Macarius Magnes (Ancient Greek:Μακάριος Μάγνης), sometimes referred to asMacarius of Magnesia, is the author of a work ofChristian apologetics contesting the writings of aNeo-Platonic philosopher. He was unknown for centuries until the discovery of a manuscript atAthens in 1867. This work is calledἈποκριτικός πρὸς Ἕλληνας (Apokritikós prós Éllinas) in Greek, andApocriticus inLatin. It agrees in itsdogmatics withGregory of Nyssa, and is valuable on account of the numerous excerpts from the writings of the pagan opponent of Macarius. Macarius does not directly name the "Hellene" he is quoting from and criticizing, but it is most commonly speculated to be the philosopherPorphyry, who wrote a lost work calledAgainst the Christians. The other named possibility mentioned isHierocles's theLover of Truth. It is also possible that whoever this opponent was, their name was lost to history and otherwise unrecorded in surviving documents.

He may be the Macarius, bishop ofMagnesia, who, at theSynod of the Oak in 403, brought charges againstHeraclides,bishop of Ephesus, the friend ofJohn Chrysostom, althoughAdolf Harnack dated him in the late third century.^[1]

LikeMacarius the Younger, this Macarius is frequently confused withMacarius of Egypt.

The manuscript itself of theApocriticus discovered in Athens in 1867 likely dates from the fifteenth century. The work was edited and published byCharles Blondel [fr] in 1876. Both the time period Macarius lived, as well as that of his opponent, is unclear; the most common speculations are the fourth century for Macarius, and the third century for the Hellene.^[2]

Book 1, the first part of Book 2, and Book 5 of theApocriticus are lost, leaving modern audiences with only a fragment of Book 2 and Books 3–4. Fragments of Book 1 and Book 5 survive in quotes elsewhere. The work is generally long quotes of the "Hellene" and their interpretation of Christian works, followed by refutations of their arguments. Book 2 focuses on thegospels; Book 3, further gospel quotes as well as theActs of the Apostles andPaul; Book 4, further content on Paul's works as well as a section on theApocalypse of Peter andChristian eschatology,angelology,demonology, and so on.^[3] The quotation of the Apocalypse of Peter is interesting to modern audiences, as the work was ultimately not included in the eventual list of what would be theNew Testament. Similarly, there is no quotation of the General Epistles, 2 Peter, or the Apocalypse of John (Revelation), although it is possible the Hellene did address them, yet Magnes did not quote these attacks, or that they were discussed in Books 1 or 5. In the fourth century, the canon list was still in flux, and theApocriticus provides some insight into both what works the mysterious pagan "Hellene" considered important enough to Christianity to attack, as well as what Macarius Magnes felt should be defended.^[3]

• A. Capone, "The narrative sections of Macarius Magnes’ Apocriticus", in Lessico, argomentazioni e strutture retoriche nella polemica di età cristiana (III-V sec.), a c. di A. Capone, Turnhout 2012, pp. 253-270[1].
•  This article incorporates text from a publication in thepublic domain: Jackson, Samuel Macauley, ed. (1910)."Macarius".New Schaff–Herzog Encyclopedia of Religious Knowledge. Vol. 7 (third ed.). London and New York: Funk and Wagnalls. p. 103.

• Macarius, Apocriticus. Translated by Schott, Jeremy M.;Edwards, Mark J. Liverpool University Press. 2015.ISBN 978-1-78138-130-4., a modern translation

• Apocriticus 1919 translation by Thomas W. Crafer, HTML version (Google Books scan) (Tertullian.org HTML version)

• 4th-century Christian theologians
• 4th-century bishops in Roman Anatolia

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