Serapion the Sindonite

d. c. AD 388 · Wandering ascetic · 'The man of the linen cloth' · Egypt → Greece → Rome

The Nicene Age

Who Serapion the Sindonite was

The desert's holy vagrant, owning nothing but the linen sindon he was named for — who sold himself as a slave to a troupe of pagan actors and served them until he had baptized the household, then handed back the price. He begged his way to Athens to dispute with philosophers, ordered a paralyzed Roman recluse to 'walk' out of her cell into usefulness, and died possessing, Palladius says, not even a book, having sold his Gospel 'to feed Christ's poor — I sold the very word that told me to.' None of the archive's four other Serapions.

Also listed in desert fathers & mothers.

Common questions

When did Serapion die?

Serapion the Sindonite is dated d. c. AD 388 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.

Which early sources mention Serapion?

Serapion the Sindonite is named in 2 primary-source passages catalogued here, drawn from Palladius of Galatia and The desert tradition. Every passage is quoted from a named public-domain translation, earliest first.

Where was Serapion from?

The archive associates Serapion the Sindonite with Egypt, Greece, Rome. The sources record more than one location, so the places are listed in the order the record moves through them.

Who were Serapion’s contemporaries?

The archive links Serapion the Sindonite to 1 other figure, including Anthony the Great. Each connection is drawn from a source that places them together, not from inference.

Primary-source mentions (2)

Every passage below is quoted from a named public-domain translation, earliest first.

The Lausiac History 37

c. AD 420

He sold himself to certain Greek players in a city for twenty pieces of money… and ceased not until he had made them Christians and brought them away from the stage; then he restored their silver.

Palladius of Galatia · 37 · source text