In 244 CE, Philip the Arab transformed Flavius Neapolis into a Roman colony named "Julia Neapolis". It retained this status until the rule of Trebonianus Gallus in 251 CE. The "Encyclopaedia Judaica" speculates that Christianity was dominant in the 2nd or 3rd century, with some sources positing a later date of 480 CE. It is known for certain that a bishop from Nablus participated in the Council of Nicaea in 325 CE. The presence of Samaritans in the city is attested to in literary and epigraphic evidence dating to the 4th century CE. As yet, there is no evidence attesting to a Jewish presence in ancient Neapolis.