From: rich <richarra@gmail.com>

7 July =E2=80=93 St Pant=C3=A6nus, Father of the Church

=C2 (Died c 216)
=C2 Theologian, Philosopher, Teacher, Confessor and Defender of the
Faith, Writer and interpreter of the Bible, the Trinity, and
Christology, Missionary.

This learned father and apostolic man, flourished in the second
century. He was by birth a Sicilian, by profession a Stoic
philosopher. His esteem for virtue led him into an acquaintance with
the Christians and being charmed with the innocence and sanctity of
their conversation, he opened his eyes to the truth. He studied the
Holy Scriptures under the disciples of the apostles and his thirst
after sacred learning, brought him to Alexandria, in Egypt, where the
disciples of St Mark had instituted a school of the Christian
doctrine.

Pant=C3=A6nus sought not to display his talents in that great mart of literature and commerce but this great progress in sacred learning,
was after some time discovered and he was drawn out of that obscurity,
in which his humility sought to bury itself. Being placed at the head
of the Christian school some time before the year 179, by his learning
and excellent manner of teaching, he raised its reputation above all
the schools of the philosophers and the lessons which he taught and
which were gathered from the flowers of the prophets and apostles,
conveyed light and knowledge into the minds of all his hearers.=C2 This
school was the earliest catechetical school and became influential in
the development of Christian theology. A famous pupil was St Clement
of Alexandria.

The Indians who traded at Alexandria entreated him to pay their
country a visit, whereupon he forsook his school and went to preach
the Gospel to the Eastern nations. St Pant=C3=A6nus found some seeds of the faith already sown in the Indies and a book of the Gospel of St
Matthew in Hebrew, which St Bartholomew had carried thither. He
brought it back with him to Alexandria, where he returned, after he
had zealously employed some years in instructing the Indians in the
faith.

St Pant=C3=A6nus continued to teach in private, till about the year 216,
when he closed a noble and excellent life by a happy death.

Although no writings by Pantaenus are extant, his legacy is known by
the influence of the Catechetical School on the development of
Christian theology, in particular in the early debates on the
interpretation of the Bible, the Trinity, and Christology.=C2 He was the
main supporter of St Serapion, Bishop of Antioch (191=E2=80=93211) for acti=
ng
against the influence of Gnosticism.

https://anastpaul.com/2019/07/07/


=E2=80=9CGive to whoever asks you.
And what can I give?
I must give myself,
I must give my intelligence
to teach those who do not know
and to correct those in error.
I must give my life.
I must give my time
so that all the thirsty can drink=E2=80=A6=E2=80=9D
--Blessed Maria Romero Meneses (1902-1977)


<><><><>
Christ be near, at either hand,
Christ behind, before me stand;
Christ with me, where'er I go,
Christ around, above, below.
Christ be in my heart and mind,
Christ within my soul enshrined;
Christ control, my wayward heart;
Christ abide and ne'er depart.
Christ my life and only way,
Christ my lantern, night and day;
Christ be my unchanging friend,
guide and shepherd to the end.

--- NewsGate v1.0 gamma 2
* Origin: News Gate @ Net396 -Huntsville, AL - USA (1:396/4)