The Nicene Age · AD 313–400
Sansalas
fl. AD 372 (death unrecorded) · Presbyter of the Gothic church · Gothia (beyond the Danube)
The Nicene Age
Who Sansalas was
The presbyter arrested with Sabbas the Goth in the persecution of 372. He had fled to Roman territory the year before and come back for Easter; the soldiers took both men from his house, dragging Sabbas naked over burnt thorns. Sansalas was spared because he was a priest and the persecutors wanted him only as a witness. The archive holds Sabbas and, until now, none of the people around him.
Named once, in the Passion of St Sabbas the Goth — a letter written within months of the events of April 372; no other ancient source names him.
Common questions
When was Sansalas active?
Sansalas is dated fl. AD 372 (death unrecorded) in the archive, which places Sansalas in the Nicene Age (AD 313–400).
Which early sources mention Sansalas?
Sansalas is named in 1 primary-source passage catalogued here, drawn from The church of Gothia. Every passage is quoted from a named public-domain translation, earliest first.
Where was Sansalas from?
The archive associates Sansalas with Gothia (beyond the Danube).
Who were Sansalas’ contemporaries?
The archive links Sansalas to 4 other figures, including Sabbas the Goth, Atharidus, Gouttica and Ulfilas (Wulfila). 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 Passion of St Sabbas the Goth — written within months of the martyrdom and sent to Cappadocia with the relics
c. AD 372[Sansalas the presbyter had returned from Roman territory to keep Easter when the soldiers came; Sabbas was taken with him from his house.]The church of Gothia · Passio S. Sabae Gothi · source text
Connected in the archive
People
Events in this lifetime
- 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
- AD 325 · The Council of Nicaea, AD 325
- AD 339 · The persecution of Shapur II, AD 339
- AD 343 · The Council of Serdica, AD 343
- AD 361 · Julian’s pagan restoration, AD 361
- AD 366 · Damasus and the catacomb epigrams, AD 366
- AD 367 · Athanasius lists the 27 NT books, AD 367
- AD 372 · The martyrdom of Sabbas the Goth, AD 372
Place
Places served
The one place the sources put Sansalas.
- 1Gothiaprovince only