Saint Lucian of Antioch

Oct 162010

[Saint Lucian of Antioch]
Also known as

Lucian of Drepana
Lucian of Nicomedië
Lucian of Nicomedia
Lucianus of….

7 January (Western Church)
15 October (Eastern Church)

Profile

Following the death of his wealthy parents, Lucian gave away his possessions, and studied rhetoric, philosophy, and Scripture under Macarius at Edessa. Lived as a hermit briefly in his youth. Ordained in Antioch. Spiritual director of Saint Pelagia of Antioch.

Head of a school of theology in Antioch; one of his students was Arius, founder of Arianism. Friend of Paul of Samosata and other heretics, and may have been excommunicated himself at one point, but later came back to full communion with the Church.

Noted Scripture scholar, working to insure that copyists made the most exact copies possible, correcting copyist errors by comparing against older texts in the original languages. His edition of the complete Bible, known as the Lucian Recension was used by many churches, and by Saint Jerome during his work on the Vulgate.

Arrested in Nicomedia during the persecutions of Diocletian, and spent nine years in prison. Dragged before the emperor as an example, he struggled to his feet and gave a great defense of the faith. He thrown back in the cells, given no food or water for 14 days, then hauled before the tribunal and interrogated; he answered all questions with “I am a Christian.” Martyr.