Basil of Amasea
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Basil of Amasea was a fourth century Christian bishop and martyr.
In St. Jerome's Latin version of the Chronicle of Eusebius the statement occurs under the 275th Olympiad (321-324) that Basileus, Bishop of Amasea in Pontus
, suffered martyrdom in the reign of Licinius
. Among the signatures of the bishops who attended the Council of Ancyra and Council of Neo-Caesarea (314) is to be found the name of Basileus of Amasea. Eusebius also relates) that in the time of Licinius Christians were treated with great cruelty, especially in Amasea and the other cities of Pontus, and that, in particular, the governor inflicted upon several bishops the ordinary punishments of evildoers.
Athanasius mentions Basileus of Pontus among the bishops of the early part of the fourth century who held firmly to the like substance of the Son with the Father; the reference is evidently to the martyr-bishop of Amasea . The statement of Philostorgius
, that Basileus attended the Council of Nicaea
, cannot be quoted against this proof of the martyrdom of Basileus under Licinius, as there is evidently a mistake in what Philostorgius says; among the signatures at the Council of Nicaea appears that of Eutychianus
as Bishop of Amasea.
The Acts of the martyrdom of Basileus, supposedly written by an eyewitness, a presbyter named Johannes, are not authentic and the narrative is entirely legendary.
The feast of Basileus falls on 26 April, on which date it occurs both in the Greek synaxaria and menaea and in the Roman martyrology
.
In St. Jerome's Latin version of the Chronicle of Eusebius the statement occurs under the 275th Olympiad (321-324) that Basileus, Bishop of Amasea in Pontus
Pontus
Pontus or Pontos is a historical Greek designation for a region on the southern coast of the Black Sea, located in modern-day northeastern Turkey. The name was applied to the coastal region in antiquity by the Greeks who colonized the area, and derived from the Greek name of the Black Sea: Πόντος...
, suffered martyrdom in the reign of Licinius
Licinius
Licinius I , was Roman Emperor from 308 to 324. Co-author of the Edict of Milan that granted official toleration to Christians in the Roman Empire, for the majority of his reign he was the rival of Constantine I...
. Among the signatures of the bishops who attended the Council of Ancyra and Council of Neo-Caesarea (314) is to be found the name of Basileus of Amasea. Eusebius also relates) that in the time of Licinius Christians were treated with great cruelty, especially in Amasea and the other cities of Pontus, and that, in particular, the governor inflicted upon several bishops the ordinary punishments of evildoers.
Athanasius mentions Basileus of Pontus among the bishops of the early part of the fourth century who held firmly to the like substance of the Son with the Father; the reference is evidently to the martyr-bishop of Amasea . The statement of Philostorgius
Philostorgius
Philostorgius was an Anomoean Church historian of the 4th and 5th centuries. Anomoeanism questioned the Trinitarian account of the relationship between God the Father and Christ and was considered a heresy by the Orthodox Church, which adopted the term "homoousia" in the Nicene Creed. Very little...
, that Basileus attended the Council of Nicaea
First Council of Nicaea
The First Council of Nicaea was a council of Christian bishops convened in Nicaea in Bithynia by the Roman Emperor Constantine I in AD 325...
, cannot be quoted against this proof of the martyrdom of Basileus under Licinius, as there is evidently a mistake in what Philostorgius says; among the signatures at the Council of Nicaea appears that of Eutychianus
Eutychianus
Eutychianus:* Valerius Comazon Eutychianus , Praetorian prefect* Pope Eutychian * Flavius Eutychianus, Roman consul in 398* Eutychianus of Adana, 6th century writer...
as Bishop of Amasea.
The Acts of the martyrdom of Basileus, supposedly written by an eyewitness, a presbyter named Johannes, are not authentic and the narrative is entirely legendary.
The feast of Basileus falls on 26 April, on which date it occurs both in the Greek synaxaria and menaea and in the Roman martyrology
Roman Martyrology
The Roman Martyrology is the official martyrology of the Roman Rite of the Roman Catholic Church. It provides an extensive but not exhaustive list of the saints recognized by the Church.-History:...
.