Florinus was a 2nd-century Roman presbyter, however later lost his office after teaching "heretical" doctrines, as he converted to Gnosticism or started to believe some Gnostic views in his later life. Florinus was mentioned by

Irenaeus Irenaeus (; grc-gre, Εἰρηναῖος ''Eirēnaios''; c. 130 – c. 202 AD) was a Greek bishop noted for his role in guiding and expanding Christian communities in the southern regions of present-day France and, more widely, for the dev ...

, and was apparently slightly older than him. Just like Irenaeus, Florinus was perhaps once a disciple of

Polycarp Polycarp (; el, Πολύκαρπος, ''Polýkarpos''; la, Polycarpus; AD 69 155) was a Christian bishop of Smyrna. According to the '' Martyrdom of Polycarp'', he died a martyr, bound and burned at the stake, then stabbed when the fire failed ...

, but he was later influenced by

Valentinians Valentinianism was one of the major Gnostic Christian movements. Founded by Valentinus in the 2nd century AD, its influence spread widely, not just within Rome but also from Northwest Africa to Egypt through to Asia Minor and Syria in the East. ...

. Eusebius claimed that Florinus taught dualism and that God is the author of evil, though most scholars accept Eusebius' statement, some scholars have suggested that

Eusebius Eusebius of Caesarea (; grc-gre, Εὐσέβιος ; 260/265 – 30 May 339), also known as Eusebius Pamphilus (from the grc-gre, Εὐσέβιος τοῦ Παμφίλου), was a Greek historian of Christianity, exegete, and Chris ...

was mistaken on Florinus' view of dualism, Florinus also taught

Monarchianism Monarchianism is a Christian theology that emphasizes God as one indivisible being,
at Catholic Encyclopedia, newadvent.org

. Irenaeus wrote a work against Florinus and he was later excommunicated, likely by Pope Victor I.{{Cite book , last1=Schaff , first1=Philip , url=https://books.google.com/books?id=CgVuEAAAQBAJ&dq=Florinus+%28Gnostic%29&pg=PA238 , title=A Select Library of the Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers of the Christian Church, Second Series, Volume 1: Eusebius: Church History, Life of Constantine the Great, and Oration in Praise of Constantine , last2=Wace , first2=Henry , date=2022-04-29 , publisher=Wipf and Stock Publishers , isbn=978-1-6667-4021-9 , language=en

References

2nd-century Romans Gnostics

See also

References