Quadratus of Athens

Bulgarian icon of St. Quadratus

Quadratus ( ancient Greek Κοδρᾶτος Kodrâtos or Kodratus ) († around 130 in Athens ) was a bishop of Athens and an apologist . The Christian Orient counts him among the seventy disciples .

Quadratus of Athens is considered the first Christian apologist. Eusebius of Caesarea counts him among the disciples of the apostles , especially of Paul and John. Because of his age, he can be counted among the Apostolic Fathers . Quadratus supposedly still knew some who were healed by Christ himself. Bishop Dionysius of Corinth , who died in 171, reports that Quadratus took over the episcopate of Athens after the martyrdom of his predecessor, Saint Publius . When Emperor Hadrian paid a visit to Athens or Asia Minor in the 120s, according to Eusebius, Quadratus handed the emperor a defensive pamphlet in which he justified Christianity and pointed out that he could testify to some of those who were Jesus healed or raised from the dead, or met personally.

For a long time it was unanimously assumed that the defense document itself (apart from the passage quoted by Eusebius) is no longer preserved. More recently, however, P. Andriessen and W. Holmes have advocated the thesis that Quadratus' apology could be identical with the Letter to Diognet , although the only quotation known from Eusebius does not appear in it.

Quadratus died around 130. He is said to have survived a stoning , but then died in prison. Leonidas succeeded him as bishop . Quadratus is venerated as a saint . His feast day is May 26th in the Catholic Church and September 22nd in the Orthodox Church.

literature

Hubertus Drobner: Quadratus, Greek apologist of the 2nd century. In: Biographisch-Bibliographisches Kirchenlexikon (BBKL). Volume 7, Bautz, Herzberg 1994, ISBN 3-88309-048-4 , Sp. 1081-1084. ( Article / beginning of article in Internet archive )

Web links

Entry at www.zeno.org
Entry at www.heiligenlexikon.de
Fragments and information on: Early Christian Writings (English)

Single receipts

^ Andriessen: The Authorship of the Epistula ad Diognetum. In: Vigiliae Christianae 1 (1947), pp. 129-136
↑ Michael W. Holmes: The Apostolic Fathers in English. Baker Academic, Grand Rapids 2006, p. 290

personal data
SURNAME	Quadratus of Athens
ALTERNATIVE NAMES	Kodratus
BRIEF DESCRIPTION	Bishop of Athens, apologist
DATE OF BIRTH	1st century
DATE OF DEATH	at 130
Place of death	Athens

[1] Andriessen: The Authorship of the Epistula ad Diognetum. In: Vigiliae Christianae 1 (1947), pp. 129-136

[2] Michael W. Holmes: The Apostolic Fathers in English. Baker Academic, Grand Rapids 2006, p. 290