Amphilochius was closely connected with the great Cappadocians
and apparently was related to Gregory the Theologian. He was born between 339
and 345 in Caesarea in Cappadocia, where his father was a rhetorician. He
studied with Libanius in Antioch and then went to Constantinople as a
rhetorician and lawyer. About 370 he returned to his native land and for several
years lived in the home of his parents, in spite of the fact that he was always
attracted by the monastic way of life. At the end of 373 Amphilochius, against
his will, was consecrated bishop of Iconium. His elevation was probably due to
the influence of Basil the Great. Amphilochius was responsible for a very large
area (he was the first metropolitan of the new province of Lycaonia) and he
frequently relied on Basil for advice and help in his pastoral duties. He turned
to him during his struggle with the Pneumatomachi and received in answer Basil's
tract On the Holy Spirit, which was intended for the instruction of the
dissenters. He was also the recipient of Basil's Canonical Rules. Basil,
for his part, had a high opinion of Amphilochius. Amphilochius began to study
theology only after he became bishop. It is unlikely that he devoted much
attention to problems of speculative theology because he was not interested in
philosophy and he had no background in it. This is evident in all of his
theological writing. His theology is simple, even to the point of naiveté, and
it is always based on Biblical material.
In 381 Amphilochius traveled to Constantinople for the
Ecumenical Council, where he was recognized as the "witness of the faith" for
Asia. He returned to Constantinople several times in the following years. This
was a period of intense religious controversy and Amphilochius was forced to
defend himself against the Arians, Apollinarians, and also the Messalians (or
Euchites), in opposition to whom he summoned a council in Side. On the whole
Amphilochius was a gifted administrator in both Church and civil affairs. It is
possibly due to his influence that the government took such severe measures
against the Encratists. During the last years of his life Amphilochius
maintained close contact with the religious circle of Olympiada (Olympias) in
Constantinople. Apparently he died shortly after 394 but the precise time of his
death is unknown.
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