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Pantaenus

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Saint Pantaenus the Philosopher
Missionary
Born2nd century AD
Sicily
Diedc. 200
Alexandria,Egypt
Venerated inCatholic Church
Oriental Orthodox Church
Eastern Orthodox Church[1]
Canonizedpre-congregation
FeastJuly 7[2][3]
Attributeslecturing from a pulpit
Philosophy career
EraAncient philosophy
RegionWestern philosophy
SchoolStoicism
InstitutionsCatechetical School of Alexandria
Main interests
Christian theology

Saint Pantaenus the Philosopher(Greek:Πάνταινος;died c. 200)[4]was aGreektheologianand a significant figure in theCatechetical School of Alexandriafrom around AD 180. This school was the earliestcatecheticalschool, and became influential in the development ofChristian theology.

Biography[edit]

Pantaenus was aStoicphilosopher teaching inAlexandria.He was a native ofSicily.[5]He converted to the Christian faith, and sought to reconcile his new faith withGreek philosophy.His most famous student,Clement,[6]who was his successor as head of the Catechetical School, described Pantaenus as "the Sicilian bee".[7]Although no writings by Pantaenus are extant,[8]his legacy is known by the influence of the Catechetical School on the development of Christian theology, in particular in the early debates on the interpretation of the Bible, theTrinity,andChristology.He was the main supporter ofSerapion of Antiochfor acting against the influence ofGnosticism.

Silk Roadmap showing ancient trade routes

In addition to his work as a teacher,Eusebius of Caesareareports that Pantaenus was for a time amissionary,[9]traveling as far asIndiawhere, according to Eusebius, he found Christian communities using the Gospel of Matthew written in "Hebrew letters", supposedly left them by the ApostleBartholomew(and which might have been theGospel of the Hebrews).[10][11]However, some writers have suggested that having difficulty with the language ofSaint Thomas Christians,Pantaenus misinterpreted their reference toMar Thoma(theAramaicterm meaningSaint Thomas), who is currently credited with bringingChristianityto India in the 1st century[12][13]by theSyrian Churches,as Bar Tolmai (the Hebrew name of Bartholomew). The ancient seaportMuzirison theMalabar Coast(modern-dayKeralain India) was frequented by the Egyptians in the early centuries AD.[14]

Saint Jerome(c. 347 – 30 September 420), apparently relying entirely on Eusebius' evidence fromHistoria Ecclesiastica,wrote that Pantaenus visited India, “to preach Christ to the Brahmans and philosophers there.”[15]It is unlikely that Jerome has any information about Pantaenus' mission to India that is independent of Eusebius. On the other hand, his claim that "many" of Pantaenus' Biblical commentaries were still extant is probably based on Jerome's own knowledge.

His feast day as July 7.[2][16][3]

TheCopticsynaxariummentions "Pantaenus and Clement" in its entry regarding the return of the relics of StMark the ApostlebyPope Paul VIof Rome on 15Paoni[17][18][19]but does not assign Pantaenus any specific feast date.

19th century and modern study on Pantaenus[edit]

TheUniversalist Church of AmericahistorianJ. W. Hanson(1899) argued that Pantaenus "must, beyond question" have taught Universalism toClement of AlexandriaandOrigen.[20]However, since it is now considered that Clement of Alexandria's views contained a tension between salvation and freewill,[21]and that he and Origen did not clearly teach universal reconciliation of allimmortal soulsin their understanding ofapokatastasis,Hanson's conclusion about Pantaenus lacks a firm basis.[22]

References[edit]

  1. ^"Orthodox Calendar. Holy Trinity Russian Orthodox Church, a parish of the Patriarchate of Moscow".www.holytrinityorthodox.com.
  2. ^ab"Saint Pantaenus, Father of the Church. July 7. Rev. Alban Butler. 1866. Volume VII: July. The Lives of the Saints".www.bartleby.com.
  3. ^ab"Saint Pantaenus, Doctor of the Church and Apostle to the Indies".
  4. ^"As he was succeeded by Clement who left Alexandria about 203, the probable date of his death would be about 200." (Catholic Encyclopedia)
  5. ^Alban Butler; Paul Burns.Butler's Lives of the Saints, Volume 7.A&C Black. p. 48.
  6. ^Cf. Article "Clement of Alexandria" in the St. Thomas Christian Encyclopaedia of India, Ed. George Menachery, Vol. II, 1973, p. 201
  7. ^Clement,Stromata,1.1.
  8. ^Although Lightfoot (Apost. Fathers,488), andBatiffol(L'église naissante,3rd ed., 213ff) attribute the concluding passages of theEpistle to Diognetiusto Pantaeus; see "Pantaenus" inThe Westminster Dictionary of Christian History,ed. Jerald Brauer.
  9. ^Cf. Article "Christian Influences on Hinduism before the European Period" by P. Thomas in theSt. Thomas Christian Encyclopaedia of India,Vol. II, 1973, pp. 177 et. sq.
  10. ^Church Historyby Eusebius. Book V Chapter 10. Pantaenus the Philosopher.
  11. ^Article by S. S. Koder, "History of the Jews in Kerala", in theSt. Thomas Christian Encyclopaedia of India,Vol. II, 1973, pp. 183 ff.
  12. ^The Encyclopedia of Christianity,Volume 5by Erwin Fahlbusch. Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing. 2008. p. 285.ISBN978-0802824172.
  13. ^The Jews of India: A Story of Three Communitiesby Orpa Slapak. The Israel Museum, Jerusalem. 2003. p. 27.ISBN9652781797.
  14. ^Cyclopaedia of India and of Eastern and Southern Asia.Ed. by Edward Balfour (1871), Second Edition. Volume 2. p. 584.
  15. ^De viris illustribus36
  16. ^"Pantaenus, St. | Encyclopedia.com".
  17. ^"Paona 15: Lives of Saints: Synaxarium – CopticChurch.net".
  18. ^Egypt, Michael Ghaly."15 Baounah – Paonah Month – Coptic Synaxarium (Coptic Orthodox Calendar: Daily Synaxarion) | St. Takla.org".st-takla.org.
  19. ^"The Blessed Month of Baounah".www.copticplace.com.
  20. ^J. W. Hanson.Universalism: The Prevailing Doctrine of the Christian Churchp. 49 "Pantænus was martyred AD 216. The Universalism of Clement, Origen and their successors must, beyond question, have been taught by their great predecessor, Pantænus, and there is every reason to believe that the Alexandrine school had never known any contrary teaching from its foundation"
  21. ^Itter, Andrew C.Esoteric teaching in the Stromateis of Clement of Alexandria2009 p. 181 "... universal salvation and hinges on the tension between an individual soul's freedom to refuse the chastisements of God,... universal capacity to save all things. It is a tension between the soul's autonomy and universal salvation"
  22. ^FW Norris, "Apokatastasis," inWestminster Handbook to Origen,59–62 [58].

External links[edit]

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