Theophilus the Indian

Theophilos the Indian was a late antique Christian bishop and missionary who worked around the middle of the 4th century.

Life

Many details about the life of Theophilos are unknown or disputed in research. He may have come from one of the islands off the coast of what is now Somalia , whose inhabitants were also called "Indians" because of the trade route to India that ran there (as well as the erroneous assumption that India and Africa were linked by a land bridge in ancient times) were; but it is also possible that he came from an island in the Indian Ocean or that he was a blemmyer .

He was ordained a priest by Eusebius of Nicomedia . On behalf of the Roman emperor Constantius II , Theophilos, now bishop, traveled in the forties or fifties of the 4th century, probably with a larger retinue, initially to southern Arabia as an envoy to the Himyars . He was able to conclude contracts with local princes, even convert some to Christianity and also had churches built. He later traveled to the Indian suburbs , where he is said to have been instrumental in reforming the liturgy of the Christians there. Most recently he came to the Christian kingdom of Aksum in what is now Ethiopia.

There has been much debate in research about the motives for these trips. While some scholars (e.g. Albrecht Dihle ) suspect missionary motives as the background, such as a spread or strengthening of the influence of Arianism , to which both Constantius II and Theophilos adhered, other historians (e.g. Richard Klein ) are the Opinion that it was primarily about power and trade interests, because at that time Rome and the New Persian Sassanid Empire were at war with each other. The trade connections to the east had been largely interrupted by the Persians, so it would only be logical if the Roman emperor had looked for ways to at least partially change this problematic situation in his favor, for example by pushing back the influence of Persia along the trade routes. Ultimately, however, one can only speculate about the true purpose of Theophilos' journeys.

When he returned, Theophilus gained influence at the imperial court. Although he was close to the lower emperor Constantius Gallus , who was executed in 354, his insistence on a radical Arian course came into conflict with the emperor. Theophilos was eventually exiled to Herakleia on Pontus , where he seems to have lived at the beginning of the reign of Constantius' successor Julian .

literature

• Richard Klein : Constantius II and the Christian Church (impulses of research 26). Scientific Book Society, Darmstadt 1977, ISBN 3-534-07542-0 .
• Irfan Shahid: Byzantium and the Arabs in the Fourth Century . Dumbarton Oaks Research Library and Collection, Washington (DC) 1984, ISBN 0-88402-116-5 , pp. 86ff.