- Basil of Amasea
Basil of Amasea (Basileus or Basilius) was a fourth century Christian bishop and martyr.
In
St. Jerome 's Latin version of the "Chronicle" ofEusebius the statement occurs under the 275th Olympiad (A.D. 321-324) that Basileus,Bishop of Amasea inPontus , suffered martyrdom in the reign ofLicinius [ed. Schone (Berlin, 1875), 191.] . Among the signatures of the bishops who attended theCouncil of Ancyra andCouncil of Neo-Caesarea (314) is to be found the name of Basileus of Amasea [Mansi , Coll. conc., II, 534, 548.] . Eusebius also relates ["Church History", X, viii.] ) that in the time of Licinius Christians were treated with great cruelty, especially in Amasea and the other cities of Pontus, and that, in particular, the governor inflicted upon several bishops the ordinary punishments of evildoers.Athanasius mentions Basileus of Pontus among the bishops of the early part of the fourth century who held firmly to the like substance of the Son with the Father; the reference is evidently to the martyr-bishop of Amasea [Athan. Opera, ed.Mannius , I, 122.] . The statement ofPhilostorgius [ed.Valesius ; Eusebius, "Church History" (Turin, 1748), III, 433.] , that Basileus attended theCouncil of Nicaea , cannot be quoted against this proof of the martyrdom of Basileus under Licinius, as there is evidently a mistake in what Philostorgius says; among the signatures at the Council of Nicaea appears that ofEutychianus as Bishop of Amasea.The "Acts" of the martyrdom of Basileus, supposedly written by an eyewitness, a presbyter named Johannes, are not authentic and the narrative is entirely legendary.
The feast of Basileus falls on
26 April , on which date it occurs both in the Greek "synaxaria " and "menaea " and in theRoman martyrology .References
*"
Acta Sanctorum ", April, III, 416-422;
*Surius , "De prob. vitis Sanctor." (Cologne, 1571), II, 857-864;
*Tillemont , "Memoires" (Brussels, 1732), V, 219 sqq., 352 sqq.External links
* [http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/02329d.htm "Catholic Encyclopedia" article]
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