Pantaenus the Philosopher (; died c. 200)"As he was succeeded by Clement who left Alexandria about 203, the probable date of his death would be about 200. " (Catholic Encyclopedia) was a Sicilian theologian and a significant figure in the Catechetical School of Alexandria from around AD 180. This school was the earliest catechetical school, and became influential in the development of Christian theology.
Biography Stoic philosopher Pantaenus was a Stoic philosopher teaching in Alexandria. He was a native of Sicily.
Convert to Christianity He converted to the Christian faith, and sought to reconcile his new faith with Greek philosophy. His most famous student, Clement,Cf. Article "Clement of Alexandria" in the St. Thomas Christian Encyclopaedia of India, Ed. George Menachery, Vol. II, 1973, p. 201 who was his successor as head of the Catechetical School, described Pantaenus as "the Sicilian bee".Clement, Stromata, 1.1. Although no writings by Pantaenus are extant,Although Lightfoot (Apost. Fathers, 488), and Batiffol (L'église naissante, 3rd ed., 213ff) attribute the concluding passages of the Epistle to Diognetius to Pantaeus; see "Pantaenus" in The Westminster Dictionary of Christian History, ed. Jerald Brauer. his legacy is known by the influence of the Catecheticaar in the early debates on the interpretation of the Bible, the Trinity, and Christology. He was the main supporter of Serapion of Antioch for acting against the influence of Gnosticism.
In addition to his work as a teacher, Eusebius of Caesarea reports that Pantaenus was for a time a missionary,Cf. Article "Christian Influences on Hinduism before the European Period" by P. Thomas in the St. Thomas Christian Encyclopaedia of India, Vol. II, 1973, pp. 177 et. sq. traveling as far as India where, according to Eusebius, he found Christian communities using the Gospel of Matthew written in "Hebrew letters", supposedly left them by the Apostle Bartholomew (and which might have been the Gospel of the Hebrews).Church History by Eusebius. Book V Chapter 10. Pantaenus the Philosopher.Article by S. S. Koder, "History of the Jews in Kerala", in the St. Thomas Christian Encyclopaedia of India, Vol. II, 1973, pp. 183 ff. However, some writers have suggested that having difficulty with the language of Saint Thomas Christians, Pantaenus misinterpreted their reference to Mar Thoma (the Aramaic term meaning Saint Thomas), who is currently credited with bringing Christianity to India in the 1st centuryThe Encyclopedia of Christianity, Volume 5 by Erwin Fahlbusch. Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing. 2008. p. 285. .The Jews of India: A Story of Three Communities by Orpa Slapak. The Israel Museum, Jerusalem. 2003. p. 27. . by the Syrian Churches, as Bar Tolmai (the Hebrew name of Bartholomew). The ancient seaport Muziris on the Malabar Coast (modern-day Kerala in India) was frequented by the Egyptians in the early centuries AD.Cyclopaedia of India and of Eastern and Southern Asia. Ed. by Edward Balfour (1871), Second Edition. Volume 2. p. 584.
Jerome (c. 347 – 30 September 420), apparently relying entirely on Eusebius' evidence from Historia Ecclesiastica, wrote that Pantaenus visited India, “to preach Christ to the Brahmans and philosophers there.”De viris illustribus 36 It is unlikely that Jerome has any information about Pantaenus' mission to India that is independent of Eusebius. On the other hand, his claim that "many" of Pantaenus' Biblical commentaries were still extant is probably based on Jerome's own knowledge.
His feast day as July 7.
The Coptic synaxarium mentions "Pantaenus and Clement" in its entry regarding the return of the relics of Mark the Apostle by Pope Paul VI of Rome on 15 Paoni but does not assign Pantaenus any specific feast date.
19th century and modern study on Pantaenus The Universalist Church of America historian J. W. Hanson, and Catholic patristic scholar Illaria Ramelli argued that Pantaenus taught universalism to Clement of Alexandria and Origen.J. W. Hanson. Universalism: The Prevailing Doctrine of the Christian Church p. 49 "Pantænus was martyred AD 216. The Universalism of Clement, Origen and their successors must, beyond question, have been taught by their great predecessor, Pantænus, and there is every reason to believe that the Alexandrine school had never known any contrary teaching from its foundation" However, scholar Andrew C. Itter argues that Clement of Alexandria's supposed "universalism" had tension between salvation and free will,Itter, Andrew C. Esoteric teaching in the Stromateis of Clement of Alexandria 2009 p. 181 "... universal salvation and hinges on the tension between an individual soul's freedom to refuse the chastisements of God, ... universal capacity to save all things. It is a tension between the soul's autonomy and universal salvation" and that he may have not embraced a strict apokatastasis, which puts the claim of J. W. Hanson and Illaria Ramelli at question.
References
External links "St. Pantænus, Father of the Church", Butler's Lives of the Saints Saint Bartholomew Mission in India – Mission of Pantaenus in India Catholic Encyclopedia, s.v. "Saint Pantaenus" Saint Pantaenus in For all the Saints