The Apologists · AD 130–180
Pothinus of Lyon
c. 87 – 177 · First bishop of Lyon · Martyr at ninety · Asia → Lugdunum, Gaul
The Apologists
Who Pothinus of Lyon was
An aged bishop — “more than ninety years old, and very weak in body” — who had carried the faith from Asia to the Greek-speaking Christians of the Rhône, founding the church of Lyon. In the pogrom of 177 he was dragged before the tribunal; asked by the governor who the Christians’ God was, he answered, “If thou art worthy, thou shalt know.” Beaten and thrown into prison, he died of his injuries after two days. His see passed to Irenaeus, who was away in Rome carrying the confessors’ letter — so that the founder’s death made the theologian a bishop.
Also listed in martyrs, bishops beyond the great sees and under marcus aurelius.
Common questions
When did Pothinus live?
Pothinus of Lyon is dated c. 87 – 177 in the archive, which places Pothinus in the Apologists (AD 130–180). 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 Pothinus?
Pothinus of Lyon is named in 2 primary-source passages catalogued here, drawn from The churches of Lyon & Vienne and The Hieronymian compilers. Every passage is quoted from a named public-domain translation, earliest first.
Where was Pothinus from?
The archive associates Pothinus of Lyon with Asia, Lugdunum, Gaul. The sources record more than one location, so the places are listed in the order the record moves through them.
Who were Pothinus’ contemporaries?
The archive links Pothinus of Lyon to 6 other figures, including Irenaeus of Lyon, Blandina of Lyon, Sanctus of Vienne and Emperor Marcus Aurelius. 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.
Letter of the Churches of Lyons, via Eusebius V.1
c. AD 177The blessed Pothinus… being more than ninety years of age and weak in body… was dragged to the tribunal. When asked by the governor who was the God of the Christians, he replied, ‘If thou art worthy, thou shalt know.’The churches of Lyon & Vienne · 29 · source text
Martyrologium Hieronymianum (the Forty-Eight of Lyon, 2 June)
c. AD 450Connected in the archive
People
- Irenaeus of Lyon
- Blandina of Lyon
- Sanctus of Vienne
- Emperor Marcus Aurelius
- Alcibiades of Lyon
- Vettius Epagathus
Events in this lifetime
- AD 112 · Pliny writes Trajan, AD 112
- AD 117 · Symeon and Ignatius martyred, AD 117
- AD 135 · Bar Kokhba crushed; Aelia Capitolina, AD 135
- AD 144 · Marcion expelled at Rome, AD 144
- AD 156 · The New Prophecy erupts, AD 156
- AD 177 · Persecution at Lyon and Vienne, AD 177
Place
Places served
The 3 places the sources put Pothinus, in the order the record moves through them. This is what the sources attest, not a reconstructed route.