bishop of ICONIUM, the friend of St. Basil and St. Gregory of
Nazianzus, was born at Caesareia, and began life as a pleader. (Basnage, Annal. Politic. Eccl. iii. p. 145a.; and Gallandii Biblioth. Patr.
vol. vi. Prolegom.; Epist. S. Greg. Naz. 9 [159]. Paris. 1840.) He lived
in retirement with his father at Ozizalis in Cappadocia, till he was summoned to preside over
the see of Iconium in Lycaonia, or Pisidia, A. D. 373-4. St. Basil's Congratulatory Epistle on
the occasion is extant. (Ep. 393, al. 161, vol. iii. p. 251, ed. Bened.)
He soon after paid St. Basil a visit, and persuaded him to undertake his work "On the Holy
Ghost" (vol. iii. p. 1), which he finished Canonical Epistles are addressed to St.
Amphilochius (l.c. pp. 268, 290, 324, written Concilia. vol. iii. p. 505) to certain bishops, probably of
Lycia, infected with, or in danger of, Macedonianism. The Arian persecution of the church
ceased on the death of Valens (Opp. S. Greg. p. 204a., B.), and
he was nominated with Optimus of Antioch in Pisidia as the centre of catholic communion in the
diocese of Asia. In Eccl.
Hist. 18.100.27.) This same year he called a council at Side in Pamphylia, and condemned
the Massalian heretics, who made the whole of religion consist in prayer. (Theodt. Haeret. Fab. 4.11.) In AMMON of Hadrianople], which
confirmed Bagadius in the see of Bostra. This is the last we hear of him. He died before the
persecution of St. Chrysostom, probably
St. Gregory Nazianzen states, that " by prayers, adoration of the Trinity, and sacrifices,
he subdued the pain of diseases." (Carm. ad Vital. vol. ii. pp. 1030,
5.244.) The 9th, 25-28th, 62nd, 171st, and 184th Epistles of St. Gregory are addressed to him.
His remains (in Greek) have been edited by Combefis, with those of Methodius of Patara and Andreas of Crete, fol. Par. 1644.
Of
There is attributed to him an iambic poem of 333 verses (in reference to the Trinity)
addressed to Seleucus, nephew of St. Olympias (who had herself been brought up by Theodosia,
sister to St. Amphilochius) and grandson of the general Trajan, who perished with his
master, Valens, at Hadrianople,
Combefis has collected his fragments (l.c. pp. 138-154), and
l.c. p. 497, &c., and Proleg. p. 12).
His work on the Holy Ghost is lost. (St. Jerome, de Script. Eccl.
100.133; Fabric. Bibl. Graec. vol. viii. pp. 375-381.)