Potamius

{{Short description|First recorded bishop of the city of Lisbon}} __NOTOC__ {{Infobox Christian leader | type = Bishop | name = Potamius | title = Bishop of Lisbon | image = | alt = | caption = | church = Roman Catholic | archdiocese = | diocese = | see = Diocese of Lisbon | term = 355-357 (?) | predecessor = Januário | successor = António  | ordination = | ordinated_by = | consecration = | consecrated_by = | rank =  | birth_date = | birth_place = Portugal (?) | death_date = 360-384 | death_place = | previous_post = }}

'''Potamius''' (Greek: Ποτάμιος, {{floruit}} 343–360 AD), also known as '''Potamius of Lisbon''', was the first recorded bishop of the city of Lisbon.<ref name=":0">{{Cite journal|last=Maciel|first=Manuel Justino|date=2000|title=Entre Constâncio II e Juliano: a linguagem de potâmio de Lisboa e o conhecimento da lusitânia do Séc. IV|journal=Revista- Faculdade de Ciencias Sociais e Humanas Universidade Nova de Lisboa |url=https://run.unl.pt/handle/10362/7495|pages=135–148|issn=0871-2778}}</ref> He was possibly born in Lisbon, given that Iberian communities at the time usually chose their own citizens as bishops.<ref name=":3" /> He was part of the Council of Sirmium in 357, in which he defended Arianism.<ref name=":1">{{Cite journal|last=LAMELAS|first=Isidro P|date=2001|title=Mistério da Trindade e Maria em Potâmio de Lisboa (?-c. 360)|url=https://pascal-francis.inist.fr/vibad/index.php?action=getRecordDetail&idt=14205867|journal=Mistério da Trindade e Maria em Potâmio de Lisboa (?-c. 360)|volume=31|issue=1|pages=61–87|issn=0253-1674}}</ref> He is the second earliest Christian prose writer of the Iberian Peninsula, with Hosius of Corduba being the first.<ref name=":3">{{Cite book|last=Conti|first=Marco 1961-|url=https://ixtheo.de/Record/1619922940|title=The life and works of Potamius of Lisbon: a biographical and literary study with English translation and a complete commentary on the extant works of Potamius: Epistula ad Athanasium, De Lazaro, De Martyrio Isaiae Prophetae, Epistula de Substantia, Epistula Potami|date=1998|publisher=Abbatia S. Petri|isbn=978-2-503-50688-3|series=Instrumenta patristica}}</ref>

== Context == The historical evidence on Christian presence in the Iberian Peninsula is scarce and lacking in detail.<ref name=":1" /><ref name=":3" /> The Synod of Elvira attests Christian presence in Iberia somewhere between 295 and 314 and allows scholars to estimate the existence of 41 Christian communities in Iberian by the time, with Hispania Baetica and Carthaginiensis as the most Christianized provinces.<ref name=":3" />

Rodrigo da Cunha placed the first Christian communities in Lisbon between 36 and 106 AD and considered Potamius to be the fifth bishop (Mantius of Évora being the first), but this view failed to meet scientific rigor.<ref name=":3" /> The Holy Martyrs of Lisbon (303 AD), during the Diocletianic Persecution, may attest Christian presence in the beginning of the 4th Century AD, although the first documents regarding the events of the Holy Martyrs date only to the 9th Century.<ref name=":1" /><ref name=":3" /> The Synod of Elvira mentions the presence of three Lusitanian dioceses: Ebora, Ossonoba, and Mérida.<ref name=":3" />

In 318 or 319, Arius had founded Arianism, denying Trinitarianism by positing that Jesus' existence was not eternal and that his substance was not equal to that of God.<ref name=":3" /> In 325, the Roman Emperor Constantine convened the First Council of Nicaea, led by Hosius of Corduba, in which Arianism was strongly rejected and Arius exiled by Constantine.<ref name=":3" /> Later, Arianism managed to regain some importance in the Roman Empire, mostly be the actions of Eusebius of Nicomedia and his (successful) attempts to exile the Nicean Athanasius of Alexandria.<ref name=":3" /> After the death of Constantine, in 337, the Roman Empire is split into his three sons Constantine II, Constans, and Constantius II, of which the latter was the most favorable to Arianism.<ref name=":3" /> Constantine II dies in 340 and Constans in 350, leaving the Roman Empire to Constantius II from 353 onwards.<ref name=":3" />

== Arianism == Not much can be stated about Potamius before 355.<ref name=":3" /> At that date, it is known that Potamius was bishop of Lisbon and converted from Catholicism to Arianism.<ref name=":1" /><ref name=":0" /> Scholars agree that Potamius was not present in the Council of Sirmium in 351, when the followers of Eusebius of Nicomedia issued a moderate Arianism profession, known as the First Formula of Sirmium.<ref name=":3" /> It is unknown whether he was present in the Council of Arles in 353 and the Council of Milan in 355.<ref name=":3" /> In 357, Potamius, along with Eusebius, condemned Pope Liberius' moderate position, wanting him to express an unambiguous pro-Arian position.<ref name=":3" />

In 357, Potemius participates in the Council of Sirmium.<ref name=":3" /> This council comes about at a time when there were two trends within Arianism, the homoiousian (which states that Jesus is of a similar substance as that of God) and the anomoean trend (which states that Jesus is neither of the same or similar substance as God).<ref name=":3" /> The Council of Sirmium in 357 strongly favored the anomoean trend, in line with the opinions of Ursacius, Valens, and Potemius.<ref name=":3" /> In fact, Potemius is reported to have played an important role in furthering Arianism in the 357 Council and in developing the pro-anomoean Second Formula of Sirmium that resulted from it.<ref name=":3" /> It is unknown whether Potamius was part of the Council of Ariminum (359), but his ''Epistula ad Athanasium'' is recorded as having been written after the council, in 360, and it contains a surprisingly strong anti-Arian message, only 5 years after his conversion to Arianism.<ref name=":3" />

A book published in 383 or 384 (''Libellus precum ad Imperatores'') by Luciferians states that Potamius received a villa from Constantius II as a reward for his adoption of Arianism but then died as he made his way to it.<ref name=":3" /> This account is not considered historically valid, but, along with the date of the ''Ad Athanasium'', is used to construct a range of possible dates for Potamius' death, which is in this approach placed between 360 and 384.<ref name=":3" />

Many views exist about Potamius' Arianism:

* Some scholars, André Wilmart among them, posit that Potamius was first Catholic, and then, around 357, converted to Arianism.<ref name=":3" /> In this view, the date of ''Ad Athanasium'' has to be previous to 360.<ref name=":3" /> * Others, among them Enrique Flórez, posit that Potamius was not Arian and was accused of converting to Arianism because he was merely present at the Council of Sirmium in 357.<ref name=":3" /> * A moderate approach posits that Potamius did have an Arian phase, but reconverted to Catholicism around 360.<ref name=":3" /> * Still others suggest Potamius only converted to arianism to avoid exile, which had happened to Hilary of Poitiers, Athanasius of Alexandria, and Pope Liberius.<ref name=":0" />

== Works == The following are works by Potamius which have survived (all of a Catholic approach):<ref name=":0" />

* De Lazaro * De Martyrio Isaiae Prophetae * Epistula ad Athanasium * Epistula de Substantia Patris et Filii et Spiritus Sancti

These works were wrongly attributed to other writers.<ref name=":2">{{Cite journal|last=Humphries|first=Mark|date=2005|title=The Life and Works of Potamius of Lisbon.|url=http://mural.maynoothuniversity.ie/614/|journal=Classical Review|language=en|volume=55|pages=161–163|doi=10.1093/clrevj/bni091 |url-access=subscription}}</ref> ''De Lazaro'' was attributed to John Chrysostom, as well as to Zeno of Verona (''De Isaiae'' was also attributed to Zeno).<ref name=":2" /> The two Epistulae were attributed to Jerome.<ref name=":2" /> Luc d'Achery, in 1657, was the first scholar to identify Potamius' catholic writings when he attributed the ''Epistula ad Athanasium'' to Potamius.<ref name=":3" /> Girolamo and Pietro Ballerini, in 1739, noticed the similarities between ''De Lazaro'' and ''De Isaiae'' with ''Epistula ad Athanasium'', but attributed them to a second Potamius that was not the bishop of Lisbon. Circa 1769, Andrea Gallandi finally attributed the two works to Potamius of Lisbon.<ref name=":3" /> The ''Epistula de Substantia'' would only be identified in 1912, by André Wilmart.<ref name=":3" />

The only surviving Arian writing of Potamius is a citation from Phoebadius of Agen's ''Contra Arianos''.<ref name=":3" />

{{s-start}} {{s-rel|ca}} {{s-bef | before=Januário}} {{s-ttl| title=Bishop of Lisbon | years=355-357 (?)}} {{s-aft | after=António}} {{end}}

== References == {{Reflist}}

Category:4th-century Arian Christians Category:Arian bishops Category:Bishops of Lisbon Category:4th-century Romans Category:4th-century bishops in Hispania