The Nicene Age · AD 313–400
Paulinus of Trier
d. AD 358 (in Phrygian exile) · Bishop of Trier · Confessor · Trier → Phrygia
The Nicene Age
Who Paulinus of Trier was
Successor of Maximin at Trier who, at the Council of Arles in 353, alone refused to sign the condemnation of Athanasius that Constantius demanded, and was banished to Phrygia, where he died. Athanasius honors him in the Historia Arianorum; Sulpicius Severus counts him first of the Gaulish confessors.
Also listed in bishops beyond the great sees.
Common questions
When did Paulinus die?
Paulinus of Trier is dated d. AD 358 (in Phrygian exile) in the archive, which places Paulinus in the Nicene Age (AD 313–400).
Which early sources mention Paulinus?
Paulinus of Trier is named in 2 primary-source passages catalogued here, drawn from Athanasius and Sulpicius Severus. Every passage is quoted from a named public-domain translation, earliest first.
Where was Paulinus from?
The archive associates Paulinus of Trier with Trier, Phrygia. The sources record more than one location, so the places are listed in the order the record moves through them.
Who were Paulinus’ contemporaries?
The archive links Paulinus of Trier to 2 other figures, including Athanasius of Alexandria and Emperor Constantius II. Each connection is drawn from a source that places them together, not from inference.
Primary-source mentions (2)
Every passage below is quoted from a named public-domain translation, earliest first.
Athanasius, History of the Arians 33 (c. AD 357; original Greek, summarized)
c. AD 350[Contemporary witness — the man for whose cause he was exiled. Athanasius sets 'Paulinus, bishop of Treveri, the metropolis of the Gauls' among the confessor-bishops banished for refusing to condemn him unheard.]Athanasius · source text
Sulpicius Severus, Chronicle II.39 (c. AD 403; original Latin, working translation)
c. AD 400At Arles the emperor compelled the bishops to condemn Athanasius unheard; Paulinus, bishop of Trier, alone stoutly refusing, was driven into exile in Phrygia, and there died for the faith.Sulpicius Severus · source text
Connected in the archive
People
Events in this lifetime
- AD 301 · Hripsime and her company, AD 301
- AD 303 · The Great Persecution begins, AD 303
- AD 303 · The search of the church at Cirta, AD 303
- AD 306 · The Council of Elvira, AD 306
- AD 311 · Galerius’ edict of Serdica, AD 311
- AD 313 · The Edict of Milan, AD 313
- AD 314 · The Council of Arles, AD 314
- AD 320 · Silvanus tried before Zenophilus, AD 320
- AD 325 · The Council of Nicaea, AD 325
- AD 339 · The persecution of Shapur II, AD 339
- AD 343 · The Council of Serdica, AD 343
Place
Places served
The 2 places the sources put Paulinus, in the order the record moves through them. This is what the sources attest, not a reconstructed route.