Palladius of Galatia | |
|---|---|
| Born | c. 363 AD Galatia (modern-dayTurkey) |
| Died | 420s AD Aspuna (modern-dayTurkey) |
| Feast | November 29 |
Palladius of Galatia (Greek:Παλλάδιος Γαλατίας) was a Christian chronicler and the bishop ofHelenopolis inBithynia.[1] He was a devoted disciple of SaintJohn Chrysostom. He is best remembered for his work, theLausiac History. He was also the author of theDialogue on the Life of Chrysostom.
Palladius is a saint in theCoptic Orthodox Church and in theSyrian Orthodox Church, wherein he is given the honorific title "The Solitary". His feast day isNovember 29.[2][3]
Palladius was born inGalatia in 363 or 364. He dedicated himself to the monastic life in 386 or soon thereafter, residing in theMount of Olives.
Palladius travelled toEgypt to meet the prototypicalDesert Fathers (Christian monks). In 388, he arrived inAlexandria. Around 390 he passed on toNitria in Egypt, visiting the famous monkOr of Nitria. A year later, he travelled southwest toKellia, an Egyptian Christian monastic community spread out over many square kilometers in theNitrian Desert about 40 miles south ofAlexandria.
After his travels, his health deteriorated and he went toPalestine in search of a cooler climate. In 400 he was ordained the bishop ofHelenopolis inBithynia, and soon became involved in controversies which centred around St.John Chrysostom. In 405 he again travelled to Rome to testify that Chrysostom was not a heretic. Because of this, he was exiled by emperorArcadius for six years inSyene, during which time he wrote his biography of St. John Chrysostom. In 412 or 413 he was restored to the episcopate, now being the bishop of Aspuna (Galatia).
His primary work was written in 419–420 and was called theLausiac History (being composed forLausus, chamberlain at the court ofTheodosius II) which is also titledThe Lives of the Friends of God. This history detailed Egyptian and Middle Eastern Christian monasticism.[1]
Palladius died some time in the second decade of the fifth century AD in his jurisdiction of Aspuna.
