Nicene Age (AD 313–400). 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 Malchus?
Malchus of Maronia is named in 1 primary-source passage catalogued here, drawn from Jerome. Every passage is quoted from a named public-domain translation, earliest first.
Where was Malchus from?
The archive associates Malchus of Maronia with Nisibis, the desert of Chalcis, Maronia. The sources record more than one location, so the places are listed in the order the record moves through them.
Who were Malchus’ contemporaries?
The archive links Malchus of Maronia to 1 other figure, including Jerome of Stridon. 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.
The Life of Malchus the Captive Monk
c. AD 393There was an old man there named Malchus, a Syrian by race and speech… 'I,' said he, 'am that Malchus: a captive who, in captivity, kept my faith to Christ and my chastity to my wife-companion — for virtue can be besieged, never taken.'Jerome · 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 Malchus, in the order the record moves through them. This is what the sources attest, not a reconstructed route.