The Ante-Nicene Church · AD 180–313

Serapion of Alexandria

d. 249 · Martyr of Alexandria · Alexandria

The Ante-Nicene Church

Who Serapion of Alexandria was

A Christian of Alexandria seized in his own house during the riot of 249; the mob tortured him with many torments, broke his limbs, and threw him headlong from the upper storey. Bishop Dionysius names him among the first martyrs, distinct from the bishops of Antioch and Thmuis who share the common name. One more individual lifted out of a mob’s anonymous cruelty by the record his bishop kept.

Verified single attestation

Dionysius to Fabius only.

Also listed in martyrs and the decian persecution.

Common questions

When did Serapion die?

Serapion of Alexandria is dated d. 249 in the archive, which places Serapion in the Ante-Nicene Church (AD 180–313).

Which early sources mention Serapion?

Serapion of Alexandria is named in 1 primary-source passage catalogued here, drawn from Dionysius of Alexandria. Every passage is quoted from a named public-domain translation, earliest first.

Where was Serapion from?

The archive associates Serapion of Alexandria with Alexandria.

Who were Serapion’s contemporaries?

The archive links Serapion of Alexandria to 3 other figures, including Apollonia of Alexandria, Metras of Alexandria and Quinta of Alexandria. 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.

Dionysius of Alexandria, via Eusebius VI.41

c. AD 255
And they seized Serapion in his own house, and tortured him with harsh cruelties, and having broken all his limbs, they threw him down headlong from the upper story.
Dionysius of Alexandria · VI.41 · source text

Connected in the archive

People

Events in this lifetime

Place

Places served

The one place the sources put Serapion.

  1. 1Alexandria

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