Meletius of Antioch

Saint Meletius (Greek: Μελέτιος, Meletios) was a Christian bishop of Antioch from 360 until his death in 381. However, his episcopate was dominated by a schism, usually called the Meletian schism.

  • During the reigns of the Homoian (Homoean) emperors Constantius and Valens, he was exiled in 361–362, 365–366 and 371–378, implying his opposition to Homoianism.
  • Meletius was also strongly opposed by a rival bishop named Paulinus who was faithful to the memory of Eustathius of Antioch. "The fragments of Eustathius that survive present a doctrine that is close to Marcellus. ... Eustathius insists there is only one hypostasis." Athanasius of Alexandria and bishop Damasus of Rome opposed Meletius and supported Paulinus.
"Meletian schism" and "Meletians" redirect here. For the similarly-named schism in Egypt, see Melitians. For its namesake, see Melitius of Lycopolis.

One of Meletius' last acts was to preside over the First Council of Constantinople in 381.

Meletius' asceticism was remarkable in view of his great private wealth. He is venerated as a saint and confessor in the Roman Catholic, Oriental Orthodox and Eastern Orthodox churches. His feast day is 12 February.

This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.