HYDATIUS (Idatius). - Bishop of Merida, d. before 392. One of the most zealous opponents of Priscillian and his followers. He brought the accusation against the heretic before Pope Damasus I and at the Synod of Saragossa (4 Oct. 380), in which he proposed a "commontorio" for the Christian life, against the peculiarities of the Priscillianists. In 382 he obtained from the emperor Gratian a rescript against the "Manichaeans and the pseudo-bishops."

To I. himself was entrusted the task of seeking out the guilty and denouncing them to the administrative authorities. He finally accused Priscillian of magic and Manichaeism, causing the condemnation pronounced in 385 by the usurper Maximus. Priscillian's adherents stirred up a lively agitation against I., who in 388 spontaneously resigned from the episcopate.

Bibliography5 works

BIBL.: Sulpicio Severo, Chronicon, II, pp. 46-51; K. Künste, Antipriscilliana, Freiburg 1905, pp. 1-14; Bardenhewer, III, pp. 403-16; Z. Garcia Villada, Hist. eccl. de España, I, 2, Madrid 1929, pp. 95, 97 ff., 255, 388; A. Seider, Hydatius, in LThK, V, col. 218.

Lucchesio Späling

@incollection{ec6_idazio_hydatius, author = {Spätling, Lucchesio}, title = {Idazio (Hydatius)}, booktitle = {Enciclopedia Cattolica}, volume = {VI}, pages = {1554--1555}, note = {Cited by column}, publisher = {Ente per l’Enciclopedia Cattolica e per il Libro Cattolico}, address = {Città del Vaticano}, year = {1951}, url = {https://azioneromana.com/article/idazio-hydatius} }

One of some 20,000 entries brought back from the twelve printed volumes (1948–54). Spotted something? Help us improve it.

Hydatius (Idatius)

About this entry