FLAVIAN, Saint. - Patriarch of Antioch, b. around 320, d. in 404. He soon embraced the ascetic life. During the Arian crisis he was always faithful to the Nicene faith.

Together with his friend Diodore (future bishop of Tarsus) he separated from the Arian bishop Leontius (344-58), but he did not join the small Eustathian faction headed by Paulinus; instead he gathered around himself the mass of the faithful, whom he knew how to support and direct during the repeated exiles of the orthodox bishop Meletius. F. could have put an end to the schism by joining Paulinus, but he himself was elected patriarch, and so the division continued. In 387 he interceded on behalf of the Antiochenes who had thrown down the imperial statues. He held a Council against the Messalians (390). In 398, through the intervention of St. John Chrysostom and Theophilus of Alexandria, he was also recognized by Rome. Of his writings only fragments remain.

Bibliography9 works

BIBL.: Socrates, Hist. eccl., V, 9-10; Sozomen, Hist. eccl., VII, 11; Theodoret, Hist. eccl., IV, 23; V, 23; St. Ambrose, Epist., 12-14; 56; St. John Chrysostom, Homil., passim; L. S. Tillemont, Mémoires, VI, Venice 1733, pp. 346, 624-36; P. Batiffol, Le siège apostolique, Paris 1924, pp. 138-45, 267; C. Baur, Der hl. Joh. Chrysostomus u. seine Zeit, I, Munich 1924, passim; R. Devreesse, Le parvarelus d'Antonio, Paris 1925, pp. 1-15.

Vincenzo Monachino

@incollection{ec5_flaviano_santo, author = {Monachino, Vincenzo}, title = {Flaviano, santo}, booktitle = {Enciclopedia Cattolica}, volume = {V}, pages = {1448}, note = {Cited by column}, publisher = {Ente per l’Enciclopedia Cattolica e per il Libro Cattolico}, address = {Città del Vaticano}, year = {1950}, url = {https://azioneromana.com/article/flaviano-santo} }

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Flavian, Saint

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