The Ante-Nicene Church · AD 180–313
Sabina of Smyrna
fl. 250 (confessed with Pionius) · Confessor of Smyrna · Smyrna
The Ante-Nicene Church
Who Sabina of Smyrna was
Pionius’s fellow-confessor, arrested with him on Polycarp’s feast-day in the Decian persecution — a woman who had once been bound and cast out in the mountains by a pagan mistress for her faith, and rescued by the brethren. In the Acts she answers the threats of the brothel with level courage: “The holy God will see to that.” She wore, like Pionius, the woven chains that declared the party’s refusal to sacrifice before a word was spoken.
Martyrdom of Pionius only.
Also listed in women.
Common questions
When was Sabina active?
Sabina of Smyrna is dated fl. 250 (confessed with Pionius) in the archive, which places Sabina in the Ante-Nicene Church (AD 180–313).
Which early sources mention Sabina?
Sabina of Smyrna is named in 1 primary-source passage catalogued here, drawn from The Acts of Pionius. Every passage is quoted from a named public-domain translation, earliest first.
Where was Sabina from?
The archive associates Sabina of Smyrna with Smyrna.
Who were Sabina’s contemporaries?
The archive links Sabina of Smyrna to 2 other figures, including Pionius of Smyrna and Asclepiades, companion of Pionius. 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 Pionius 7, 18
c. AD 250Sabina said, ‘I am a Christian.’ And when they threatened her with what awaits such women, she said, ‘The God who is holy will see to that.’The Acts of Pionius · source text
Connected in the archive
People
Events in this lifetime
- AD 180 · The Scillitan martyrs, AD 180
- AD 190 · The Quartodeciman controversy, AD 190
- AD 202 · Perpetua and Felicity martyred, AD 202
- AD 235 · Maximinus Thrax targets the clergy, AD 235
- AD 250 · The Decian persecution, AD 250
Place
Places served
The one place the sources put Sabina.