Description
St. Amphilochios was born about a.d. 340, and loved God from his very youth. For love of Him, he left the world and became an ascetic cave dweller in the wilderness for many years. St. Amphilochios was probably a relative of St. Gregory Nazianzus. He was worthy to be called by angels from his cave to accept episcopal consecration for the City of Iconium in about a.d. 374.
St. Amphilochios became spiritual friends with St. Basil the Great and wrote against the various heresies that were plaguing the Church just before the Second Ecumenical Council in Constantinople in a.d. 381. He went with his relative St. Gregory to the Council and defended the Faith against, in particular, the Macedonians. St. Basil, who had died just before the Council, dedicated his work “On the Holy Spirit” to St. Amphilochios. He was also a firm opponent to Arianism. Once when St. Amphilochios tried to get the Emperor Theodosius I to drive out Arians from positions of honor, he ignored the emperor’s son Arcadius when they met. Then St. Amphilochios explained that those who do not honor the Son of God, dishonor the Father. Theodosius saw the wisdom.