Rufinus, of Ephesus

Otherwise little attested as a single historical figure; "Rufinus, of Ephesus" is known chiefly as the recipient of a handful of letters within the corpus, associated with the city of Ephesus in the Roman province of Asia (western Asia Minor). The name Rufinus was extremely common across late antiquity, and the surviving correspondence does not securely identify him with any of the better-documented bearers of that name. Given that the record draws on collections spanning Libanius (4th century), Paulinus of Nola (c. 400), and Gregory the Great (c. 600), the entry may conflate more than one correspondent or reflect a name attested only through these letters; he is best understood as a minor figure, probably a local notable or official connected to Ephesus, rather than a known public personage. No specific dates, offices, or events can be responsibly assigned to him.