An African in Rome: Victor I, the Date of Easter, and Pluralist Christianity

Abstract

At the end of the second century, Christianity in Rome existed as a federation of individual communities, despite the narrative provided in the fourth century by Eusebius. There was a multiplicity of leaders, of social backgrounds, of languages, of beliefs, and of practices among the Christians of Rome. How did the church of Rome maintain unity internally and externally in the presence of such diversity? By the end of the second century, with Victor, that forbearance came to a dramatic end. The best-known example is the Quartodeciman controversy over the dating of Easter. Other examples include his reaction to Monarchians, Montanists, and Valentinians. In itself, this is not evidence that Victor was attempting to act as sole bishop of Rome, but simply that he used the structures of the pluralist communities to push for greater theological conformity, which contributed to the centralisation of leadership in Rome. As a qualifier, it will be argued that he was not opposed to pluralism per se, but was opposed to it when he became aware of any particular threat divergence presented to Christian life and thought.