A Teacher in Third-Century Rome
Sabellius taught in Rome in the early third century. Later writers say he came from Libya, and his views certainly spread widely in the Pentapolis, the cities on the coast west of Egypt. None of his own writings survive, and almost everything known about him comes from opponents.
The earliest report comes from Hippolytus, a learned presbyter at Rome and a bitter rival of the city's bishop. He says that a group of teachers in Rome held that the Father and the Son were one and the same, and that Sabellius was among them under the bishops Zephyrinus (about 199 to 217) and Callistus (about 217 to 222). According to Hippolytus, Callistus at first encouraged Sabellius and then, around 220, excommunicated him, though Hippolytus claims Callistus did so only out of fear and held a similar view himself. The charge comes from an enemy and must be weighed carefully.
Loading the rest of this biography