School of Antiochwriter
Who he was
- He was early attracted to biblical studies. His mother-tongue was Syriac, and he learned Greek.
- He was a disciple of Eusebius of Caesarea and Patrophilus of Scythopolis before completing his education at Antioch and Alexandria.
- It was from Eusebius of Caesarea whom he contracted the Arian learnings which distinguished him to the end of his life.
- He went to Antioch in 331 for further exegetical training.
- Then he went to Alexandria to take courses in philosophy. There he became the intimate friend of the Arian, George of Laodicea.
- In 340, the Arian Synod of Antioch elected him to replace the newly deposed St. Athanasius of Alexandria. But knowing how St. Athanasius was beloved by the Alexandrians, he resolutely declined.
- Shortly afterwards he became bishop of Emesa (now Homs). The people did not want a scholarly bishop.
- He fled to George of Laodicea who helped him to return to Emesa.
What he wrote
- He was a very successful author. He wrote: 1. Against the Jews, Gentiles and Novatians. 2. Homilies on the Gospels. 3. Commentary on Galatians in 10 books. 4. Treatises against Marcionites, and Manichaeans. 5. Sermons.
- Numerous surviving exegetical fragments which show an exegesis with a strongly literalist tendency.
- A corpus of 29 homilies almost all on doctrinal subjects.
- While fighting on the Eusebian and Anti- Nicaean front, he strongly attacked the opposite extremes of Sabellian and Marcellian monarchianism and radical Arianism (anomoeism) in his writings.