Reference- Early Church Figures

Here's a reference sheet I've been working on for important people throughout early church history. Most of my information I've gotten from Justo Gonzalez, The Story of Christianity. Its long but hopefully helpful.

Important Early Church Figures
by Brian Koning
Name	Years	Century	CE/BCE	Short Desc.
Caesar Augustus	63-14	1st	BCE-CE	Emperor of Rome during Christ's birth.
Herod Antipas	20-39	1st	BCE-CE	King of Israel during Christ's birth.
Alexander the Great	356-323	4th	BCE	Macedonian general who conquered most of the known world. Spread Hellenism to Palestine.
Maccabees	167-160	2nd	BCE	Family who resisted Hellenization of Israel. Eventually conquered by Pompey in 63 BCE.
Pompey	106-48	1st	BCE	Roman conqueror, overthrew the Maccabees last leader, Aristobulus II. Began Romanization of Palestine.
Aristobulus II	66-63	1st	BCE	Last leader of the Maccabees. Conquered by Pompey in 63 BCE.
Herod the Great	73-4	1st	BCE	Appointed king of Judea by Rome in 40 BCE.
Pharisees			BCE-CE	Group dedicated to being faithful to the Law and not Hellenism or Roman influences.
Sadducees			BCE-CE	Conservative Jewish leadership who gained support of Rome. Largely destroyed in 70 CE with loss of the Temple.
Essenes			CE	Ascetic sect, most likely the writers of the DSS.
Philo of Alexandria	20-50	1st	BCE-CE	Defended Judaism in terms of Greek philosophy. Scriptures should be allegorically interpreted.
Socrates			BCE	Greek philosopher. Teacher of Plato.
Plato	423-348	4th	BCE	Wrote down the teachings of Socrates. Taught a belief in a single god as opposed to many, the existence of a soul
Stoics		3rd	BCE	Taught the purpose of life was to understand nature and obey. The goal was apatheia, life without emotion.
Herod Agrippa	10-44	1st	CE	Ordered the death of James, brother of John. Also arrested Peter.
Apostle Peter	1-66	1st	CE	Preached primarily to Jews. Martyred by Nero in Rome.
Apostle Paul	5-67	1st	CE	Preached primarily to gentiles. Died during Nero's reign, possibly beheaded in Rome.
Papias of Hierapolis	70-155	2nd	CE	Helped differentiate the apostle John from the elder at Ephesus.
Emperor Claudius	10-54	1st	CE	Expulsed the Jews from Rome. Viewed Christianity and Judaism as sects of same religion.
Emperor Nero	37-68	1st	CE	Successor to Claudius. Persecuted the church.
Tacitus	56-117	1st	CE	Roman historian who recorded Nero's blaming of Rome's fire on the Christians.
Emperor Domitian	51-96	1st	CE	Enacted tough laws against the Jews. Christianity still considered part of Judaism.
Flavius Clemens and Domitilla	90	1st	CE	Only known Roman martyrs during Domitian's persecution.
Pliny the Younger	61-112	1st	CE	Governor of Bithynia. Tried to determine why Christians were under persecution.
Emperor Trajan	53-117	1st	CE	Gave a vague response to Pliny's questions over Christians. Determined that only accused Christians should be persecuted.
Ignatius of Antioch	50-117	1st-2nd	CE	Wrote seven letters to early churches while on his way to martyrdom. Early church father, second generation bishop.
Polycarp	69-155	2nd	CE	Bishop of Smyrna. Disciple of John. Burned to death for his faith.
Emperor Marcus Aurelius	121-180	2nd	CE	More enlightened philosophically than his predecessors. Still perpetuated the persecution of Christians.
Felicitas		2nd	CE	Window who served the church. Was martyred with her seven sons by Marcus Aurelius.
Justin		2nd	CE	Founded a school in Rome. Public debater. Killed for besting a pagan philosopher in debate.
Emperor Commodus	161-192	2nd	CE	Although not ordered, persecutions fell off during his reign.
Septimius Severus	145-211	3rd	CE	Took over Rome after death of Commodus and civil war. Also persecuted the Church. Propagated believe in Sol Invictus and sought unity under it.
Cornelius Fronto			CE	Pagan philosopher who wrote a lost treatise against Christians.
Minucius Felix			CE	Christian writer with only known quote of Fronot's. First Latin apologist.
Quadratus		2nd	CE	Possible writer of the first recorded apology, Letter to Diognetus.
Justin Martyr	103-165	2nd	CE	Former philosopher turned Christian apologist. Martyrdom applied to him, term means witness. Tutored Tatian. Wrote Dialogie of Typho.
Tatian		2nd	CE	Disciple of Justin Martyr. Wrote Address to the Greeks.
Athenagoras		2nd	CE	Early apologist. Wrote A Plea for the Christians and On the Resurrection of the dead.
Theophilus		2nd	CE	Bishop of Antioch. Wrote on the doctrine of God, interpretation of scripture, and Christian life.
Tertullian of Carthage	207	2nd	CE	Early Latin apologist trained as a lawyer. Radical opposition to pagan culture. His argument was the scriptures belonged to the church, and therefore were only definable by the church.  Eventually joined the Montanist movement.
Valentinus			CE	Gnostic writer of the Gospel of Truth.
Marcion	85-160	2nd	CE	Son of the bishop of Sinope. Founded a anti-Jew and anti-material cult  of Christianity. Denied OT and most of NT as inspired.
Clement of Rome	92-99	1st	CE	Writer of an epistle to the Corinthians.
Irenaeus of Lyons	130-202	2nd	CE	Disciple of Polycarp. Pastor who's focus was on Christian living rather than philosophy. Wrote on refuting heresy rather than speculation. Was martyred.
Clement of Alexandria	150-215	2nd	CE	Born in Athens. Learned in Alexandria. Was a thinker as opposed to Irenaeus. Sought philosophical debate with pagans to show the union of faith and reason. Was martyred.
Montanus	155	2nd	CE	Pagan priest until his conversion to Christianity. Focused on prophesying and proclaiming a new outpouring of the Spirit was oncoming. Founder of Montanism.
Origen of Alexandria	184-253	2nd	CE	Son of Christian parents. Gained notoriety for training of new Christian converts. Most famous work is the Hexapla, showing multiple textual variations of the OT. Not martyred, but tortured and eventually died from wounds. Strays from traditional orthodox theology on a few points.
Perpetua and Felicitas	203	2nd	CE	Famous martyrs under Septimius Severus. Catechumens who long held to their faith and eventually were killed for it.
Emperor Caracalla	211	3rd	CE	Successor to Septimius Severus. Bried persecution in N. Africa under his reign.
Emperor Elagabalus	218-222	3rd	CE	Successor to Caracalla. No persecution worthy of mention.
Emperor Alexander Severus	222-235	3rd	CE	Successor to Elagabalus. No persecution worthy of mention.
Emperor Maximin	270-313	3rd	CE	Small persecution in Rome under his rule.
Emperor Decius	249	3rd	CE	Old style Roman emperor. Sought to restore glory by returning to the old gods. Did not order Christians to be killed, but rather all people must also worship the Roman deities. Created apostates rather than martyrs. Tortured rather than martyr Christians.
Cyprian	250	3rd	CE	Bishop of Carthage and admirer of Tertullian. Fled the city during Decius' persecution. Founder of penance for restoration of the lapsed.
Novatian		3rd	CE	Took a more hard line view of the lapsed. Clashed with the bishop of Rome over the easy readmitance of the lapsed.
Augustus Diocletian	303	4th	CE	Split the Roman empire between two rulers. Was the augustus of the East. Persecutions burned books, destroyed churches, arrested bishops. Was egged on by his Caesar, Galerius.
Augustus Galerius	305-311	4th	CE	Took over after Diocletian abdicated. Persecution intensified until, near death, Galerius rescinded his edict. Died shortly after the reversal.
Emperor Constantine	306-337	4th	CE	Eventual single ruler of the Roman empire. Converted to Christianity and established as the imperial religion. Tutored by Eusebius. Convened the Council of Nicaea and helped close the NT canon. Saint to the eastern church and a pagan god.
Lactanius		4th	CE	Tutor to Crispus, son of Constantine. Formed part of Constantine's new Christian entourage.
Hosius		4th	CE	Bishop of Cordoba. Sent in to Alexandria to try to mediate the Arian controversy.
Martin of Tours	335	4th	CE	Bishop of Tours who popularized monasticism in the west. Practiced monastic life even while pastoring his church.
Eusebius of Caesarea	260-	3rd	CE	Born in Palestine then moved and became bishop of Caesarea. His most famous work Church History, examined authenticity of church writings. He was a key figure at the Council of Nicaea.
Pamphilus of Caesarea		3rd	CE	Native of Beirut, he studied in Alexandria and then moved to Caesarea. Mentor to Eusebius.
Paul	250	3rd	CE	Possible founder of Egyptian monasticism. His life is recorded by Jerome.
Anthony		3rd	CE	Also a possible founder of Egyptian monasticism. His life is recorded by Athanasius.
Pachomius	286	3rd	CE	Helped found communal monasticism. His communities existed in the Egyptian desert. Was assisted by his brother John, and his sister, Mary, founded communities for women.
Caecilian		4th	CE	Elected to the bishopric of Carthage. Was not rigorous about the reintroduction of lapsed church members. Was accused of being a traitor by the Donatus or rigorist party.
Majorinus		4th	CE	Declared the true bishop of Carthage by the rigorist party. Died shortly after his election.
Donatus of Casae Nigrae	355	4th	CE	Successor to Majorinus and eventually had Donatism named for him. His belief was that lapsed invalidated anything they did in the church. Lapsed leaders could not appoint new leaders or baptize new Christians.
Pupurius		4th	CE	One of the first leaders of the Donatism movement. Supposedly had murdered two of his nephews.
Licinius		4th	CE	Emperor of the East.
Alexander of Alexandria	326	4th	CE	Had heated debates with Arius over the nature of the Logos. He argued that the Word existed eternally with God and was in essence with God.
Arius of Alexandria	250-336	4th	CE	A popular and prestigious presbyter of Alexandria. His belief was the Christ was the first created being, not equal in divinity with the Father. Was not allowed to sit in of the council of Nicaea since he was not a bishop.
Eusebius of Nicomedia	341	4th	CE	Led the Arian contingent at Nicaea in place of Arius. Eventually signed the Nicean Creed denouncing Arianism, but then later reversed himself. Performed the last rites for Emperor Constantine.
Athanasius of Alexandria	296-373	4th	CE	Champion of Nicean orthodoxy. A.k.a. 'the black dwarf'. Grew up in Egypt. His strength lay in his passion for the central message of faith and his heart for it.
Liberius of Rome		4th	CE	Bishop of Rome. Was forced to sign the Arian confession after Constantine's death.
Julian the Apostate	361	4th	CE	Successor to Constantius. Sought to bring back Rome to its old ways and pagan religions. While he never brought persecution to the church he did enact anti-Christian rulings.
Cyril of Alexandria		4th	CE	Wrote rebuttals to Julian's attack on Christians. Recognized that Julian's knowledge of Christianity aided him in his attacks on it.
Marcina		4th	CE	Sister of Basil and Gregory. Devoted her life to contemplation and teaching. Encourage her brother, Basil, to do the same. Not typically grouped with the Great Cappadocians.
Basil the Great	330-379	4th	CE	Prestigious monk who led the Nicene party at Caesarea. Wrote extensively on the affirmation of Trinitarian doctrine and the refutation of Arianism.
Gregory of Nyssa		4th	CE	Brother of Basil. Took over the Nicene party after the death of his brother. Was an advisor to Emperor Theodosius.
Gregory of Nazianzus		4th	CE	Last of the 'Great Cappadocians' and friend of the brothers Gregory and Basil. His main work was on defining ousia and hypostasis. This led to the definition of the formula: one essence and three persons.
Ambrose of Milan	373	4th	CE	Governor of Milan that was elected to the bishopric to avoid a riot between the Nicenes and Arians. Focused heavily on preaching, and converted Augustine.
Uranius Satyrus	373	4th	CE	Brother of Ambrose and also a governor. Called to help run Milan administratively.
Simplicianus	373	4th	CE	Priest and tutor to Ambrose. Called in to tutor the new bishop in his theology and doctrine.
Emperor Theodosius	381	4th	CE	Nicene emperor. Called the Council of Constantinople to reaffirm the decisions at Nicaea. Occasionally clashed with Ambrose.
John Chrysostom	397	4th	CE	Became bishop of Constantinople in 398 after being secreted away from Antioch. Preached against the excesses of the clergy. Stood his ground against both clergy and emperor, and was at times banished for it. Nickname was 'the golden tongued'.
Eutropius		4th	CE	Ordainer of John in Constantinople. Expected favors for the appointment and when they were not received became antagonistic.
Eudoxia		4th	CE	Empress. Found John's preaching to be targeted at her and plotted against him. Died while John was in exile.
Pope Innocent		5th	CE	Took up John's cause to get him reinstated at Constantinople.
Jerome	348-419	4th	CE	Enigmatic Italian Christian who often was obsessed with sex. Most famous for translating the Latin Vulgate. Argued with Augustine over his translation, but eventually showed respect for the theologian.
Damasus	384	4th	CE	Bishop of Rome. Appointed Jerome as his personal secretary and encourage his translation efforts.
Alaric	410	5th	CE	Goth commander who sacked Rome.
Augustine of Hippo	354	4th	CE	Influential leader who first joined Manichaeism and Neo-Platonism before converting. Taught extensively on predestination, irresistible grace, sin and omnipotence, and the possibility of purgatory. Wrote refutations against Manichaeism, Donatism, and Pelagism. His most famous works are Confessions and The City of God.
Valerius of Hippo	391	4th	CE	Bishop of Hippo who made Augustine co-bishop. Died shortly after the appointment.
Pelagius			CE	British monk who believed sin was conquerable by austerity.
King Abgarus IX	179-216	2nd	CE	King of Edessa, one of the first Christian states. Legend tells that a predecessor had written communications with Christ.
Gregory the Illuminator	303	4th	CE	Founder of Christianity in Armenia. Converted the king and baptized him, setting up the rulers as Christians before Constantine.
Frumentius and Edessius		4th	CE	Brothers that co-founded the Ethiopian Church. The church became Monophysite after the Council of Chalcedon.
General Belisarius		6th	CE	General of the Byzantine Empire who retook Rome from the Vandals. Served under Emperor Justinian.
King Recared	586-601	6th	CE	Visigoth king who switched allegiances from Arian to Nicene orthodoxy. Arianism steadily died out after his conversion.
Isodore of Seville			CE	Leader of Christianity in the visigothic kingdoms. Wrote Etymologiesto cover the knowledge of his time. Collection rather than invention of ideas.
Clovis	496	5th	CE	Most famous member of the Merovingian Frank dynasty. Converted to Christianity on Christmas day in 496 after winning a battle.
Charles Martel	732	8th	CE	The Hammer' led French troops against the Muslims in Spain. Was not king, but wielded the power due to weak Merovingian kings.
Pepin the Short		8th	CE	Son of Charles Martel. Took the step of asking the pope to depose Childeric III and set Pepin as king. Was anointed king by Bishop Boniface. Father of Charlemagne.
Pope Zacharias		8th	CE	Deposed the last Merovingian king, Childeric III, and sent Bishop Boniface to anoint Pepin. Was motivated by the threat of the Lombards and the possible protection offered by the Franks.
Gregory the Great		6th	CE	Became Pope in 590. Had special interest in England.
Benedict	480	5th	CE	Born in Italy and grew up under Ostrogoth rule. Wrote Rule which focused on monastic stability and obedience. Father of western monasticism and Benedictine order.
Attila	452	5th	CE	Invaded Italy with the hopes of sacking Rome. Met with Pope Leo and did not attack the city. He died shortly after.
Pope Leo the Great	455-461	5th	CE	Possibly the first 'modern' pope. His views were not held in high esteem till a favorable emperor came to power. Treated with both Attila and Genseric for the people of Rome. Claimed universal authority.
Pope Hormisdas	514-523	6th	CE	Third pope after Leo: Hilarius, Simplicius. Healed the schism between Rome and Constantinople. Enjoyed a resurged empire as he coincided with Justinian.
Pope Pelagius II	579	6th	CE	Bought off the Lombards that were besieging Rome when he came to power. With no help he from Constantinople, he turned to the Franks for support. Established the close, permanent ties between the Papacy and the French.
Pope Gregory	540	6th	CE	Able pope who tended to the needs of the city, physically and spiritually. Appointed Augustine as a missionary to England. Did not claim universal authority. Extensive writer and  developed the concept of purgatory.
Pope Honorius	625-638	7th	CE	Pope who claimed to be a Monothelite, a heretical view on the nature of Christ.
Pope Leo III	795-816	8th	CE	Appointed Charlemagne emperor of the west on Christmas Day, 800 C.E.
Apollinaris of Laodicea	381	4th	CE	Put forward the view that Christ did not possess a human intellect. His views were dismissed at Constantinople in 381.
Nestorius	428	5th	CE	Patriarch of Constantinople and adherent to the Antochene school of thought. Two natures, two persons view of Christ. Founder of the Nestorian movement in the East.
Emperor Zeno	482	5th	CE	Was deposed for a time by Basiliscus, but regained the throne. Published an Edict of Union regarding theological concerns which did not please Pope Felix III.
Acacius	482	5th	CE	Patriarch of Constantinople who supported Zeno. His support of the emperor caused a rift between the Pope of Rome and the Bishops of the east.
Emperor Justin/Pope Hormisdas	519	6th	CE	Healed the schism of Acacius. Agreed to return to the decisions from the Council of Chalcedon.
Leontius of Byzantium	532	6th	CE	Leading Chalcedonian theologian of his time. Tried to redefine the rulings of the councils to allow the Monophysites accept it. Ultimately nothing came of his efforts.
Emperor Hercalius	610	7th	CE	Last emperor that tried to reconcile the anti-Chalcedon parties. The conquest of Arabia and Egypt by the Arabs eliminated the regions that were in opposition.
Pope Honorius		7th	CE	Supported a view known as Monothelism, or dual nature but single will for Christ. After the 6th council the view was condemned and Honorius was deemed a heretic. Came back into play in the 19th century with papal infallibility.
Emperor Leo III	717-741	8th	CE	Not to be confused with the Pope of the same name. Began a controversy on images by order the destruction of a image of Jesus. His sound Constantine V called a council that forbayed images.
John of Damascus		8th	CE	Influential iconodule. Wrote Exposition of the Orthodox Faith, a significant work of systematic theology.
Ctesiphon	410	5th	CE	Founder of the Persian Church.
Jacob Baradaeus			CE	Founder of the Syrian church. His followers became known as Jacobites.
Cyril and Methodius		9th	CE	Missionaries to the Blakans from Constantinople. Through their work both Rome and the East claimed followers.
Queen Olga	950	10th	CE	Ruler of Kiev who converted to Orthodox Christianity through German missionaries. Her grandson, Vladimir, made inroads for the church. They are the reason for the strong Greek Orthodox tradition of Russia and the Eastern Block.
Charlemagne	784-814	9th	CE	King of the Franks, crowed the Holy Roman Emperor. Revived the empire under the church and united most of Europe under his rule. Scholarship was revived under his rule.
Louis	814	9th	CE	Son of Charlemagne. Tried to enact monastical reform, forbayed monks from wearing jewelry. Poor judge of character and lost most of his father’s power.
John Scotus Erigena	850	9th	CE	Irish scholar who was in the court of Charles 'the Bald', son of Louis. Wrote On the Division of Nature mixing Neoplatonic and Pauline thinking together.
Elipandus / Felix of Urgel		9th	CE	Spanish mozarabs, who viewed Christ as the Son of God, but due to His humanity was son by adoption. Were condemned by the Frankish Christians.
Gottshalk of Orbais		9th	CE	Monk who studied the writings of Augustine and held a fierce view of predestination. Deemed a heretic.
Paschasius Radbertus		9th	CE	Monk of Corbie we wrote On the Body and the Blood of the Lord. Forerunner of transubstantiation theology.
King Alfred the Great of Wessex			CE	Only English king who resisted the Norseman raiders.
King Canute		11th	CE	Danish king who was master of England, Sweden, Norway, and Denmark.
Pope Nicholas I	858-867	9th	CE	Resurgent pope of Rome whose prestige matched Gregory the Great three centuries earlier. Reinforced his authority by the False Decretals.
Pope Hadrian II		9th	CE	Successor to Nicholas I. Clashed with Lothair II and denounced the king. When the king died from plague the pope grew in prestige.
Pope John VIII		9th	CE	Pope that was murdered in his own palace. Began to see the decline of the papacy.
Pope Stephen VI	897	9th	CE	Presided over the 'Cadaveric Council' where they disinterred the former pope and found him guilty of heresy. Threw the corpse into the Tiber.
Pope Sergius III	904	10th	CE	Had his rivals, Leo V and Christopher I killed. His mistress, Marozia, became mother, aunt, and grandmother to three future popes.
Pope John XI		10th	CE	Son of Sergius III and Marozia.
Pope John XII		10th	CE	Grandson of Sergius III and Marozia.
Pope John XIII		10th	CE	Nephew to Marozia.
Emperor Otto III		10th	CE	German emperor who could appoint the pope for a time. Appointed his nephew, Gregory V, and Sylvester II.
Pope Clement II			CE	The eventual single pope after three had claimed the title. Gained power with the help of King Henry III. Appointed Bruno of Toul his successor.
Duke William III	909	10th	CE	Founded a small monastery at Cluny. Became a foundation of monastic reform for a time.
Berno	909-926	10th	CE	First abbot of Cluny. Established the monastery as under papal authority, but not controllable by the pope.
Bruno of Toul	1048	11th	CE	Reforming monk who became Pope Leo IX. Worked hard against simony. Made the mistake of appointing Humbert to Constantinople.
Hildebrand	1048	11th	CE	Close associate of Bruno. Served as an advisor t several popes before ascending to the papacy as Gregory VII. Decided the bible should not be translated into the vernacular, and that Rome alone possessed interpretation.
Humbert	1048	11th	CE	Close associate of Bruno. Had a fiery temperament. Laid the excommunication against the East that started the Great Schism.
Bernard of Clairvaux		11th	CE	Head figure of the Cistercian reformation movement. Famous monk and preacher. Wrote "O Sacred Head, Now Wounded."
Peter Damian		11th	CE	Avid reformer that work closely with Bruno. Sought reformation out of love rather than force.
Pope Nicholas II		11th	CE	Called the Second Lateran Council which established the election of popes.
Pope Alexander II			CE	First pope elected by cardinal votes.
Emperor Henry IV	1075	11th	CE	Clashed with Gregory's reforming ideas over simony and emperor control over bishop appointments. Ultimately led the church to embrace France over Germany for support.
Pope Urban II		11th	CE	Expelled the Emperor appointed pope, Clement III, and proclaimed the first crusade.
Philip I of France	1052-1108	11th	CE	Was excommunicated from the church for having divorced his wife.
Saint Dominic	1203	13th	CE	Founder of a major mendicant order. Became the Dominican Order.
Pope Innocent III	1160-1161	12th	CE	Called the Fourth Crusade which sacked Constantinople. Considerably increased Western power of canon law.