ON THE

LIFE AND WRITINGS

OF PHILOXENUS OF MABBUG

I

Philoxenus, first called Xenaias, was born before the middle of the 5th century in the town of Tahal in the province of the Garmaeans, under Persian rule. The story that he was a slave by condition and unbaptized is a fable invented by the orthodox out of hatred for the heretical man.

Along with his brother, named Addai, he devoted himself to studies at the famous School of Edessa while Ibas held the episcopate of that city (435–457). In what year he left Edessa is unknown to us.

We do know, however, that he propagated the confession of one nature in Christ with the greatest fervor and keenly attacked the Council of Chalcedon, both in Mesopotamia and in Syria; he strove especially to win over the monks to his side, and he seems to have achieved great favor among them.

Calandion, the orthodox patriarch of Antioch (482–485), expelled Philoxenus from his diocese, which he was disturbing with his preaching. But soon the patriarch was relegated to Egypt because he consistently refused to subscribe to the Henoticon a decree of union of Zeno, and Peter the Fuller received the Antiochene see for the third time.

He, however, appointed Philoxenus as bishop of Hierapolis (which city the Syrians call Mabbūg, and the modern Arabs call Manbidj), in the year 485.