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."[1] Athanasius of Alexandria and bishop Damasus of Rome opposed Meletius and supported Paulinus.
One of Meletius' last acts was to preside over the First Council of Constantinople in 381.
Meletius'
Bishop of Sebaste
Meletius was born at
Bishop of Antioch
First period and exile
According to
The successor of Meletius was
Second and third exiles
Athanasius of Alexandria came to Antioch by order of the emperor, and expressed to Meletius his wish of entering into communion with him. Meletius, ill-advised, delayed answering him, and Athanasius went away having admitted Paulinus, whom he had not yet recognized as bishop, to his communion.[4] The orthodox Nicene party, notably Athanasius himself, held communion with Paulinus only. Twice, in 365 and 371 or 372, Meletius was exiled by decree of the Arian emperor Valens. A further complication was added when, in 375, Vitalius, one of Meletius' presbyters, was consecrated bishop by the heretical bishop Apollinaris of Laodicea. After the death of Valens in 378, the Western emperor Gratian removed Euzoeus from Antioch, handing over the churches to Meletius. Theodosius I, the new emperor in the East, also favoured Meletius, who had been more and more approximating to the views of the Nicene Creed.[citation needed]
Triumph
Upon his return to Antioch, Meletius was hailed as the leader of orthodoxy. As such he presided in October 379 over the great
Meanwhile, Ambrose, bishop of Milan, was dealing with Arians in the West. He persuaded Gratian to call a church synod. The Council of Aquileia (381) deposed two bishops of the eastern province of Dacia, Palladius of Ratiaria and Secundianus of Singidunum, and requested the emperors Theodosius and Gratian to convene at Alexandria a general council of all bishops in order to put an end to the Meletian schism at Antioch.[5]
The two remaining factions which divided the Antiochene Church were orthodox, the supporters of Meletius and the adherents of Paulinus. Uniting them was a difficult move.[4] A temporary pacification ensued, when six of the leading presbyters took an oath not to seek episcopal consecration themselves but to accept as bishop of Antioch whichever of the two rivals outlived the other.[citation needed]
Schism after his death
Meletius died soon after the opening of the First Council of Constantinople and the emperor Theodosius, who had received him with special distinction, ordered his body to be carried to Antioch and buried with the honours of a saint. The Meletian schism, however, did not end immediately with his death. In spite of the advice of Gregory Nazianzus, Paulinus was not recognized as the sole bishop and Flavian was consecrated as Meletius' successor.[6][7]
The Eustathians, on the other hand, elected Evagrius as bishop on Paulinus' death in 388.[2] In 399, John Chrysostom, who had been ordained a deacon by Meletius, but later separated from his group and accepted ordination to the priesthood at the hands of Evagrius,[8] secured reconciliation between Flavian and the sees of Alexandria and Rome. However, it would take the Eustathians at Antioch until 415 to accept Flavian.[9]
Notes
- ^ Ayres, Lewis (2004). Nicaea and its Legacy, An Approach to Fourth-Century Trinitarian Theology.
- ^ a b c d e public domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Meletius of Antioch". Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 18 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. pp. 93–94. One or more of the preceding sentences incorporates text from a publication now in the
- Livingstone, E. A., eds. (2009) [2005]. "Melitius, St". The Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church (3rd rev. ed.). Oxford University Press.
- ^ a b c d Leclercq, Henri. "Meletius of Antioch." The Catholic Encyclopedia Vol. 10. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1911. 18 February 2014
- ^ "Councils of Aquileia." The Catholic Encyclopedia Vol. 1. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1907. 31 January 2019
- ^ Socrates Scholasticus, "The Ecclesiastical History" Book V.9
- ^ Dictionary of Christian Biography and Literature to the End of the Sixth Century A.D., "Meletius, bishop of Antioch"
- ^ Socrates Scholasticus, The Ecclesiastical History, Book VI.3
- ^ Philip Hughes, History of the Church (Sheed and Ward 1934), vol. I, pp. 231-232
Further reading
- Cavallera, F. Le Schisme de Mélèce. Paris: Picard, 1906.