Quadratus the Bishop

Quadratus, a disciple of the apostles, was put in the place of Publius, bishop of Athens, after Publius had been crowned with martyrdom for his faith in Christ. By his faith and hard work he gathered the church, which had been scattered by its great fear. When Hadrian spent the winter at Athens to see the Eleusinian mysteries, and was initiated into almost all the sacred mysteries of Greece, those who hated the Christians took the chance, without any instructions from the emperor, to harass the believers. At this time Quadratus presented to Hadrian a work composed on behalf of our religion, indispensable, full of sound argument and faith, and worthy of the apostles’ teaching. In it, showing how early he lived, he says that he has seen many who, oppressed by various illnesses, were healed by the Lord in Judea, as well as some who had been raised from the dead. [a]