The Ante-Nicene Church · AD 180–313
Narcissus of Jerusalem
c. 99 – c. 216 AD (traditionally of extreme old age) · Bishop of Jerusalem (Aelia) · Wonder-worker · Jerusalem (Aelia Capitolina)
The Ante-Nicene Church
Who Narcissus of Jerusalem was
Bishop of Aelia (Jerusalem) from the late second century, and — with Theophilus of Caesarea — one of the two presidents of the Palestinian synod that kept Easter on the Lord's Day. Eusebius, drawing on local memory, hands down three stories of him: that when the oil for the Paschal vigil lamps failed he had water drawn from the wells and, after prayer, it burned in the lamps as oil; that three men who slandered him called down curses upon their own heads and each met the very end he had invoked; and that, worn down by the calumny, he withdrew for years into the wilderness as though dead, until he reappeared and the church received him with joy. In his extreme old age — the tradition made him well past a hundred — Alexander was brought to Jerusalem by a night vision as his coadjutor, and the two governed the see together. He is the pattern of the long-lived confessor-bishop whose holiness the next generation remembered in wonder.
Also listed in the bishops of Jerusalem.
Common questions
When did Narcissus live?
Narcissus of Jerusalem is dated c. 99 – c. 216 AD (traditionally of extreme old age) in the archive, which places Narcissus in the Ante-Nicene Church (AD 180–313). 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 Narcissus?
Narcissus of Jerusalem is named in 3 primary-source passages catalogued here, drawn from Eusebius of Caesarea. Every passage is quoted from a named public-domain translation, earliest first.
Where was Narcissus from?
The archive associates Narcissus of Jerusalem with Jerusalem (Aelia Capitolina).
Who were Narcissus’ contemporaries?
The archive links Narcissus of Jerusalem to 5 other figures, including Theophilus of Caesarea, Eusebius of Caesarea, Alexander of Jerusalem and Dius of Jerusalem. Each connection is drawn from a source that places them together, not from inference.
Primary-source mentions (3)
Every passage below is quoted from a named public-domain translation, earliest first.
Ecclesiastical History VI.9
c. AD 325The oil having failed while the deacons were keeping the paschal vigil, Narcissus bade them draw water from the neighbouring wells and bring it to him; and when he had prayed over it, he commanded them to pour it into the lamps. And by a wonderful and divine power the nature of the water was changed into the quality of oil.Eusebius of Caesarea · VI.9 · source text
Ecclesiastical History VI.10–11
c. AD 325Alexander, being bishop of another parish, was called by a revelation in the night to Jerusalem, to assist Narcissus, who was still living but exceedingly aged; and the brethren there detained him that he might govern the church together with him.Eusebius of Caesarea · VI.11 · source text
Ecclesiastical History VI.9–11
c. AD 325Narcissus… was still living, and administered the affairs of his diocese, having reached a very advanced age; for he was about a hundred and sixteen years old.Eusebius of Caesarea · VI.9–11 · source text
Connected in the archive
People
- Theophilus of Caesarea
- Eusebius of Caesarea
- Alexander of Jerusalem
- Dius of Jerusalem
- Germanio of Jerusalem
Events in this lifetime
- AD 156 · The New Prophecy erupts, AD 156
- AD 177 · Persecution at Lyon and Vienne, AD 177
- AD 180 · The Scillitan martyrs, AD 180
- AD 190 · The Quartodeciman controversy, AD 190
- AD 202 · Perpetua and Felicity martyred, AD 202
Place
Places served
The one place the sources put Narcissus.