Hadrian reigned from 117 to AD 138. About 124–125 he wrote to Minucius Fundanus, proconsul of Asia, that Christians should be tried only on formal charges in court and that malicious accusers should be punished. The rescript survives only through Justin Martyr and Eusebius.
After the Bar Kokhba revolt (132–135) he refounded Jerusalem as the Roman colony Aelia Capitolina and barred Jews from the city, ending the line of Jewish-Christian bishops there. The apologist Quadratus addressed his defence of Christianity to him.
Where to start
Every mention
7 writings- AD 120Suetonius, Life of Claudius 25: the expulsion over “Chrestus”Witnesses Outside the Church1×
- AD 125Hadrian’s Rescript to Minucius Fundanus (Eusebius, Church History 4.9)Witnesses Outside the Church4×
- AD 221Julius Africanus on Thallus and Phlegon: the darkness at the crucifixionWitnesses Outside the Church1×
- AD 250Pistis SophiaThe Other Gospels1×
- AD 320Eusebius, Church History, Book IVThe Early Church3×
- 2026The documentary record of Jesus and the movements that interpreted himThe Dossier1×
- 2026Sources and further readingThe Dossier1×