Zeno of Verona

d. AD 371 · Bishop of Verona · Latin homilist · Africa → Verona

The Nicene Age

Zeno of Verona — historical depiction 1 — Zeno of VeronaThe original uploader was Jenny r at German Wikipedia . · CC BY-SA 2.0 de · Commons

Who Zeno of Verona was

An African-born bishop of Verona whose roughly ninety Tractatus — short, vivid sermons — survive to show a Latin pastor catechizing, baptizing, and hammering Arianism in the churches of northern Italy. Gregory the Great tells a miracle of him in the Dialogues; his own preaching is the better monument.

Also listed in bishops beyond the great sees.

Common questions

When did Zeno die?

Zeno of Verona is dated d. AD 371 in the archive, which places Zeno in the Nicene Age (AD 313–400).

Which early sources mention Zeno?

Zeno of Verona is named in 2 primary-source passages catalogued here, drawn from Ambrose of Milan and Gregory the Great. Every passage is quoted from a named public-domain translation, earliest first.

Where was Zeno from?

The archive associates Zeno of Verona with Africa, Verona. The sources record more than one location, so the places are listed in the order the record moves through them.

Who were Zeno’s contemporaries?

The archive links Zeno of Verona to 1 other figure, including Ambrose of Milan. 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.

Ambrose, Letter 5, to Syagrius of Verona (c. AD 380; original Latin, summarized)

c. AD 385

[Contemporary notice, within a decade of his death: Ambrose recalls the case of the virgin Indicia, who had professed her vow 'before Zeno of holy memory' — the earliest voice to number the bishop of Verona among the departed saints.]

Ambrose of Milan · source text

Gregory the Great, Dialogues III.19 (AD 593; original Latin, working translation)

c. AD 595

[~220 years later, the miracle that fixed his cult.] When the Adige overflowed and rose to the very windows of the church of Zeno the martyr, the water stood at the open doors as if it were a wall, and did not enter; and the people within stood dry at their prayers.

Gregory the Great · source text