Aphthonius ( grc, Ἀφθόνιος) of

Alexandria Alexandria ( or ; ar, ٱلْإِسْكَنْدَرِيَّةُ ; grc-gre, Αλεξάνδρεια, Alexándria) is the second largest city in Egypt, and the largest city on the Mediterranean coast. Founded in by Alexander the Great, Alexandria ...

is mentioned by church historian

Philostorgius Philostorgius ( grc-gre, Φιλοστόργιος; 368 – c. 439 AD) was an Anomoean Church historian of the 4th and 5th centuries. Very little information about his life is available. He was born in Borissus, Cappadocia to Eulampia and Cart ...

as a learned and eloquent bishop of the Manichaeans. He is mentioned as a disciple and commentator of the prophet

Mani Mani may refer to: Geography * Maní, Casanare, a town and municipality in Casanare Department, Colombia * Mani, Chad, a town and sub-prefecture in Chad * Mani, Evros, a village in northeastern Greece * Mani, Karnataka, a village in Dakshi ...

Photios I of Constantinople Photios I ( el, Φώτιος, ''Phōtios''; c. 810/820 – 6 February 893), also spelled PhotiusFr. Justin Taylor, essay "Canon Law in the Age of the Fathers" (published in Jordan Hite, T.O.R., & Daniel J. Ward, O.S.B., "Readings, Cases, Materia ...

and Peter of Sicily, and in the form of abjuring Manichaeism. Philostorgius adds that the Arian theologian

Aëtius of Antioch Aëtius of Antioch (; grc-gre, Ἀέτιος ὁ Ἀντιοχεύς; la, Aëtius Antiochenus; ), surnamed "the Atheist" by his trinitarian enemies, founder of Anomoeanism, was a native of Coele-Syria. Life and writings Aëtius grew up in pov ...

challenged Aphthonius to a public debate, and traveled to Alexandria to engage in this. Aphthonius was defeated in the debate. Philostorgius goes on to say that Aetius won the argument so profoundly, and caused his opponent such shame, that Aphthonius fell ill immediately afterward, and died of grief seven days later.

Notes

Manichaeans 4th-century theologians 4th-century Romans Roman-era Alexandrians {{Manichaeism-stub