Meletius, Saint

Meletius, Saint

(mĭlē`shəs), d. 381, Catholic bishop, leader of the Meletian faction in the Antiochene schism. Meletius became (361) Catholic patriarch after the Arians deposed EustathiusEustathius,
d. c.1194, Byzantine scholar, archbishop of Salonica (from 1175). He became renowned as master of the orators at Hagia Sophia, Constantinople, then a center of learning. He lectured on Homer and Pindar.
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. The Eustathians, however, opposed him for his Arian sponsorship and the Arians, who grew unhappy with him, secured his exile. A party of Meletians arose to defend him. Lucifer of CagliariLucifer of Cagliari
, d. 370, bishop of Cagliari, Sardinia (353–70), violent opponent of Arianism. As legate of Pope Liberius he went to the council at Milan (355) that Constantius disbanded by exiling the Catholic delegates.
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 deepened the schism by uncanonically consecrating Paulinus from the Eustathian ranks, thereby giving Antioch two Catholic bishops. Meletius returned in 378, but Rome favored Paulinus, and the parties would not unite. Meletius died while presiding at the First Council of Constantinople, which sought to end the schism by electing Flavian of AntiochFlavian of Antioch
, d. 404, Catholic patriarch of Antioch. He succeeded St. Meletius. A rival claimant to the patriarchate, Evagrius, was illegally consecrated, but when Evagrius died Flavian was recognized (c.398), ending the Antioch schism.
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 successor to his see. He was the teacher of St. John ChrysostomJohn Chrysostom, Saint
[Gr.,=golden-mouth], c.347–407, Doctor of the Church, one of the greatest of the Greek Fathers. He was born in Antioch and studied Greek classics there. As a young man he became an anchorite monk (374), a deacon (c.381) and a priest (386).
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. Feast: Feb. 12. He is sometimes confused with his contemporary, Meletius of Lycopolis, who organized the widespread Meletian Schism in Egypt, which was aligned with the Arians.