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In Hispania, the period of late antiquity was marked by the Christian asceticism that arose there through, among other things, the spread of a revival movement named after its founder as Priscillianism. Born around 345–350 CE, Priscillian was bishop of Avila (Priscillian of Avila) in the late 4th century CE. A charismatic man and an accomplished preacher, his clarissimus rank identifies him as a member of the Roman social elite. Indeed, his family belonged to the class of wealthy landowners within the empire. This young aristocrat received a cultu…

Audentius was bishop of Toledo in the 4th century CE (c. 385–395 CE). According to Ildefonsus ( Vir. Ill. 2; PL 96.199), he succeeded to the episcopal seat of Toledo. H. Chadwick (1976) sees an onomastic correlation between the Audentius (mentioned by Gennadius of Marseille) and one of the 12 bishops who attended the Council of Saragossa (379 CE) under the name Auxentius (or Augentius).Gennadius of Marseille (late 5th cent. CE; Gennadius of Marseille) writes the following:Audentius, bishop in Spain, wrote a book entitled On the Faith against Heretics against the Manicheans, the Sab…

A colleague of Bishop Pastor in the episcopal community of the 5th century CE, Syagrius, a Galician bishop, joined Pastor’s struggle against Priscillianism. According to Hydatius ( Chronica, c. 102 CE; SC 218.132–133), it was precisely in the administrative district ( conventus) of Lugo that Pastor and Syagrius were consecrated as bishops in 433 CE, against the will of Agrestius, the bishop of Lugo. Himself a Priscillianist, Agrestius did everything in his power to prevent the election of the two bishops, who were outspoken critics…