The Ante-Nicene Church · AD 180–313
Praxeas
fl. c. 200 (death unrecorded) · Confessor, then modalist teacher · Opponent of Montanism · Asia → Rome → Carthage
The Ante-Nicene Church
Who Praxeas was
An Asian confessor who came to Rome and there both turned the bishop against the Montanist New Prophecy and propagated a modalist Christology — moving Tertullian to the famous jibe that he had “done a twofold service for the devil at Rome: he drove away prophecy and brought in heresy; he put to flight the Paraclete and crucified the Father.” Tertullian’s whole treatise Against Praxeas, the most important early Latin discussion of the Trinity, is aimed at his teaching that Father and Son are identical. Whether “Praxeas” is a real name or a nickname for another (some suspect Callistus or Epigonus) is debated; the doctrine he stands for is not.
Tertullian alone; no other ancient catalogue knows the name — possibly a sobriquet ('busybody').
Also listed in heretics & schismatics.
Common questions
When was Praxeas active?
Praxeas is dated fl. c. 200 (death unrecorded) in the archive, which places Praxeas 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 Praxeas?
Praxeas is named in 1 primary-source passage catalogued here, drawn from Tertullian. Every passage is quoted from a named public-domain translation, earliest first.
Where was Praxeas from?
The archive associates Praxeas with Asia, Rome, Carthage. The sources record more than one location, so the places are listed in the order the record moves through them.
Who were Praxeas’ contemporaries?
The archive links Praxeas to 3 other figures, including Tertullian of Carthage, Noetus of Smyrna and Sabellius. 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.
Against Praxeas 1
c. AD 200Praxeas managed two pieces of the devil’s business at Rome: he drove away prophecy, and he brought in heresy; he put to flight the Paraclete, and he crucified the Father.Tertullian · source text
Connected in the archive
People
Events in this lifetime
- 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
- 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 3 places the sources put Praxeas, in the order the record moves through them. This is what the sources attest, not a reconstructed route.