The Ante-Nicene Church · AD 180–313
Maximilian of Tebessa
d. AD 295 (martyr) · Conscientious objector · Martyr · Tebessa (Theveste), Numidia
The Ante-Nicene Church
Who Maximilian of Tebessa was
A young Numidian who, hauled before the proconsul Dion to be measured for the legions, refused the soldier's badge — 'I cannot serve, I am a Christian' — and was beheaded for it. The Acta Maximiliani reproduce the courtroom exchange almost verbatim, the clearest early case of Christian objection to military service.
The proconsular Acta alone — a single sheet of court Latin.
Also listed in martyrs.
Common questions
When did Maximilian die?
Maximilian of Tebessa is dated d. AD 295 (martyr) in the archive, which places Maximilian in the Ante-Nicene Church (AD 180–313).
Which early sources mention Maximilian?
Maximilian of Tebessa is named in 1 primary-source passage catalogued here, drawn from Acta Maximiliani. Every passage is quoted from a named public-domain translation, earliest first.
Where was Maximilian from?
The archive associates Maximilian of Tebessa with Tebessa (Theveste), Numidia. The sources record more than one location, so the places are listed in the order the record moves through them.
Who were Maximilian’s contemporaries?
The archive links Maximilian of Tebessa to 2 other figures, including Emperor Diocletian and Marcellus of Tangier. 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.
Acta Maximiliani (proconsular court record, AD 295; original Latin, working translation)
c. AD 295[Contemporary court record — the proceedings before the proconsul Dion at Theveste.] Maximilian answered: 'I cannot serve as a soldier; I cannot do evil. I am a Christian.'... Dion said: 'Serve, lest thou perish miserably.' Maximilian: 'I shall not perish; and if I depart from this world, my soul shall live with Christ my Lord.'Acta Maximiliani · source text
Connected in the archive
People
Events in this lifetime
- 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
- AD 268 · Antioch deposes Paul of Samosata, AD 268
- AD 272 · Aurelian awards the Antioch church, AD 272
Place
Places served
The one place the sources put Maximilian.
- 1Numidiaprovince only