Sextus Julius Africanus and the Roman Near East in the Third Century

Sextus Julius Africanus ranks among the most active and publicly visible Christians of the pre-Constantinian era. He seems to turn up everywhere—in Edessa for an extended stay in the court of Abgar the Great, on location at various archaeological and pilgrimage sites throughout Palestine and the Roman Near East, scouring libraries throughout the Mediterranean world in search of manuscripts of Homer, presiding over a delegation to Rome from Emmaus, and even assisting the emperor in his cultural and building projects.