Saint amphilochius of iconium life and theology

Abstract

The present study consists of two parts which deal respectively with the life and theology of St Amphilochius of Iconium. The first part begins with the childhood of the saint, his family context and education, and goes on to unfold his career in Constantinople, his flight to the solitude of Ozizala and his obedience to Basil the Great and the Church which led him to take up his pastoral mission. Every possible attempt has been made to keep close to the primary sources of his life and work, so that a better understanding can be gained of this saintly man, whom St Jerome includes in his triad of the great Cappadocians (cf. his Epist. LXX al LXXXIV ad Magnum oratorem 4, MPG 39:276) and whose important pastoral work is praised by his contemporary fathers and church historians. The close and critical study of the old Life of the saint (MPG 39:13D-26D; and also Symeon Metaphrastes' repetition in MPG 116:956A- 969C) calls into question the views of contemporary scholars who consider it "of no historical value" (cf. P. N. Chrestou, Πατρολοϒια τομ Δ' o. 218, GeooaXoviKn 1989). Indeed such views indicate that this saint's work has not been adequately appraised by those who have written on him in recent times. Thus a proper contextualisation of the saint's work has been undertaken here. The second part of this study deals with St Amphilochius' theology, as his teaching concerning the Son and the Spirit, i.e. the "economy in Christ", or "the Lord's incarnate economy", as it is expounded in his two major extant works: 1) Ʌοϒος Κατά αίρετικϖυ είς τό Πάτερ εί δυυατόυ εοτίυ παρελθετω άπ εμου τό ποτήριου τούτο', and 2) Περι ωευδους άοκηοεως which are studied in the critical edition of C. Datema (CCSG 3, 1978).