Saint Philoxenus of Mabbug

Philoxenus of Mabbug (Syriac: ܐܟܣܢܝܐ ܡܒܘܓܝܐ, Aksenāyâ Mabûḡāyâ; died 523), also known as Philoxenus of Hierapolis, Xenaias, and Akhsenaya, was one of the most notable Syriac prose writers during the Byzantine period and a vehement champion of Miaphysitism. Philoxenus was born between 440 and 455 in the village of Tahal, in the district of Beth Garmaï east of the Tigris, modern-day Iraq. Though a he was a subject of Persia by birth, all of his known public life was spent within the Byzantine Empire. His family originated from Ecbatana in Media, and he had at least two siblings, including a brother named Addai who was a teacher at the School of Edessa. The claims that he had been a slave and was never baptized seem to be malicious fabrications by his theological opponents after his death. His birth name was Akhsnoyo (Syriac: ܐܟܣܢܝܐ), which means stranger, rendered in Greek as Xenias. Upon his consecration as bishop by Patriarch Peter II (Peter the Fuller) of Mabbug, his name was changed to the Greek Philoxenus ("lover of strangers"). He was educated at Edessa, possibly at the famous "School of the Persians", which was eventually expelled from the city in 489 due to its connections with Nestorianism. During his studies, rivalry at the school was fierce between the Theodorian and Cyrillian theological factions. Although trained in the East Syriac rite, Philoxenus later introduced elements of this tradition into the West Syriac rite. His anaphora shows a connection to the ancient liturgy of Addai and Mari. After leaving Edessa, Philoxenus moved to Antioch, where he openly supported Miaphysitism and the Henotikon. He was expelled by Calandio, the Chalcedonian patriarch of Antioch, for this doctrinal difference. In 485, Peter the Fuller, the non-Chalcedonian patriarch, consecrated him bishop of Mabbug (Hierapolis). At that time, the city was still a flourishing pagan centre dedicated to the fertility goddess Atargatis.