The Nicene Age · AD 313–400
Purpurius of Limata
fl. AD 303–320 (death unrecorded) · Bishop of Limata, Numidia · Limata, Numidia
The Nicene Age
Who Purpurius of Limata was
A Numidian bishop who took the vinegar casks of the imperial treasury out of the temple of Serapis, consecrated Silvanus, took a hundred folles of Lucilla’s money, and wrote twice — to Silvanus and to the clergy of Cirta — urging that the whole quarrel be settled quietly before it reached a public court. Optatus reports from the acts of the Cirta council that when Secundus of Tigisis accused him of murdering his sister’s two sons, he admitted it and threatened to say more.
Named once, in the Gesta apud Zenophilum — the Cirta records of 19 May 303 and 13 December 320; no other ancient source names him.
Also listed in bishops beyond the great sees.
Common questions
When was Purpurius active?
Purpurius of Limata is dated fl. AD 303–320 (death unrecorded) in the archive, which places Purpurius in the Nicene Age (AD 313–400).
Which early sources mention Purpurius?
Purpurius of Limata is named in 1 primary-source passage catalogued here, drawn from Gesta apud Zenophilum. Every passage is quoted from a named public-domain translation, earliest first.
Where was Purpurius from?
The archive associates Purpurius of Limata with Limata, Numidia. The sources record more than one location, so the places are listed in the order the record moves through them.
Who were Purpurius’ contemporaries?
The archive links Purpurius of Limata to 4 other figures, including Silvanus of Cirta, Secundus of Tigisis, Fortis and Nundinarius. 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.
The trial before Domitius Zenophilus, 13 December 320
c. AD 320‘Purpurius, the Bishop, to his fellow Bishop Silvanus — Health in the Lord!… Search for a remedy by which this ill-will may be extinguished before the flame burst forth… Be careful that no one knows the story of this conspiracy. What is contained in the bill of accusation is true.’Gesta apud Zenophilum · Gesta apud Zenophilum, trial of 13 December 320 · source text
Connected in the archive
People
Named alongside Purpurius in the sources
These figures are placed with Purpurius by the record — in a council roll, a martyr-act, a letter or a history — without Purpurius naming them in return.
Events in this lifetime
- 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
- 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
Place
Places served
The 2 places the sources put Purpurius, in the order the record moves through them. This is what the sources attest, not a reconstructed route.