Maximus (born in the late 4th century or early 5th century; died the 5th century) was an ancient Roman bishop, thought to have been the second bishop of Mogontiacum (Mainz, now in Germany) and possibly the last to hold that position under the Roman Empire.
According to the earliest surviving list of bishops of Mogontiacum (Mainz), Maximus was the second bishop of the city. That list derives from the 10th century Fuldaer Totenannalen, compiled between 919 and 923 under archbishop Heriger.[1] It notes Maximus, as the successor to Aureus, probably martyred during the Hun campaign against the Burgundians in 436, which also affected Mogontiacum. On this hypothesis, Maximus could have acted as Aureus' successor as bishop from 436 onwards. Eugen Ewig argues that Maximus was also the last bishop of Mogontiacum during the Roman era, which ended with the Frankish takeover in 456.[2] Maximus' time as bishop was possibly followed by a vacancy, then by Sidonius as the first bishop of the Frankish era.
Later versions of the list are composed of other bishops of Mainz (often historically unambiguous or only with vague dates assigned to them), and include Theonistus, after Aureus. In a translation by Sigehard, a monk of St. Alban's Abbey, Mainz of 1298 ("Passio, inventio et translatio sanctorum Aurei et Justinae").[3]
In the calendar of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Mainz, he celebrates a joint feast day with bishops Crescens, Aureus and Theonistus.[4]
