The Apologists · AD 130–180
Valens of Philippi
deposed c. AD 110–120 · Presbyter of Philippi, fallen through avarice · Philippi
The Apologists
Who Valens of Philippi was
The presbyter whose fall — apparently embezzlement — grieves Polycarp's letter to Philippi: 'I am deeply sorry for Valens and his wife; may the Lord grant them true repentance.' A pastoral tragedy preserved in amber, and the letter's most human page.
Polycarp only (To the Philippians 11).
Common questions
When did Valens live?
Valens of Philippi is dated deposed c. AD 110–120 in the archive, which places Valens in the Apologists (AD 130–180). 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 Valens?
Valens of Philippi is named in 1 primary-source passage catalogued here, drawn from Polycarp of Smyrna. Every passage is quoted from a named public-domain translation, earliest first.
Where was Valens from?
The archive associates Valens of Philippi with Philippi.
Who were Valens’ contemporaries?
The archive links Valens of Philippi to 1 other figure, including Polycarp of Smyrna. 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.
To the Philippians 11
c. AD 135I am deeply grieved for Valens, who was once a presbyter among you, that he so little understands the place that was given him. Be sober in this matter, and count not such as enemies, but restore them as frail and straying members.Polycarp of Smyrna · 11 · source text
Connected in the archive
People
Events in this lifetime
- AD 70 · The fall of Jerusalem, AD 70
- AD 95 · Domitian’s reprisals, AD 95
- AD 96 · Rome writes to Corinth: 1 Clement, AD 96
- AD 112 · Pliny writes Trajan, AD 112
- AD 117 · Symeon and Ignatius martyred, AD 117
- AD 135 · Bar Kokhba crushed; Aelia Capitolina, AD 135
Place
Places served
The one place the sources put Valens.