Philogonius (or ''Filogonius, Philogonus, Philogonios'', ; died 322) was a lawyer and an early

Bishop of Antioch The Patriarch of Antioch is a traditional title held by the bishop of Antioch (modern-day Antakya, Turkey). As the traditional "overseer" (, , from which the word ''bishop'' is derived) of the first gentile Christian community, the position has b ...

who came to be considered a saint. He opposed

Arianism Arianism (, ) is a Christology, Christological doctrine which rejects the traditional notion of the Trinity and considers Jesus to be a creation of God, and therefore distinct from God. It is named after its major proponent, Arius (). It is co ...

when that heresy emerged in

Alexandria Alexandria ( ; ) is the List of cities and towns in Egypt#Largest cities, second largest city in Egypt and the List of coastal settlements of the Mediterranean Sea, largest city on the Mediterranean coast. It lies at the western edge of the Nile ...

, Egypt. His feast day is 20 December.

Outline

Philogonius was a successful advocate at the bar of

Antioch Antioch on the Orontes (; , ) "Antioch on Daphne"; or "Antioch the Great"; ; ; ; ; ; ; . was a Hellenistic Greek city founded by Seleucus I Nicator in 300 BC. One of the most important Greek cities of the Hellenistic period, it served as ...

. He was known for his eloquence, moral integrity and Christian faith. He married and had a daughter, but became a monk and ascetic after his wife died. In 318 when Vitalius I died Philogonius was made Bishop of Antioch without first becoming a priest. When

Arius Arius (; ; 250 or 256 – 336) was a Cyrenaica, Cyrenaic presbyter and asceticism, ascetic. He has been regarded as the founder of Arianism, which holds that Jesus Christ was not Eternity, coeternal with God the Father, but was rather created b ...

(256–336) began to preach his heresy at

in 318,

Pope Alexander I of Alexandria Alexander I of Alexandria (Koine Greek: Ἀλέξανδρος, ''Aléxandros'') was the 19th Pope and Patriarch of Alexandria. During his patriarchate, he dealt with a number of issues facing the Church in that day. These included the dating o ...

sent a synodal letter condemning him to Philogonius, who defended the orthodox faith against the heresy. Philogonius lived through the attacks on the church by Roman emperors

Maximinus Daza Galerius Valerius Maximinus, born as Daza (; 20 November 270 – July 313), was Roman emperor from 310 to 313. He became embroiled in the civil wars of the Tetrarchy between rival claimants for control of the empire, in which he was defeated ...

(r. 310–313) and

Licinius Valerius Licinianus Licinius (; Ancient Greek, Greek: Λικίνιος; c. 265 – 325) was Roman emperor from 308 to 324. For most of his reign, he was the colleague and rival of Constantine I, with whom he co-authored the Edict of Milan that ...

(r. 308–324). He died in 322.

Monks of Ramsgate account

The monks of

St Augustine's Abbey, Ramsgate St Augustine's Abbey or Ramsgate Abbey is a former Benedictine abbey in Ramsgate. It was built in 1860 by Augustus Pugin and is a Grade II listed building. It was the first Benedictine monastery to be built in England since the Reformation. In ...

, wrote in their ''Book of Saints'' (1921):

Butler's account

The hagiographer

Alban Butler Alban Butler (13 October 171015 May 1773) was an English Roman Catholic priest and hagiography, hagiographer. Born in Northamptonshire, he studied at the English College, in Douai, Douay, France where he later taught philosophy and theology. He s ...

(1710–1773) wrote in his ''Lives of the fathers, martyrs, and other principal saints'',

Weninger's account

Francis Xavier Weninger (1805–1888) wrote in his ''Lives of the Saints'' (1876):

Outline

Monks of Ramsgate account

Butler's account

Weninger's account

Notes and references

Notes

References

Bibliography