Meletius of Lycopolis
Encyclopedia
Meletius was bishop of Lycopolis in Egypt. He is known to us mainly as the founder and namesake of the Melitians (c. 305), one of several scismatic sects in early church history which were concerned about the ease with which lapsed Christians reentered the Church. See also Donatism
The details of his life are not clear as there are conflicting accounts of it. According to one version he was imprisoned for his Christianity during the persecution under Diocletian
along with Peter of Alexandria (another source has Peter fleeing the scene; a third has Melitius himself avoided prison). Apparently as early as during the persecution itself Melitius began to refuse to receive in communion those Christian
s who had renounced their faith during the persecution and later repented of that choice. Melitius' rigorous stance on this point stood in contrast to the earlier willingness of bishop
s to accept back into communion those who seemed to have truly repented (a pattern which was addressed during previous similar controversies, including those about the lapsed during the Decian persecution about 50 years earlier).
As bishop of Alexandria Peter would have been recognized as the leader of the Egyptian church and thus Melitius' superior in church hierarchy. Historian Philip Schaff tells us that prior to Peter's death in 311 he spoke out against Melitius' actions and "deposed him as a disturber of the peace of the church".
The supporters that Melitius drew around him included twenty-eight other bishops, at least some of whom he personally ordained, and the objections against him included that he ordained people in regions where he lacked authority. His group went by the name Church of the Martyrs, inherently objecting to the reacceptance by other bishops of people who chose to avoid the risk of martyrdom. Melitius' influence extended even so far away as Palestine
.
It is believed by some that Melitius ordained Arius
(known for the Arian controversy
) as a priest, but scholarship is divided on whether this is the case.
The Council of Nicaea in 325 attempted to create peace with the Melitians. Melitius was allowed to remain bishop of Lycopolis, but was no longer to ordain bishops outside his region. The bishops he had already ordained were accepted under certain restrictions, and had to be reordained. Melitius' death followed soon after the council met, and the effort to bring unity proved unsuccessful. His followers sided with the Arians
in their controversy and existed as a separate sect till the 5th century.
The details of his life are not clear as there are conflicting accounts of it. According to one version he was imprisoned for his Christianity during the persecution under Diocletian
Diocletian Persecution
The Diocletianic Persecution was the last and most severe persecution of Christians in the Roman empire. In 303, Emperor Diocletian and Maximian, Galerius, and Constantius issued a series of edicts rescinding the legal rights of Christians and demanding that they comply with traditional Roman...
along with Peter of Alexandria (another source has Peter fleeing the scene; a third has Melitius himself avoided prison). Apparently as early as during the persecution itself Melitius began to refuse to receive in communion those Christian
Christian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
s who had renounced their faith during the persecution and later repented of that choice. Melitius' rigorous stance on this point stood in contrast to the earlier willingness of bishop
Bishop
A bishop is an ordained or consecrated member of the Christian clergy who is generally entrusted with a position of authority and oversight. Within the Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox Churches, in the Assyrian Church of the East, in the Independent Catholic Churches, and in the...
s to accept back into communion those who seemed to have truly repented (a pattern which was addressed during previous similar controversies, including those about the lapsed during the Decian persecution about 50 years earlier).
As bishop of Alexandria Peter would have been recognized as the leader of the Egyptian church and thus Melitius' superior in church hierarchy. Historian Philip Schaff tells us that prior to Peter's death in 311 he spoke out against Melitius' actions and "deposed him as a disturber of the peace of the church".
The supporters that Melitius drew around him included twenty-eight other bishops, at least some of whom he personally ordained, and the objections against him included that he ordained people in regions where he lacked authority. His group went by the name Church of the Martyrs, inherently objecting to the reacceptance by other bishops of people who chose to avoid the risk of martyrdom. Melitius' influence extended even so far away as Palestine
Palestine
Palestine is a conventional name, among others, used to describe the geographic region between the Mediterranean Sea and the Jordan River, and various adjoining lands....
.
It is believed by some that Melitius ordained Arius
Arius
Arius was a Christian presbyter in Alexandria, Egypt of Libyan origins. His teachings about the nature of the Godhead, which emphasized the Father's divinity over the Son , and his opposition to the Athanasian or Trinitarian Christology, made him a controversial figure in the First Council of...
(known for the Arian controversy
Arian controversy
The Arian controversy describes several controversies between the Christian Church fathers Arius and Athanasius related to Christology which divided the Christian church from before the Council of Nicaea in 325 to after the Council of Constantinople in 381...
) as a priest, but scholarship is divided on whether this is the case.
The Council of Nicaea in 325 attempted to create peace with the Melitians. Melitius was allowed to remain bishop of Lycopolis, but was no longer to ordain bishops outside his region. The bishops he had already ordained were accepted under certain restrictions, and had to be reordained. Melitius' death followed soon after the council met, and the effort to bring unity proved unsuccessful. His followers sided with the Arians
Arianism
Arianism is the theological teaching attributed to Arius , a Christian presbyter from Alexandria, Egypt, concerning the relationship of the entities of the Trinity and the precise nature of the Son of God as being a subordinate entity to God the Father...
in their controversy and existed as a separate sect till the 5th century.