Stephen I of Antioch () was the

Patriarch of Antioch The Patriarch of Antioch is a traditional title held by the bishop of Antioch (modern-day Antakya, Turkey). As the traditional "overseer" (, , from which the word ''bishop'' is derived) of the first gentile Christian community, the position has ...

between 342 and 344, or 341 and 345 depending on the source. He was leader of the Arian party, called Eusebians, during the

Arian controversy The Arian controversy was a series of Christian disputes about the nature of Christ that began with a dispute between Arius and Athanasius of Alexandria, two Christian theologians from Alexandria, Egypt. The most important of these controversies c ...

and an adversary of

Athanasius Athanasius I of Alexandria ( – 2 May 373), also called Athanasius the Great, Athanasius the Confessor, or, among Coptic Christians, Athanasius the Apostolic, was a Christian theologian and the 20th patriarch of Alexandria (as Athanasius ...

Arian councils

Stephen was present at the

Council of Sardica The Council of Serdica, or Synod of Serdica (also Sardica located in modern-day Sofia, Bulgaria), was a synod convened in 343 at Serdica in the civil diocese of Dacia, by Emperors Constans I, Augustus in the West, and Constantius II, Augustus in ...

(343) leading the arian party alongside

Acacius of Caesarea Acacius of Caesarea (; date of birth unknown, died in 366) was a Christian bishop probably originating from Roman Syria, Syria; Acacius was the pupil and biographer of Eusebius and his successor on the Episcopal see, see of Caesarea Palestina. Acac ...

, the successor of

Eusebius of Nicomedia Eusebius of Nicomedia (; ; died 341) was an Arian priest who baptised Constantine the Great on his deathbed in 337. A fifth-century legend evolved that Pope Sylvester I was the one to baptise Constantine, but this is dismissed by scholars as ...

, where he fought for the depositions of Athanasius and Marcellus of Ancyra, something the orthodox party, spearheaded by Hosius, was not prepared to do. Angry with the result, the arians left the council and reunited again at the so-called

Council of Philippopolis The Council of Philippopolis in 343, 344, or 347 was a result of Arian bishops from the Eastern Roman Empire leaving the Council of Sardica to form their own counter council. In Philippopolis, they anathemized the term '' homoousios'', in effect ...

, which condemned the two bishops and pronounced an

anathema The word anathema has two main meanings. One is to describe that something or someone is being hated or avoided. The other refers to a formal excommunication by a Christian denomination, church. These meanings come from the New Testament, where a ...

against the Fathers at Sardica. In 344, some orthodox representatives of Sardica visited

Antioch Antioch on the Orontes (; , ) "Antioch on Daphne"; or "Antioch the Great"; ; ; ; ; ; ; . was a Hellenistic Greek city founded by Seleucus I Nicator in 300 BC. One of the most important Greek cities of the Hellenistic period, it served as ...

(Vincent of Capua and Euphrates of Cologne). During the night, a harlot was found in their quarters and the event became a big scandal that, after an investigation, traced back to Stephen. As a result, a

Council of Antioch Beginning with three synods convened between 264 and 269 in the matter of Paul of Samosata, more than thirty councils were held in Antioch in ancient times. Most of these dealt with phases of the Arian and of the Christological controversies. F ...

in 344 deposed him.

Notes and references

345 deaths Arian bishops Patriarchs of Antioch 4th-century archbishops 4th-century Romans Year of birth unknown {{Medieval-bishop-stub