Acilius Severus (writer)

Acilius Severus (died between AD 364 and 375; in some editions spelled Aquilus, Aquilius) was a Roman Christian writer of the late 4th century AD, from Hispania.^[1] He was from a senatorial family based on known correspondence with the Roman writer Lactantius^[2] (c. 250 – c. 325) through written epistles to his ancestors.^[3] A fragmentary inscription dictated that his ancestry was rooted from the gens Acilia, a noble family since the first century CE.^[4] Severus’ father, who was also called Acilius Severus, was a Roman consul in 323 and prefect of Rome from 325 to 327.^[4][5]

In Jerome's De viris illustribus, he writes that Acilius Severus wrote an autobiography in "a volume of mingled poetry and prose," entitled Καταστροφὴν (katastrophḗn, "vicissitudes, calamity") or Πεῖραν (peiran, "proofs, trial").^[3][6][7] An inscription also commemorated his restoration of the theater of Merida around 333 and 337.^[8] During this period, he was described to have come from Hispaniarum. His patronage of the theater suggests that his family came from Spain.^[8] In Jerome’s work, the account of Acilius life story ended in his conversion to Christianity.^[9]