Abstract
There are two contrasting theories regarding the social position of Priscillian of Avila’s (†386) followers: one, certainly the most accepted, considers them wealthy and educated aristocrats; the other, developed in the 1960s and 1970s, depicts them as poor and wronged farmers. This paper contributes to the discussion by presenting a detailed prosopographical study of all the followers of Priscillian known to us. It argues that he attracted people from very different social positions, from humble clerics to distinct senators. Such a study is important to better understand the causes of the fierce antagonism Priscillian suffered and the diffusion of monasticism among Western aristocracies in the fourth century.
Keywords:
Late Antiquity; monasticism; religious controversy; Spain; Priscillian of Avila