The Ante-Nicene Church · AD 180–313
Tertius the Deacon
attested AD 203 (death unrecorded) · Deacon of Carthage · Minister to the martyrs · Carthage
The Ante-Nicene Church
Who Tertius the Deacon was
The second of 'those blessed deacons who ministered to us' in Perpetua's diary — with Pomponius, the man whose bribe moved the martyrs from the stifling inner dungeon into light and air for a few hours each day. Nothing else is recorded of him; the gratitude of a condemned twenty-two-year-old noblewoman is his entire monument. Distinct from Tertius the scribe of Romans.
Passio Perpetuae only.
Also listed in martyrs.
Common questions
When was Tertius active?
Tertius the Deacon is dated attested AD 203 (death unrecorded) in the archive, which places Tertius in the Ante-Nicene Church (AD 180–313).
Which early sources mention Tertius?
Tertius the Deacon is named in 1 primary-source passage catalogued here, drawn from Vibia Perpetua. Every passage is quoted from a named public-domain translation, earliest first.
Where was Tertius from?
The archive associates Tertius the Deacon with Carthage.
Who were Tertius’ contemporaries?
The archive links Tertius the Deacon to 2 other figures, including Vibia Perpetua and Pomponius the Deacon. 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.
Passion of Perpetua and Felicity 3
c. AD 203Then Tertius and Pomponius, those blessed deacons who ministered to us, arranged by means of a gratuity that we might be refreshed by being sent out for a few hours into a pleasanter part of the prison.Vibia Perpetua · 3 · source text
Connected in the archive
People
Events in this lifetime
- AD 135 · Bar Kokhba crushed; Aelia Capitolina, AD 135
- AD 144 · Marcion expelled at Rome, AD 144
- AD 156 · The New Prophecy erupts, AD 156
- AD 177 · Persecution at Lyon and Vienne, AD 177
- AD 180 · The Scillitan martyrs, AD 180
- AD 190 · The Quartodeciman controversy, AD 190
- AD 202 · Perpetua and Felicity martyred, AD 202
Place
Places served
The one place the sources put Tertius.