Saint Meletios of Antioch - Hand-Painted Icon

Iconographer: Holy Monastery of St.Meletios
Commemorates on: February 12
This holy Father, who was from Melitene of Armenia, was a blameless man, just, reverent, sincere, and most gentle. Consecrated Bishop of Sebastia in 357, he was later banished from his throne and departed for Beroea of Syria (this is the present-day Aleppo). After the Arian bishop of Antioch had been deposed, the Orthodox and the Arians each strove to have a man of like mind with themselves become the next Bishop of Antioch. Meletius was highly esteemed by all, and since the Arians believed him to share their own opinion, they had him raised to the throne of Antioch. As soon as he had taken the helm of the Church of Antioch, however, he began preaching the Sons consubstantiality with the Father. At this, the archdeacon, an Arian, put his hand over the bishops mouth; Meletius then extended three fingers towards the people, closed them, and extended one only, showing by signs the equality and unity of the Trinity. The embarrassed archdeacon then seized his hand, but released his mouth, and Meletius spoke out even more forcibly in defence of the Council of Nicaea. Shortly after, he was banished by the Arian Emperor Constantius, son of Saint Constantine the Great. After the passage of time, he was recalled to his throne, but was banished again the third time by Valens. It was Saint Meletius who ordained Saint John Chrysostom reader and deacon in Antioch. He lived until the Second Ecumenical Council in 381 (which was convoked against Mace-donius, Patriarch of Constantinople, the enemy of the Holy Spirit), over which he presided, being held in great honour as a zealot of the Faith and a venerable elder hierarch.

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