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Bible Encyclopedias
Quadratus
Cyclopedia of Biblical, Theological and Ecclesiastical Literature
or bishop of Athens, flourished under the government of Antoninus Pius. Quadratus is reputed to have been a disciple of the apostles and a native of Athens. Under emperor Adrian, while Publius was bishop of Athens, the Christians were persecuted and the congregation scattered. When Quadratus later succeeded to the episcopate of Athens, he wrote, for the purpose of ending the persecution of his co-religionists, an Apology for the Christian Faith, and presented it to the emperor. This Apology, which had the desired effect, was extant in Eusebius's time, who tells us that it showed the genius of the man and the true doctrine of the apostles; but we have only a small fragment. preserved by Eusebius in the fourth book of his history, wherein the author declares that "none could doubt the truth of the miracles of Jesus Christ. because the persons healed and raised from the dead by him had been seen, not only when he wrought his miracles. or while he was upon earth, but even a very great while after his death; so that there were many," says he, "who were yet living in our time." Valesius, and others upon his authority, make of this Quadratus a different person from Quadratus the bishop of Athens; but this assertion is generally rejected. Jerome affirms that the Quadratus of Athens and the one reputed to have lived at Magnesia were the same. Nothing certain can be collected concerning the death of Quadratus; but it is supposed that he was banished from Athens, and then put to a variety of torments, under the reign of Adrian. See Eusebius, Hist. Ecclesiastes 4:3; Cave, Hist. Lit.; Donaldson, Literature of the Early Centuries; Lardner, Works; Hook, Ecclesiastes Biog. 8:173; Smith, Dict. of Gr. and Rom. Biog. s.v.
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McClintock, John. Strong, James. Entry for 'Quadratus'. Cyclopedia of Biblical, Theological and Ecclesiastical Literature. https://www.studylight.org/encyclopedias/eng/tce/q/quadratus.html. Harper & Brothers. New York. 1870.
