A deacon of Lyons, ecclesiastical writer in the first half of
the ninth century. We have no information regarding the place of
birth, the parents, or the youth of this distinguished
theologian; but it is probable that he came from the
neighbourhood of Lyons, not however from Spain, as some scholars
have asserted. A letter to Bishop Bartholomew of Narbonne,
written between 827 and 830 and signed by Florus as well as by
Archbishop Agobard and the priest Hildigisus, furnishes us with
the first positive information we possess of his history ("Mon.
Germ. Hist.: Epp. V, 206 sqq.). He was then a deacon of the
church of Lyons, which office he continued to hold throughout
his life. From the fact that at this time he already enjoyed a
reputation as a theologian, we may conclude that he was born
certainly before the end of the eighth century. That he was then
known (827) even outside the boundaries of the church of Lyons
is testified by the poetic epistle written about the same time
by the youthful Walahfrid Strabo to A