Theophilos the Indian, also known as Theophilus Indus[1] (Greek: Θεόφιλος) (died 364), also called "the Ethiopian", was an Aetian or Heteroousian[2] bishop who fell alternately in and out of favor with the court of the Roman emperor Constantius II.[3] He is mentioned in the encyclopedia Suda.[4]
He came from an island in the Indian Ocean, which has been identified as Socotra,[5] the island Divus which could be the Maldive Islands,[6] or an island at the mouth of the Indus.[7] Theophilos came to the court of Constantine I as a young man and was ordained a deacon under the Arian bishop Eusebius of Nicomedia. He was later exiled because Constantius believed him to be a supporter of Constantius' rebellious cousin Gallus. Famed for his ability as a healer, Theophilus was later recalled to court to heal Constantius' wife, the empress Eusebia, which he is reputed to have done successfully.[8] He was exiled again for his support of the disfavored theologian Aëtius whose Anomoean doctrine was an offshoot of Arianism.[9]
Theophilus was ordained a bishop [10] and around 354 AD, Emperor Constantius II sent Theophilus on a mission to south Asia via Arabia, where he is said to have converted the Himyarites and built three churches in southwest Arabia. He is also said to have found Christians in India.[11]
In about 356, the Emperor Constantius II wrote to Ezana of the Kingdom of Aksum requesting him to replace the then Bishop of Aksum Frumentius with Theophilos, who supported the Arian position, as did the Emperor. This request was ultimately turned down.
On his return to the empire he settled at Antioch.[12]
One of the churches which Theophilus had founded in Arabia during the 4th century was built at Zafar, Yemen and likely destroyed in 523 by the King of Himyar Dhu Nuwas, who had shifted the state religion from Christianity to Judaism. Later in 525, Theophilus' church was restored by the Christian King Kaleb of Axum following his successful invasion on Himyar.[13]
^Berkey, Jonathan P. (2003). The Formation of Islam: Religion and Society in the Near East, 600-1800. Cambridge University Press. p. 45. ISBN 978-0-521-58813-3.
^Caesarea, St Basil of (2014). Against Eunomius. CUA Press. p. 33. ISBN 9780813227184.
^Elm, Susanna (2012). Sons of Hellenism, Fathers of the Church: Emperor Julian, Gregory of Nazianzus, and the Vision of Rome. University of California Press. p. 239. ISBN 9780520951655.
^Suda Encyclopedia, theta 197
^Strauch, Ingo, "Foreign Sailors on Socotra," Hempen Verlag, 2012.
^Philostorgius in his Ecclesiastical history (book III, chapter 4) tells that Theophilos was born in the "island of Divus", which is supposed to be the Maldive Islands or maybe Ceylon
^Philostorgius in his Ecclesiastical history (book III, chapter 4, Footnote 43 p.444 n.1) writes this island is said to lie in the Indian Ocean, near the mouth of the Indus, and to have been known also under the name of Diva, Divu, and Devu.
^Philostorgius. "Chapter 7." Ecclesiastical history/Epitome of book IV.
^Alexander Kazhdan, Leslie S. B. MacCoull. "Theophilos the Indian." The Oxford Dictionary of Byzantium. Ed. Alexander P. Kazhdan. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Retrieved 13 December 2007
^Woods, D., "Three Notes on Aspects of the Arian Controversy, c.354 – 367 CE", Journal of Theological Studies, New Series, Vol. 44, No. 2 (October 1993), pp. 604–619
^Tsai, Kathryn (Dr). A Timeline of Eastern Church History. Divine Ascent Press, CA, 2004. ISBN 0-9714139-2-4
^Woods, D., "Three Notes on Aspects of the Arian Controversy, c.354 – 367 CE" in Journal of Theological Studies, New Series, Vol. 44, No. 2 (October 1993), pp. 604–619
^Bowersock, G.W (Dr). The Throne of Adulis: Red Sea Wars on the Eve of Islam. Oxford University Press, 2013. ISBN 978-0-19-973932-5
and 22 Related for: Theophilos the Indian information
TheophilostheIndian, also known as Theophilus Indus (Greek: Θεόφιλος) (died 364), also called "the Ethiopian", was an Aetian or Heteroousian bishop who...
Council of Nicaea in 325 TheophilostheIndian (fl. 354–364), Arian bishop, also called "The Ethiopian", probably from the Maldive Islands Pope Theophilus...
Alexandria to be examined for doctrinal errors and be replaced by TheophilostheIndian; Munro-Hay assumes that ‘Ezana either refused or ignored this request...
them to replace Frumentius as bishop with TheophilostheIndian, who supported the Arian position, as did the emperor. Frumentius had been appointed by...
scholar and taoist (b. 283) TheophilostheIndian, Christian bishop Wacholder, Ben Zion (2001). "Calendar Wars Between the 364 and the 365-Day Year". Revue de...
Ẓafar, which had been built by the Himyarite King some years earlier after the proselytizing mission of TheophilostheIndian and another church built by...
to explore the possibilities in the area at an early period but the first attested Christian mission dates to that of TheophilostheIndian, an Arian Christian...
sent an embassy headed by TheophilostheIndian to convert the Himyarites to Christianity. According to Philostorgius, the mission was resisted by local...
sent an embassy headed by TheophilostheIndian to convert the Himyarites to Christianity. According to Philostorgius, the mission was resisted by local...
in the Greco-Roman world for its prosperous trade, particularly in spices. The Christian missionary TheophilostheIndian, who came to Yemen in the mid-fourth...
believed to be the son of queen Makeda (the Biblical Queen of Sheba) and king Solomon. The rulers that followed Menelik were the kings of Axum, the Zagwe dynasty...
Guru(Master) of the Novices. He was ordained priest in 1924 and was elected and ordained Bishop after the name Yakob Mar Theophilos. Mar Theophilos gave full...
Roman emperor (b. 331) Ge Hong, Chinese scholar and taoist (b. 283) TheophilostheIndian, Christian bishop 365 March 30 – Ai of Jin (or Qianling), Chinese...
associated with the concepts of worship, and devotions towards God. The Greek term theophilia means the love or favour of God, and theophilos means friend...
Geevarghese Mar Theophilos is a Metropolitan of the Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church. H. G. Geevarghese Mar Theophilos was born on 8 August 1971. He was...
to hold a number of Himyarites believers due to the efforts of TheophilostheIndian. Currently, there are no official statistics on their numbers, but...
the Emperor Constantius II writes to Axumite King Ezana and his brother Saizana, requesting them to replace Frumentius as bishop with Theophilosthe Indian...
Mar Ivanios- Metropolitan of Southwest America Diocese Geevarghese Mar Theophilos- Metropolitan of Ahmedabad Diocese & Asst. Metropolitan of Bombay Diocese...
The Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church (MOSC) also known as theIndian Orthodox Church (IOC) or simply as the Malankara Church, is an autocephalous Oriental...
child of Theophilos Michael IV the Paphlagonian (1010–1041), husband of Zoë, came from a peasant family Michael V Kalaphates (1015–1042), or "the Caulker"...
Theophilos Kuriakose is a Syriac Orthodox bishop of the Jacobite Syrian Christian Church . As of 2013[update] he was the resident Metropolitan of the...
ancient Indian king of present-day Punjab, at the Battle of the Hydaspes. Due to the demand of his homesick troops, he eventually turned back at the Beas...