St. Pantænus
Name: St. Pantænus
Date: 7 July
This learned Doctor and apostolic man flourished in the second century. Born in Sicily, he was a Hebrew Christian who had studied Holy Scripture and also Greek philosophy. His esteem forvirtue had led him into an acquaintance with the Christians, and being charmed with the innocenceand sanctity of their conversation, he opened his eyes to the truth. It was under the disciples ofthe Apostles that he studied Holy Scripture in the orient, before his thirst for sacred learningbrought him to Alexandria in Egypt, where the disciples of Saint Mark had instituted a celebratedschool of Christian doctrine. Pantænus did not seek to display his talents in that center of literature and commerce; but his great progress in sacred learning was discovered, and he was drawn out of the obscurity in whichhis humility had sought to bury itself. He was placed at the head of the Christian school sometime before the year 179. His learning and excellent manner of teaching raised the school’sreputation above all schools of the philosophers, whom he strove to win to Christianity. Thelessons which he read and commented, gathered from the prophets and Apostles, conveyed lightand knowledge into the minds of all his hearers. The Indian traders who came to Alexandria entreated Saint Pantænus to pay their country a visit and vanquish false philosophy by the true faith. He was advised by the bishop of Alexandria toconsent, and therefore left the school and went to preach the Gospel to the eastern nations. InIndia he found some seeds of the faith already sown, and there he was shown the Gospel of SaintMatthew in Hebrew, which according to Eusebius’ account in his History of the Church, wastaken there by Saint Bartholomew. He brought it back with him to Alexandria, where he returnedafter he had zealously employed several years in instructing the Indians in the faith. SaintPantænus continued to teach privately until about the year 214, when he closed a noble and excellent life by a holy and happy death. |
