100 Reasons to Believe New Testament History
68. Quadratus (A.D. 125)
Quadratus was an Athenian philosopher and Christian who lived in the first half of the second century. According to Jerome, Quadratus was a disciple of the original apostles, and was appointed bishop of Athens by them after the martyrdom of Publius A. Around 125 A.D. he wrote a defence for the Christian faith in response to the persecution Christians were suffering, and addressed it to the emperor Hadrian who was visiting Athens at that time. Quadratus affirmed, along with his contemporary, Papias, that many of those who had been healed and raised to life by the Lord Himself had remained alive until relatively recent times. He writes,
“Our Savior’s deeds were always there to see, for they were true; those who were cured or those who rose from the dead were seen not only when they were cured or raised but were constantly there to see, not only while the Savior was living among us, but also for some time after His departure. Some of them, in fact, survived right up to our own time.” B
To suggest that Quadratus could have believed such stories without any supporting evidences to substantiate them seems incredible. To suppose that he would then take such a testimony and present it to the emperor as evidence for the trustfulness of the Christian message, especially during a time of intense Christian persecution, borders on the absurd. It is not unreasonable to suppose that Quadratus believed the testimonies of Christ’s disciples because there was ample reason to do so.
68. Quadratus (A.D. 125) - Notes and References
A. “Quadratus, disciple of the apostles, after Publius bishop of Athens had been crowned with martyrdom on account of his faith in Christ, was substituted in his place, and by his faith and industry gathered the church scattered by reason of its great fear.” Jerome, Illustrious Men 19.
B. As cited by Eusebius, “The Church History”, Translation by Paul L. Maier, Kregel Publications, 1999, p.136