The Ante-Nicene Church · AD 180–313
Marcellus the Roman
fl. AD 257 (death unrecorded) · Layman of Rome, resident at Alexandria · Alexandria
The Ante-Nicene Church
Who Marcellus the Roman was
A Roman brother arraigned with Dionysius’ party before the deputy-prefect. He appears in one line of the trial record and nowhere else. Distinct from Marcellus of Tangier, Marcellus I of Rome and Marcellus of Ancyra.
Named once in Eusebius’ Ecclesiastical History; no other ancient source names him.
Common questions
When was Marcellus active?
Marcellus the Roman is dated fl. AD 257 (death unrecorded) in the archive, which places Marcellus in the Ante-Nicene Church (AD 180–313).
Which early sources mention Marcellus?
Marcellus the Roman 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 Marcellus from?
The archive associates Marcellus the Roman with Alexandria.
Who were Marcellus’ contemporaries?
The archive links Marcellus the Roman to 2 other figures, including Dionysius the Great and Aemilianus. 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.11.6 — transmitted in Eusebius, Ecclesiastical History (c. 325)
c. AD 257[Named among those arraigned with Dionysius before Aemilianus.]Dionysius of Alexandria · Ecclesiastical History VII.11.6 · source text
Connected in the archive
People
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 Marcellus.