FIORINO. — A Gnostic of the Italian school who lived in the 2nd century. As a young man he stayed as an imperial officer in Smyrna, where he came to know St. Policarpo and the young St. Ireneo. He later became a priest of the Roman Church and, around 190, embraced Valentinian Gnosticism, in defense of which he composed writings that reached as far as Gaul.
From there Ireneo wrote two letters: to F., to withdraw him from error; and to Pope Vittore, to warn him of the danger posed by those writings. Since F. remained inflexible, he was deprived of the priesthood. The identification of F. with Q. S. Florens Tertullianus is untenable.
BIBL.: Eusebio, Hist. evl., V, 15, 20; A. Baumstark, Die Lehre des röm. Presb. Flor., in Zeitschr. f. neutrorum, Wissenschaft, 13 (1912), pp. 306–19; Bardenhower, I, pp. 361, 412–423. Vincenzo Monachino