The Nicene Age · AD 313–400
Serapion of Thmuis
d. c. 365 · Bishop of Thmuis · Friend of Athanasius · Thmuis, Egypt
The Nicene Age
Who Serapion of Thmuis was
A former desert monk, friend of Anthony (who left him one of his two sheepskin cloaks) and close ally of Athanasius, who made him bishop of Thmuis and addressed to him the Letters to Serapion — the first sustained argument for the full divinity of the Holy Spirit, against the “Tropici” who made the Spirit a creature. A prayer-book (Euchologion) bearing his name, recovered in the nineteenth century, is one of the earliest surviving collections of Christian liturgical prayers. The bishop-theologian who prompted Athanasius’s decisive word on the Spirit.
Also listed in bishops beyond the great sees.
Common questions
When did Serapion die?
Serapion of Thmuis is dated d. c. 365 in the archive, which places Serapion in the Nicene Age (AD 313–400). The dating is traditional and approximate; the archive marks it as uncertain rather than fixing a year the sources do not give.
What did Serapion write?
Serapion of Thmuis has 1 catalogued writing in the archive: The Euchologion (Sacramentary) of Serapion.
Which early sources mention Serapion?
Serapion of Thmuis is named in 3 primary-source passages catalogued here, drawn from Athanasius of Alexandria and Jerome of Stridon. Every passage is quoted from a named public-domain translation, earliest first.
Where was Serapion from?
The archive associates Serapion of Thmuis with Thmuis, Egypt. The sources record more than one location, so the places are listed in the order the record moves through them.
Writings (1)
The Euchologion (Sacramentary) of Serapion
c. 350We beseech Thee, make us living men. Give us the Holy Spirit, that we may be filled with the knowledge of Thee… through Thy only-begotten Jesus Christ.Read the interlinear source text →
Primary-source mentions (3)
Every passage below is quoted from a named public-domain translation, earliest first.
Letters to Serapion I.1
c. AD 350You have asked me… concerning those who say that the Holy Spirit is a creature. To these I must answer that they are, in truth, fighting against the Spirit.Athanasius of Alexandria · source text
Life of Antony 91 (one of Antony's two sheepskins bequeathed to him)
c. AD 357Divide my garments: to Athanasius the bishop give one sheepskin, and to Serapion the bishop give the other.Athanasius of Alexandria · Life of Antony 91 · source text
On Illustrious Men 99 ('Serapion, surnamed Scholasticus')
c. AD 392Serapion, bishop of Thmuis, who on account of his cultivated genius was found worthy of the surname of Scholasticus, published an excellent book Against the Manichaeans.Jerome of Stridon · On Illustrious Men 99 · source text
Connected in the archive
People
Events in this lifetime
- 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
- 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
Place
Places served
The 2 places the sources put Serapion, in the order the record moves through them. This is what the sources attest, not a reconstructed route.