Home > Apocrypha > Acts of Carpus, Papylus, and Agathonice Acts of Carpus, Papylus, and Agathonice At a Glance Acts Genre: (4/5) **** Reliability of Dating: (3/5) *** Length of Text: Greek Original Language: Ancient Translations: Modern Translations: Estimated Range of Dating: 161-180 A.D. Chronological List of Early Christian Writings Discuss this text on the Early Writings forum. Offsite Links SS Carpus, Papylus, Agathonice Books J. Quasten, Patrology Vol. I (Thomas More 1983 reprint). Recommended Books for the Study of Early Christian Writings Information on Acts of Carpus, Papylus, and Agathonice The following footnote to H.E. 4.15.48 is found in the Ante-Nicene Fathers: 92 A detailed account of the martyrdoms of Carpus, Papylus, and Agathonice is extant in numerous mss., and has been published more than once.

It has, however, long been recognized as spurious and entirely untrustworthy. But in 1881 Aub published in the Revue Archavalogique (Dec., p. 348 sq.) a shorter form of the Acts of these martyrs, which he had discovered in a Greek ms. in the Paris Library. There is no reason to doubt that these Acts are genuine and, in the main, quite trustworthy. The longer Acts assign the death of these martyrs to the reign of Decius, and they have always been regarded as suffering during that persecution. Aub, in publishing his newly discovered document, still accepted the old date; but Zahn, upon the basis of the document which he had also seen, remarked in his Tatian's Diatessaron (p. 279) that Eusebius was correct in assigning these martyrdoms to the reign of Marcus Aurelius, and Lightfoot (I.

p. 625) stated his belief that they are to be assigned either to that reign or to the reign of Septimius Severus. In 1888 Harnack (Texte und Unters. III. 4) published a new edition of the Acts from the same ms. which Aub had used, accompanying the text with valuable notes and with a careful discussion of the age of the document. He has proved beyond all doubt that these martyrs were put to death during the reign of Marcus Aurelius, and that the shorter document which we have contains a genuine account related by an eye-witness. These are evidently the Acts which Eusebius had before him. In the spurious account Carpus is called a bishop, and Papylus a deacon. But in the shorter account they are simply Christians, and Papylus informs the judge that he is a citizen of Thyatira.

Eusebius apparently did not include the account of these martyrs in his collection of Ancient Martyrdoms, and Harnack concludes from that that he found in it something that did not please him, viz. the fanaticism of Agathonice, who rashly and needlessly rushes to martyrdom, and the approval of her conduct expressed by the author of the Acts. We are reminded of the conduct of the Phrygian Quintus mentioned in the epistle of the Smyrnaeans but in that epistle such conduct is condemned. Tixeront places the death of these three saints in 161-169, the reign of Marcus Aurelius and Lucius Verus, and says that the account is one of an eyewitness (Handbook of Patrology, p. 137). The following bibliographical note is found in Quasten (Patrology, vol.

1, p. 182): "A. Harnack, Die Akten des Karpus, des Papylus und der Agathonike. Eine Urkunde aus der Zeit Mark Aurels (TU 3, 3-4). Leipzig, 1888. -- A. Ehrhard, Die altchristliche Literatur und ihre Erforschung von 1884-1900. Erste Abteilung: Die vornicacische Literature. Freiburg i. B., 1900, 577-579. -- G. Rauschen, FP 3. Bonn, 1915, 313-317. -- H. Lietzmann, Die alteste Gestalt der Passio SS. Carpi, Papylae et Agathonicis: Festgabe fur K. Muller. Tubingen, 1922, 46-57. -- H. Leclercq, DAL. 8, 680-685. -- A. M. Schneider, Das Martyrium der heiligen Karpos und Papylos zu Konstantinopel: Jahrbuch des Deutschen Archaologischen Instituts 49 (1934) 416-418. Cf. Quasten, JL 14 (1938) 412." Some Contemporary Texts Claudius Apollinaris (160-180 A.D.) Apelles (160-180 A.D.) Julius Cassianus (160-180 A.D.) Octavius of Minucius Felix (160-250 A.D.) Acts of Carpus (161-180 A.D.) Melito of Sardis (165-175 A.D.) Hegesippus (165-175 A.D.) Dionysius of Corinth (165-175 A.D.) Lucian of Samosata (165-175 A.D.) Go to the Chronological List of all Early Christian Writings Please buy the CD to support the site, view it without ads, and get bonus stuff!

Early Christian Writings is copyright © Peter Kirby <E-Mail&gt. Follow @mrpeterkirby MLA Style Kirby, Peter. "Acts of Carpus, Papylus, and Agathonice." Early Christian Writings. <http://www.earlychristianwritings.com/carpus.html>. Gospels Matthew Mark Luke John Acts Letters of Paul Romans 1 Corinthians 2 Corinthians Galatians Ephesians Philippians Colossians 1 Thessalonians 2 Thessalonians 1 Timothy 2 Timothy Titus Philemon Letter to the Hebrews General Letters James 1 Peter 2 Peter 1 John 2 John 3 John Jude Revelation Gospels Gospel of Thomas Egerton Gospel Gospel of Peter Oxyrhynchus 840 Gospel of Mary Epistula Apostolorum Infancy Gospel of James Infancy Gospel of Thomas Acts of Pilate Diatessaron Gospel Fragments Oxyrhynchus 1224 Fayyum Fragment Gospel of the Egyptians Gospel of the Hebrews Gospel of the Ebionites Gospel of the Nazoreans Traditions of Matthias Dura-Europos Gospel Harmony Apostolic Acts Preaching of Peter Acts of Peter Acts of John Acts of Paul Acts of Andrew Acts of Peter and the Twelve Book of Thomas the Contender Acts of Thomas Martyrologies Martyrdom of Polycarp Fifth and Sixth Books of Esra Acts of Carpus, Papylus, and Agathonice Letter from Vienna and Lyons Passion of the Scillitan Martyrs Acts of Apollonius Acts of Perpetua and Felicitas Didache Apocalypse of Peter Didascalia Dialogues with Jesus Sophia of Jesus Christ Secret James Gospel of Mary Dialogue of the Savior Gospel of the Savior Books of Jeu Pistis Sophia Apocalypses 2nd Apocalypse of James Coptic Apocalypse of Paul 1st Apocalypse of James Coptic Apocalypse of Peter Acts Acts of Peter and the Twelve Book of Thomas the Contender Letter of Peter to Philip More Nag Hammadi Apocryphon of John Gospel of Truth Treatise on the Resurrection Gospel of Philip Trimorphic Protennoia Authoritative Teaching Discourse on the Eighth and the Ninth Melchizedek Quoted Authors Basilides Naassene Fragments Valentinus Marcion Epiphanes Ophite Diagrams Gospel of Judas More Quoted Authors Ptolemy Isidore Theodotus Heracleon Apelles Julius Cassianus Apostolic Fathers Didache Epistle of Barnabas First Clement Shepherd of Hermas Ignatius of Antioch Polycarp to the Philippians Second Clement Epistle of Mathetes to Diognetus Martyrdom of Polycarp Apologists Aristides Justin Martyr Tatian Minucius Felix Athenagoras of Athens Theophilus of Antioch Quoted Authors Papias Quadratus Aristo of Pella Claudius Apollinaris Melito of Sardis Hegesippus Dionysius of Corinth Rhodon Theophilus of Caesarea More Quoted Authors Bardesanes Maximus of Jerusalem Polycrates of Ephesus Victor I Pantaenus Anonymous Anti-Montanist Serapion of Antioch Apollonius Caius Irenaeus of Lyons Hippolytus of Rome Clement of Alexandria Tertullian Origen Pagan and Jewish Mara bar Serapion Josephus Pliny the Younger Suetonius Tacitus Fronto Lucian of Samosata Marcus Aurelius Galen Celsus Talmud Philostratus Jewish/Christian The Twelve Patriarchs Non-Pagan Sibyllines Odes of Solomon Book of Elchasai Ascension of Isaiah Hypothesized Sources Passion Narrative Sayings Gospel Q Signs Gospel Anti-Marcionite Prologues Muratorian Canon Kerygmata Petrou Inscription of Abercias