Sebastianus

A correspondent named Sebastianus who appears as the recipient of letters in this corpus. The name is associated here with two collections separated by roughly two centuries (the letters of Libanius, the fourth-century Antiochene rhetor, and those of Pope Gregory the Great, c. 540-604), which strongly suggests that more than one historical individual is being recorded under a single common Roman name. Sebastianus is a widely attested late-antique name borne by soldiers, officials, and clergy, so no single biography can responsibly be assigned. Within the Libanian material, a Sebastianus is plausibly a military officer or official of the eastern provinces active in the later fourth century, but absent firm cross-identification this must remain inferred rather than asserted. Otherwise little can be securely stated: the figure is known here chiefly as a name attached to received correspondence, and specific dates, offices, and events should not be invented.