The Apologists · AD 130–180
Quintus the Phrygian
fl. c. 155 (apostatized) · Volunteer who recanted at Smyrna · Phrygia → Smyrna
The Apologists
Who Quintus the Phrygian was
A Phrygian who had come forward voluntarily and urged others to give themselves up — until, brought before the beasts, his nerve failed and the proconsul’s persuasions made him swear and offer incense. His fall gave the Smyrnaean church a hard-won principle it set down for all time: “we do not commend those who give themselves up, since the Gospel does not so teach.” He stands in the archive as the counter-example the martyrs themselves insisted on recording.
Martyrdom of Polycarp 4 only.
Common questions
When was Quintus active?
Quintus the Phrygian is dated fl. c. 155 (apostatized) in the archive, which places Quintus 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 Quintus?
Quintus the Phrygian is named in 1 primary-source passage catalogued here, drawn from The church of Smyrna. Every passage is quoted from a named public-domain translation, earliest first.
Where was Quintus from?
The archive associates Quintus the Phrygian with Phrygia, Smyrna. The sources record more than one location, so the places are listed in the order the record moves through them.
Who were Quintus’ contemporaries?
The archive links Quintus the Phrygian to 2 other figures, including Germanicus of Smyrna and Polycarp of Smyrna. 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.
Martyrdom of Polycarp 4
c. AD 156But one named Quintus, a Phrygian, who had but lately come from Phrygia, when he saw the wild beasts became afraid. This was he who had forced himself and some others to come forward of their own accord.The church of Smyrna · 4 · source text
Connected in the archive
People
Events in this lifetime
- AD 95 · Domitian’s reprisals, AD 95
- AD 96 · Rome writes to Corinth: 1 Clement, AD 96
- 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
Place
Places served
The 2 places the sources put Quintus, in the order the record moves through them. This is what the sources attest, not a reconstructed route.