Theonas

About Theonas

The surviving account in Eusebius’s Ecclesiastical History places Theonas in the succession of Alexandrian bishops: after Maximus, Theonas held the see, and during his time Achillas became notable. Eusebius does not supply an individual narrative of Theonas’s life. His place in the episcopal succession is the clearest surviving evidence.The Catholic Encyclopedia dates his episcopate approximately 283–301, citing Eusebius’s Chronicle as transmitted by Jerome. It also says that his successor Alexander dedicated a church to Theonas. The reference article warns that the often-quoted letter to Lucianus is considered a forgery; no claims from it are used here.