Proof that Roman Church Established the Official Christianity of the Empire in the late second/early third century

[Secret Alias]

Jerome's dating of Serapion becoming bishop seems to be 190 CE. Close enough, I say. No one knows the exact year of Zephyrinus.

[Secret Alias]

Actually Jerome's calculation puts Victor at 193 CE! That's crazy. Let me see when Zephyrinus is.

[andrewcriddle]

Burkitt suggests that the origins of the association of Palut and Zephyrinus is that Zephyrinus was bishop of Rome when the pro-Christian Abgar IX (VIII) of Edessa visited Rome in c 204 CE.

Andrew Criddle

[Secret Alias]

But surely the bottom line is that you don't expect absolute accuracy in the chronologies. It's not like if you had a time machine and you set it to a particular year we'd 'know' who was the bishop of a given city.

[andrewcriddle]

But surely the bottom line is that you don't expect absolute accuracy in the chronologies. It's not like if you had a time machine and you set it to a particular year we'd 'know' who was the bishop of a given city.

I agree the chronologies are inaccurate but it seems reasonably clear that Serapion was bishop of Antioch and Zephyrinus bishop of Rome when Abgar visited Rome to meet Emperor Severus.

Andrew Criddle

[Secret Alias]

Based on what? The mention in Eusebius Book 5?

[andrewcriddle]

Based on what? The mention in Eusebius Book 5?

The replacement of Serapion by Asclepiades happened around the accession to sole rule of Caracalla in 211 (The accession of Asclepiades is mentioned in a letter by Alexander bishop of Jerusalem who became bishop around the time of Caracalla's accession. Eusebius Church History book 6) It is difficult to make sense of the Antioch bishop list without Serapion being bishop for more than ten years. Zephyrinus became bishop 202 at the latest and was replaced by Callistus after the death of Caracalla.

In 204-206 (when Abgar visited Rome) both were almost certainly bishops.

Andrew Criddle

[Secret Alias]

In 204-206 (when Abgar visited Rome) both were almost certainly bishops.

This is interesting. I am not asking this with any hostility. This was a historically certain event?

[andrewcriddle]

In 204-206 (when Abgar visited Rome) both were almost certainly bishops.

This is interesting. I am not asking this with any hostility. This was a historically certain event?

Cassius Dio

This fact was reported to the emperor by those who were on the look-out for such things, and the man was suddenly whisked away from the games and brought to Rome, accompanied by an immense escort, larger than Abgarus had had in the reign of Severus or Tiridates in that of Nero.

The dating of Abgar's visit to Rome is based upon years when Severus was in Rome.

Andrew Criddle

[Secret Alias]

Abgarus had had in the reign of Severus

Severus's reign began 193 - 195 CE right?