The Ante-Nicene Church · AD 180–313
Sidonius
fl. AD 251 (death unrecorded) · Confessor of Rome · Rome
The Ante-Nicene Church
Who Sidonius was
One of four Roman confessors who had gone over to Novatian and then came back, exposing what they had been told to get them there. Cornelius names him in the letter to Fabius of Antioch that Eusebius quotes at length — evidence that the Novatianist schism at Rome lost people as fast as it gained them.
Named once in Eusebius’ Ecclesiastical History; no other ancient source names him.
Common questions
When was Sidonius active?
Sidonius is dated fl. AD 251 (death unrecorded) in the archive, which places Sidonius in the Ante-Nicene Church (AD 180–313).
Which early sources mention Sidonius?
Sidonius is named in 1 primary-source passage catalogued here, drawn from Eusebius of Caesarea. Every passage is quoted from a named public-domain translation, earliest first.
Where was Sidonius from?
The archive associates Sidonius with Rome.
Who were Sidonius’ contemporaries?
The archive links Sidonius to 3 other figures, including Cornelius the Centurion, Novatian of Rome and Fabius of Antioch. 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.
Ecclesiastical History VI.43.6 (Cornelius’ letter to Fabius, cy 251)
c. AD 251[Named by Cornelius of Rome among the confessors who exposed Novatus and returned to the church.]Eusebius of Caesarea · Ecclesiastical History VI.43.6 · source text
Connected in the archive
People
Events in this lifetime
- 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
- AD 251 · The Novatianist schism, AD 251
Place
Places served
The one place the sources put Sidonius.
- 1Rome