Quadratus of Athens

About Quadratus of Athens

Quadratus was possibly a disciple of the apostles and the first Christian apologist. Around 125 AD, he presented a defense of Christianity to Emperor Hadrian, making his "Apology" the earliest known Christian apologetic work. Only one fragment survives, preserved by Eusebius, noting that some people healed and raised from the dead by Jesus lived until Quadratus's own time—providing eyewitness testimony to Christ's miracles. Quadratus may have been Bishop of Athens. His courage in defending Christianity to the emperor and his connection to apostolic witnesses make him significant in early Church history.