Brill Encyclopedia of Early Christianity Online

Often regarded as the founder of cenobitic monasticism, Pachomius of Tabennese (d. 347 CE) has been a difficult subject for historians and for others interested in early Christian ascetic practice. What were his contributions to organized asceticism in Egypt? Did he invent rule-based communal monasticism in Egypt? Antony appears to be a simpler problem because the Life of Antony clearly expresses the views of Athanasius of Alexandria and only a small collection of Antony’s letters survives, which provide limited information and few biographical details (Rubenson, 1995). The Life …

Pacian of Barcelona ( Barcino) was born (4th. cent. CE) and lived in a city that positioned him to be knowledgeable of the developments in the church of the greater Mediterranean. His renown was such that even the far removed (relative to Hispania) Jerome dedicated an entry to him in his famous De viris illustribus (ch. 106), and a second reference in chapter 132. This in light of the fact that Jerome had literally dozens of potential candidates to pick from for his work on prominent men. What is significant is that this brief notice is the only su…

The concept of “pagans” was developed and used by ancient Christian writers to refer to their religious others. Pagans is a concept that only exists in relation to, and in most cases in contrast with, the concept of “Christians.” Christian authors made ample use of the term “pagans,” harnessing it to the project of constructing Christianity. Pagans were used to define the confines of being Christian. Thus, the development of the concept of pagans illustrates the evolving Christian self-conscious…

The name Palestine is sometimes used to describe the geographic area of the eastern Mediterranean region comprising parts of modern-day Israel and the Palestinian territories of the Gaza Strip and the West Bank (for geographic usage, see Israel). The present entry will deal with the ancient usage of the term Palestine, although at times it will be necessary for comparison and explanation to juxtapose it with the geographic entity Israel.Palestine reflects the Greek form ( Palaistinē) of biblical peleshet ( Prst/Plst of ancient Egyptian texts; Pilišti/Palaštu of Assyrian sources)…

Pancras (Lat. Pancratius) was 14 years old when he was martyred in Rome, beheaded near the Via Aurelia on May 12 (the year being given variously as 304, 293, or 257 CE; ( AASS, May, vol. III, May 12, 17; Drobner, 1988, 14–15). He was buried in a cemetery close to the clivus Rutarius, which linked Via Vitellia to Via Aurelia Vetus (Fiocchi Nicolai, 2000, 228). The site was not far from the gate in the Aurelian Walls called “Porta Aurelia,” which was renamed “ Porta Pancratiana” (Porta S. Pancrazio) after him from the 6th century CE onward (Pro. Bell. Goth. 1.18). Pancras is known from some monu…

Yeshua ben Panthera is the most ancient name attributed to Jesus in the rabbinical literature (c. 300 CE). The name “Pantera” is also known by Celsus (c. 170 CE), and several ecclesiastical authors have counted a Panthera among the ancestors of Jesus. What is the origin and historical value of this tradition?Origin of the NameIn his Against Celsus (c. 240 CE), Origen frequently mentions a certain Panthera, presented by the Greek antichristian Celsus (170 CE) as the father of Jesus. Many hypotheses have emerged to explain this name. The two most popular are the following:Firstly, Panthera…

The Greek word parousia (Lat. adventus) is an early Christian technical term denoting the coming of the Messiah (Matt 3:10–12) as well as the eschatological coming of the Son of Man or the second coming of Christ (24 times, esp. 1 Thess; 1 Cor; Matt 24; 2 Thess 2; 2 Pet 3). Synonyms are: “the day” (of God, Christ, salvation, judgment; Matt 24:42; Rom 2; 1 Thess 5:2; 2 Cor 6:2 etc.), epiphaneia (esp. Pastoral Epistles; 2 Thess 2:8), as well as apokalypsis of Christ (Rom 2:5; 8:19; 1 Cor 1:7; see Oepke, 1954; Plevnik, 1997). On the parousia of Satan, compare 2 Thess 2:9 (Mell, 2012). Parousia (from parei…

The Acta Martyrum Scillitanorum, also known as Passio Martyrum Scillitanorum, is the earliest extant non-biblical Christian Latin text, composed in Carthage and dating from the early 2nd century CE.The short text (counting merely 360 words) records the interrogation by the Roman proconsul Saturninus of a group of Christians from the African town of Scilli, apparently accused of adhering to the Christian religion. It ends with the formal death sentence as pronounced by the proconsul, a public announcement of this death sentence, and a succinct description of the actual execution.Bei…

The Passion of Perpetua and Felicity ( Martyrium vel Passio Perpetuae et Felicitatis; trans. Heffernan, 2012) is one of the earliest and most significant of the Acta Martyrum ( Acts of the Martyrs) genre. It is unique in all the Acts of the Martyrs because it contains four distinct voices – two of which claim to be autobiographical, and one of these is that of the upper-class educated woman Vibia Perpetua, whose reflections, constitute the first autobiographical memoir by a women in the West. Perpetua’s account is redolent with concern f…

Passover ( Pesaḥ; Pesach ) and the exodus story seem to be inseparable. The Pentateuch has connected these two traditions so intimately that only through attentive reading can the tensions and incongruities within the exodus story be discerned. Ancient authors took for granted that all references to Passover were necessarily related to the exodus story. Modern scholars, certainly, have distinguished different layers of redaction in Exod 1–15: that is, this text is the product of a combination of diff…

The words “patrology” and “patristics” are derived from the Latin noun pater (“father”). In early Christianity, this word was used to refer to the bishops as being primarily responsible for the teaching of the faith (Altaner, 1960). From the 4th century CE onward, the term was no longer exclusively reserved for bishops. Vincent of Lérins (d. before 450 CE), in his Commonitorium ( Memoriale), summarizes the characteristics that a father, a “church father,” had to meet. A church father expressed the ancient doctrine, was orthodox, had a holy life, and his doc…

Paula (May 5, 347–Jan 26, 404 CE) was born in Rome to a wealthy senatorial family. Her mother, Blesilla, purportedly descended from the Gracchi and the Scipiones, while her father, Rogatus, traced his lineage back to Agamemnon (Jer. Ep. 108.1.1; 108.13.1). While little is known of Paula’s childhood, she married Iulius Toxotius in the 360s CE when she was still a young teenager. From this union resulted five children: Blesilla, Paulina, Eustochium, Rufina, and Toxotius.In 381 CE, the death of her husband allowed Paula to choose celibacy and to dedicate herself entirely…

The Acts of Paul and Thecla is the name given to a subsection of the 2nd century CE Christian literary work known as the Acts of Paul. The Acts of Paul and Thecla highlights the travels of the apostle Paul along with a female traveling companion by the name of Thecla (or Thekla) as they passed through the central Anatolian towns of Iconium and Antioch. The setting for the story presumes that the events are taking place sometime around the middle of the 1st century CE, yet most attempts at historically reconciling this story wi…

Meropius Pontius Paulinus (c. 352/353–431 CE) was born to an aristocratic Roman family in the Gallic provinces. He enjoyed the benefits that attended such elite status, including an extensive education with Ausonius in Bordeaux, one of the leading teachers of the 4th century CE. Paulinus’ relationship with his teacher was deep and lasting, despite their eventual parting of ways concerning classical and Christian literary models (Paul. Carm. 10; Ep. 16). Following his education, the young Paulinus embarked upon a career path suitable for someone of his rank, beco…

Paulinus of Pella (376/377–after 459/460 CE) was an Aquitanian landed nobleman with properties in Gaul and Greece, grandson of Ausonius, who ended his life in precarious circumstances due both to a family feud and to his not being able to cope with the disruptive Germanic presence in Gaul. He is the author of an autobiographical poem giving thanks for God’s providence, the Eucharisticos, which he finalized at the age of 83, and putatively also of a short poem called the Oratio. The Eucharisticos makes him one of the best-known Gallic individuals of late antiquity, whose work …

The shortest Pauline letter is also one of the least known. Its theological interest is poor. It looks like a private letter in which Paul intercedes with a friend to solve a domestic problem between him and his slave. In addition, the letter suffers from some opacity about the nature of the problem. So that many wonder: how could this private and obscure letter have been incorporated into the biblical canon? The wide attention it has nevertheless received in recent research is probably due to t…

Sent from prison, the letter to the Philippians is the most poignant among those Paul wrote. He reveals his feelings and emotions more than anywhere else. This time, he does not write to fight against a misguided interpretation of the gospel advanced by false brothers (Galatians), nor to develop his own synthesis on justification by faith (Rom.), nor to meet problems faced by a community he founded (1 Corinthians). Philippians appears more selfless in some way. It is the letter of a friend who t…