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St. Serapion the Scholastic
IV Century
Friend and supporter of Athanasius of Alexandria, St. Serapion was a also
a friend of St. Anthony of Egypt. A hermit, Serapion was made bishop of
Thmuis (on the Nile delta) in 339, and as such, he participated in the
Council at Sardica, at which a group of bishops attempted to justify
deposing Athanasius, c. 343. Athanasius corresponded with Serapion about
the divinity of the Holy Spirit and sent him as an emissary to the emperor
Constantius. Serapion's writings against the Arians and the Manichees have
been lost, as has his commentary on the Psalms. An euchologion, or
sacramentary, of 30 prayers discovered in the XIX Century is attributed to
Serapion. The Arians deposed him as bishop in 359, and he is thought to
have died in exile. His sayings are included in the apothegmata of the
Desert Fathers.
Karen Rae Keck
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