# Philastrius > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Philastrius > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Philastrius.md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philastrius > Source revision: 1346352808 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) Bishop of Brescia Saint Philastrius The holy bishops Apollonius and Philaster. Detail of the sarcophagus of Bishop Berardo Maggi Died ~387 AD Venerated in Catholic Church Feast July 18 **Philastrius** (also **Philaster** or **Filaster**) [Bishop of Brescia](/source/Bishop_of_Brescia), was one of the bishops present at a [synod held in Aquileia in 381](/source/Synod_held_in_Aquileia_in_381). ## Life Philastrius was born around 330 and ordained at the age of 30.[1] Hagiographical accounts describe him as leaving his homeland and family inheritance to devote himself fully to religious life and liken his departure to that of [Abraham](/source/Abraham).[2] He traveled extensively throughout the [Roman world](/source/Roman_world) and preached against pagans and heretics, particularly the [Arians](/source/Arianism). In [Milan](/source/Milan), he became a significant supporter of the Catholic faction during the tenure of [Ambrose](/source/Ambrose_of_Milan)'s Arian predecessor, Auxentius.[3] [Augustine of Hippo](/source/Augustine_of_Hippo) met him in Milan around 383 or shortly thereafter. At [Rome](/source/Rome), he held both private and public [disputations](/source/Disputations) with heretics and reportedly converted many individuals. His travels ended when he was appointed [Bishop of Brescia](/source/Bishop_of_Brescia).[4] He died sometime before 387 and was buried in the ancient Cathedral of St Andrew at Brescia. The Catholic Church venerates him as a saint, with his feast day observed on 18 July, as recorded in the latest official edition of the *[Roman Martyrology](/source/Roman_Martyrology)*.[5] ## Historical evidence Among the writings of [Gaudentius of Brescia](/source/Gaudentius_of_Brescia) was a [sermon](/source/Sermon) purporting to be preached on the fourteenth anniversary of Philastrius's death. Historians such as [Louis Ellies du Pin](/source/Louis_Ellies_du_Pin) have questioned the genuineness of the sermon. Friedrich Marx thought the sermon a forgery of the eighth or ninth century. The chief objection to its genuineness, rather a weak one, seems to be that it is not found in the manuscripts containing the undoubted sermons of Gaudentius. Marx was answered by Knappe, "Ist die 21 Rede des hl. Gaudentius (Oratio B. Gaudentii de Vita et Obitu B. Filastrii episcopi prædecessoris sui) echt? Zugleich ein Betrag zur Latinität des Gaudentius" (Osnabrück), who endeavoured to prove the genuineness of the sermon in question by linguistic arguments. His [Bollandist](/source/Bollandist) reviewer thought he has made a strong case (*Anal. Boll.*, XXVIII, 224).[4] ## Works Philastrius composed a catalogue of [heresies](/source/Heresies) (*Diversarum Hereseon Liber*) about 384.[4] [Richard Adelbert Lipsius](/source/Richard_Adelbert_Lipsius) discovered that in Philastrius's "Catalogue" of heresies, for the [Christian heresies](/source/Christian_heresies) up to [Noetus](/source/Noetus), the compiler drew from the same source as [Epiphanius of Salamis](/source/Epiphanius_of_Salamis): the lost *Syntagma of Hippolytus*. By the aid, therefore, of these two and the [Pseudo-Tertullian](/source/Pseudo-Tertullian) *Adversus Omnes Haereses*, it has been possible in great measure to reconstruct the lost treatise of Hippolytus. Philastrius' comments and spellings do not always accord with those of Epiphanius or Pseudo-Tertullian, for example his description of *[Nazaraei](/source/Nazaraei)* does not match well with either the *Nasaraioi* or *[Nazoraioi](/source/Nazarene_(sect))* which Epiphanius attempts to distinguish.[6] ## References 1. **[^](#cite_ref-1)** [Duffy, Patrick. "St Philastrius (AD. 397)", *Catholic Ireland*, 18 July, 2012](https://www.catholicireland.net/saintoftheday/st-philastrius-d-c-397/) 1. **[^](#cite_ref-2)** [Butler, Alban. "St. Philastrius, Bishop of Brescia, Confessor". *The Lives of the Saints*. Volume VII: July. 1866](https://www.bartleby.com/lit-hub/lives-of-the-saints/volume-vii-july/st-philastrius-bishop-of-brescia-confessor/) This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the [public domain](/source/Public_domain). 1. **[^](#cite_ref-3)** ["Philaster, bp. of Brixia", *A Dictionary of Early Christian Biography* (Henry Wace, ed.) John Murray, London, 1911](https://www.ccel.org/ccel/wace/biodict.html?term=Philaster,%20bp.%20of%20Brixia) 1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-Bacchus_4-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-Bacchus_4-1) [***c***](#cite_ref-Bacchus_4-2) [Bacchus, Francis Joseph. "St. Philastrius." The Catholic Encyclopedia](http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/11797a.htm) Vol. 11. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1911 This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the [public domain](/source/Public_domain). 1. **[^](#cite_ref-5)** *[Martyrologium Romanum](/source/Martyrologium_Romanum), ex decreto sacrosancti oecumenici Concilii Vaticani II instauratum auctoritate Ioannis Pauli Pp. II promulgatum, editio [typica] altera, Typis Vaticanis, A.D. MMIV* (2004), p. 398 [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [88-209-7210-7](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/88-209-7210-7) 1. **[^](#cite_ref-6)** Edwin K. Broadhead Jewish Ways of Following Jesus: Redrawing the Religious Map of 2010 p178 "52 Filaster apparently has another group in mind when he refers to Nazaraei. His description of them elsewhere does not match well with the Nazarenes of Epiphanius. Even if Filaster means the Nazarenes, he may be dependent on Epiphanius" This article incorporates text from a publication now in the [public domain](/source/Public_domain): Herbermann, Charles, ed. (1913). "[St. Philastrius](https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Catholic_Encyclopedia_(1913)/St._Philastrius)". *[Catholic Encyclopedia](/source/Catholic_Encyclopedia)*. New York: Robert Appleton Company. ## Editions - The first edition of the "Catalogue" was published at Basle (1528) - Friedrich Marx, *Philastrius* (Vienna, 1898) in the *Corp. Script. Eccl. Lat.* - Gabriele Banterle, translator, (1991, Rome) San Filastrio di Brescia, *Delle varie eresie* / San Gaudenzio di Brescia, *Trattati* ## External links - [Opera Omnia by Migne Patrologia Latina](http://www.documentacatholicaomnia.eu/30_10_0341-0397-_Philastrius_Episcopus.html) - Carla Setién (2017, Santiago de Compostela) “Herejes en el Antiguo Testamento según Filastrio de Brescia”, in (Re)escribindo a Historia. Achegas dos novos investigadores en Arqueoloxía e Ciencias da Antigüidade, Andavira, pp. 155–170. - Carla Setién (2018) “La transformación de la cultura clásica en el s. IV: el caso de Filastrio de Brescia”, SPhV 20, pp. 195–216. Authority control databases International ISNI VIAF 2 3 GND FAST National United States France BnF data Italy Czech Republic Portugal Netherlands Norway Greece Poland Vatican Israel People Trove Deutsche Biographie DDB Other IdRef Yale LUX --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Philastrius](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philastrius) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philastrius?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.