LEONTIUS OF NAPLES. - Bishop of Neapolis in Cyprus, d. around 650. He moved from Cyprus to Alexandria under the patriarch John the Almsgiver (d. 619). He was a friend of John Moschus and of Sophronius, later patriarch of Jerusalem.

At the Seventh Council (787) homilies of his were mentioned, and others are attributed to him in the manuscripts. The question of authenticity has not yet been clarified. He wrote several biographies of Byzantine saints, of which the most famous is that of John the Almsgiver. There is also the life of St. Simeon Salos, who lived in Syria at the time of Justinian, whereas his life of Spyridon of Trimithus (v. P. Heseler, Byzantinisch-neugriechische Jahrbücher, IX, Athens 1933, p. 113 ff.) has not been preserved. Only the reworking by Simeon Metaphrastes survives. Of his work against the Jews some fragments remain.

Bibliography4 works

BIBL.: Editions: PG 93, 1559-1748; Leben des hl. Johannes des Barnhertzen, ed. H. Gelzer (Sammlung ausgewählter kirchenund dogmengesch. Quellenschriften, 5), Freiburg 1893. Studies: A. Ehrhard, in Krumbacher, p. 190 ff.; H. Gelzer, Ein griechischer Volksschriftsteller des 7. Jahrh., in Historische Zeitschrift, new series, 25 (1880), 1 ff.; G. Graf, Geschichte der christ. arabischen Literatur, I, Vatican City 1944, p. 409.

Erik Peterson

@incollection{ec7_leonzio_di_neapoli, author = {Peterson, Erik}, title = {Leonzio di Neapoli}, booktitle = {Enciclopedia Cattolica}, volume = {VII}, pages = {1169}, 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/leonzio-di-neapoli} }

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Leontius of Naples

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