Lucian of Antioch
Roman Catholic) October 15 (Byzantine Christianity) Monday after fifth Sunday after Pentecost (Armenian Apostolic Church)[1] |
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Lucian of Antioch (Greek: Λουκιανός Αντιοχείας c. 240 – January 7, 312),[a] known as Lucian the Martyr, was a Christian presbyter, theologian and martyr. He was noted for both his scholarship and ascetic piety.
History
According to
At
After the deposition of Antioch's bishop Paul of Samosata, he fell under suspicion for heresy, and was excommunicated. According to Alexander of Alexandria, he remained in schism during the episcopates of three bishops, Domnus, Timaeus and Cyril, whose administration extended from 268 to 303. Lucian was reconciled with the Church either early in the episcopate of Cyril (perhaps about 285), which seems more likely, or under Cyril's successor Tyrannus.
During the persecution of
His death is uncertain. He might have been starved to death. Another, more likely, possibility is that he was beheaded. The traditional date ascribed to his execution is January 7, 312, in Nicomedia. There is a late tradition of uncertain origin that he had been drowned in the sea and that his body was returned to land by a dolphin.[5]
He was buried at
He is also commemorated as a
Theology
Lucian's theological position is a matter of contention. Attempts to reconstruct his theology from the extant sources have led to contradictory results.
Because Arius in a letter addressed Eusebius of Nicomedia as "sylloukianistes" ("Fellow-Lucianist"), Lucian's theology came to be associated with the Arian controversy. Following Adolf von Harnack, many scholars have interpreted the word (which only appears in this instance) as denoting a theological school and have therefore seen not only Eusebius but also Arius and other Arian leaders (among them Maris, Theognis of Nicaea and Asterius) as pupils of Lucian and have transferred Arian views unto Lucian.[4] The first writer to clearly attest such a discipleship for a number of Arian sympathisers—but not for Arius and his closer associates—was the Anomoean church historian Philostorgius.[4]
Others have interpreted the word as indicating not a theological link but the special veneration accorded to Lucian by Eusebius, who by that time headed the
Opponents of Arianism, such as Alexander of Alexandria, countered this veneration by noting Lucian's schismatic past. Marcus Victorinus identified the Eusebian party with Lucian. Epiphanius associates Lucian with heretical views about Christ's human soul held by Arians (but also by others) and relates that the Arians venerated Lucian as their martyr and that Lucian lived together with Eusebius at Nicomedia.[4]
Associated with Lucian's name is also the Creed of the Dedication passed at the
Other attempts to reconstruct Lucian's theology have started out with
Because these identifications created a contradictory picture of Lucian, some scholars have proposed the existence of two Lucians, the first being a follower of Paul of Samosata, the second being Lucian the martyr, a theologian in the Origenist tradition and the teacher of Arius and Eusebius of Nicomedia. However, this proposal has now been largely rejected.[4]
Whatever his theology had been, his status as a martyr and a saint was not impacted by concerns of orthodoxy. In the words of Philip Schaff: "The contradictory reports are easily reconciled by the assumption that Lucian was a critical scholar with some peculiar views on the Trinity and Christology which were not in harmony with the later Nicene orthodoxy, but that he wiped out all stains by his heroic confession and martyrdom".[6]
Biblical text
Lucian is credited with a critical recension of the text of the
Lucian integrated a number of important minuscule manuscripts of 3 Maccabees.[7]
Notes
- ^ January 7 was the calendar day on which his memory was celebrated at Antioch.
References
- ^ Domar: the calendrical and liturgical cycle of the Armenian Apostolic Orthodox Church, Armenian Orthodox Theological Research Institute, 2003, p. 445
- ^ "CATHOLIC ENCYCLOPEDIA: Lucian of Antioch". Newadvent.org. 1910-10-01. Retrieved 2014-02-20.
- ^ Church History IX, 6, 3.
- ^ a b c d e f g h Malachias von Armagh. Leonardo da Vinci. Retrieved 2014-02-20.
- ^ ISBN 0-14-051312-4.
- ^ Philipp Schaff, History of the Christian Church.
- ^ ISBN 0-385-18813-7(Vol. 2), p. 510
- ^ Dr. Hort, Introd. and Append. to Westcott and Hort's Greek Test. (Lond. and N. York, 1881), p. 138, says of Lucian: "Of known names his has a better claim than any other to be associated with the early Syrian revision; and the conjecture derives some little support from a passage of Jerome. Praetermitto eos codices quos a Luciano et Hesychio nuncupatos adscrit perversa contentio, " etc. Dr. Scrivener, who denies such a Syrian recension as an ignis fatuus, barely alludes to Lucian in his Introduction to the Criticism of the N. Test., 3rd ed., Cambr., 1883, pp. 515, 517.
- ^ Duchesne, Louis; Jenkins, Claude (1912). Early History of the Christian Church. Vol. 1. New York: Longmans, Green & Co. p. 362.
- De Viris Illustribus III. I, xxvii; Praef. ad Paralip.; Epistle, 106.
- ^ "Jerome, Letter to Pope Damasus: Beginning of the Preface to the Gospels". www.tertullian.org. Retrieved 2019-08-22.
- ^ On his labors in regard to the Sept., see Simeon Metaphrastes and Suidas, quoted in Routh IV. 3 sq.; Field’s ed. of the Hexapla of Origen; Nestle in the "Zeitschr. d. D. Morgenl. Gesellsch., " 1878, 465-508; and the prospectus to the proposed ed. of the Sept. by P. de Lagarde.
- ^ THE 'DECRETUM GELASIANUM DE LIBRIS RECIPIENDIS ET NON RECIPIENDIS'
Sources
- Theologische Realenzyklopädie, p. 479, at Google Books.
- Philip Schaff and Henry Wace, Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers vol. III, ch LXXVII
- Schaff, Philip, History of the Christian Church, Volume II: "Ante-Nicene Christianity. A.D. 100-325" Contains bibliography.
- Attwater, Donald and Catherine Rachel John. The Penguin Dictionary of Saints. 3rd edition. New York: Penguin Books, 1993. ISBN 0-14-051312-4.
- Royden Yerkes, The Lucianic version of the Old Testament as illustrated from Jeremiah 1-3 (dissertation, University of Pennsylvania, 1918)
- This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Herbermann, Charles, ed. (1913). "Lucian of Antioch". Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Robert Appleton Company.
Further reading
- Gustave Bardy. Recherches sur saint Lucien d'Antioche et son école (Paris: Beauchesne, 1936).