The Ante-Nicene Church · AD 180–313
Nemesion
d. AD 250 (burned) · Egyptian layman · Martyr of the double charge · Alexandria
The Ante-Nicene Church
Who Nemesion was
Arrested first as an associate of robbers, and cleared of it before the centurion; then informed against as a Christian, which no defence could clear. The judge scourged him twice over and burned him between two robbers — a detail Dionysius reports as an unintended honour, since it made his death resemble Christ’s. He is the only martyr in the chapter tried on two separate charges.
Named once in Eusebius’ Ecclesiastical History; no other ancient source names him.
Also listed in martyrs and the decian persecution.
Common questions
When did Nemesion die?
Nemesion is dated d. AD 250 (burned) in the archive, which places Nemesion in the Ante-Nicene Church (AD 180–313).
Which early sources mention Nemesion?
Nemesion 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 Nemesion from?
The archive associates Nemesion with Alexandria.
Who were Nemesion’s contemporaries?
The archive links Nemesion to 2 other figures, including Heron the Martyr of Alexandria and Dionysius the Great. 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 Fabius of Antioch, VI.41.21 — transmitted in Eusebius, Ecclesiastical History (c. 325)
c. AD 251But a certain Nemesion, who also was an Egyptian, was accused as an associate of robbers; but when he had cleared himself before the centurion of this charge most foreign to the truth, he was informed against as a Christian… [and] burned him between the robbers, thus honoring the blessed man by the likeness to Christ.Dionysius of Alexandria · Ecclesiastical History VI.41.21 · source text
Connected in the archive
People
Events in this lifetime
- AD 180 · The Scillitan martyrs, AD 180
- 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
Place
Places served
The one place the sources put Nemesion.