Quadratus

, an early Christian writer and apologist, was a disciple of the apostles, according to Eusebius and Jerome, and bishop of Athens, where he was born, or at least educated. About the year 125, when the emperor Adrian, then in the sixth year of his reign, wintered at Athens, and was there initiated into the Eleusinian mysteries, a persecution arose against the Christians. Quadratus, who had succeeded Publius, the martyred bishop, in order to stop the persecution, composed an “Apology for the Christian Faith,” and presented it to the emperor. This Apology, which happened to be accompanied by another from Aristides (see Aristides), had the desired effect, and was extant in Eusebius’ s time; who tells us, that it shewed 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, in which 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 are many,” says he, “who were yet living in our time.” Valesius, and others upon his authority, will have the Quadratus who composed the Apology, to be a different person from Quadratus, the bishop of Athens; but his arguments do not seem sufficiently grounded, and are therefore generally rejected. Jerome affirms them to be 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. ¹