The Ante-Nicene Church · AD 180–313
Procopius of Scythopolis
d. 7 June AD 303 (beheaded) · Reader & exorcist of Scythopolis · First martyr of Palestine · Jerusalem → Caesarea Maritima
The Ante-Nicene Church
Who Procopius of Scythopolis was
Reader, interpreter of Syriac, and exorcist — an ascetic 'of bread and water' — beheaded at Caesarea before he had even entered the city gate's tribunal fully: the first name in Eusebius's Martyrs of Palestine, killed for answering an order to libate to four emperors with a poet's line on the danger of many lords.
Martyrs of Palestine 1 only; the Byzantine warrior-Procopius legend is post-horizon.
Also listed in martyrs and the great persecution.
Common questions
When did Procopius die?
Procopius of Scythopolis is dated d. 7 June AD 303 (beheaded) in the archive, which places Procopius in the Ante-Nicene Church (AD 180–313).
Which early sources mention Procopius?
Procopius of Scythopolis is named in 1 primary-source passage catalogued here, drawn from Eusebius of Caesarea. Every passage is quoted from a named public-domain translation, earliest first.
Where was Procopius from?
The archive associates Procopius of Scythopolis with Jerusalem, Caesarea Maritima. The sources record more than one location, so the places are listed in the order the record moves through them.
Who were Procopius’ contemporaries?
The archive links Procopius of Scythopolis to 2 other figures, including Pamphilus of Caesarea and Emperor Diocletian. 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.
Martyrs of Palestine 1
c. AD 325The first of the martyrs of Palestine was Procopius, who, before he had received the trial of imprisonment, immediately on crossing the threshold of the tribunal, being ordered to sacrifice to the so-called gods, declared that he knew only one to whom it is proper to sacrifice — and was beheaded.Eusebius of Caesarea · VIII · source text
Connected in the archive
People
Events in this lifetime
- AD 235 · Maximinus Thrax targets the clergy, AD 235
- AD 250 · The Decian persecution, AD 250
- AD 251 · The Novatianist schism, AD 251
- AD 257 · The Valerian persecution, AD 257
- AD 260 · Gallienus’ edict of toleration, AD 260
- AD 268 · Antioch deposes Paul of Samosata, AD 268
- AD 272 · Aurelian awards the Antioch church, AD 272
- 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
Place
Places served
The 2 places the sources put Procopius, in the order the record moves through them. This is what the sources attest, not a reconstructed route.