The Apostolic Fathers · AD 70–130
Nereus and His Sister
fl. c. 57 (death unrecorded) · Believers of a Roman house circle · Rome
The Apostolic Fathers
Who Nereus and His Sister was
“Nereus, and his sister” — he named, she known to Paul but recorded only by relation; the archive keeps them as the verse does. A generation later, Domitian’s niece Flavia Domitilla — exiled “for atheism,” i.e. Christianity, by the pagan historian’s account — had a chamberlain named Nereus in the later acta, and the great catacomb on her land was served by a basilica of Nereus and Achilleus. The coincidences are suggestive, unprovable, and duly noted as such.
Common questions
When was Nereus and His Sister active?
Nereus and His Sister is dated fl. c. 57 (death unrecorded) in the archive, which places Nereus and His Sister in the Apostolic Fathers (AD 70–130). 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 Nereus and His Sister?
Nereus and His Sister is named in 3 primary-source passages catalogued here, drawn from Paul, Origen of Alexandria and John Chrysostom. Every passage is quoted from a named public-domain translation, earliest first.
Where was Nereus and His Sister from?
The archive associates Nereus and His Sister with Rome.
Who were Nereus and His Sister’s contemporaries?
The archive links Nereus and His Sister to 5 other figures, including Philologus, Julia, Olympas and Flavia Domitilla. Each connection is drawn from a source that places them together, not from inference.
Scripture record
Primary-source mentions (3)
Every passage below is quoted from a named public-domain translation, earliest first.
Romans 16:15
c. AD 55Salute Philologus, and Julia, Nereus, and his sister, and Olympas, and all the saints which are with them.Paul · read ↗
Origen, Commentary on Romans X (on Nereus and his sister)
c. AD 246Homilies on Romans XXXI
c. AD 391“Salute Philologus, and Julius, and Nereus and his sister, and Olympas, and all the saints which are with them” — which was the greatest dignity, and unspeakable height of honor. [Chrysostom passes over the sister without a name, as Paul does.]John Chrysostom · Homilies on Romans XXXI · source text
Connected in the archive
People
Events in this lifetime
- AD 30 · Crucifixion, Resurrection and Pentecost, AD 30–33
- AD 44 · Persecution under Herod Agrippa I, AD 44
- AD 49 · The Council of Jerusalem, AD 49
- AD 57 · Paul writes Romans, AD 57
- AD 62 · James the Just stoned, AD 62
- AD 64 · The Great Fire and Nero’s persecution, AD 64
- AD 70 · The fall of Jerusalem, AD 70
Place
Places served
The one place the sources put Nereus and His Sister.
- 1Rome