Biography
Commemoration Day: October 13 (26)
Theophilus of Antioch (Greek Θεόφιλος Αντιοχείας) was born in Syria. According to the "Church History" of Eusebius, Theophilus was the sixth bishop of Antioch after the apostles.
He came from a pagan family. He was a well-educated man and studied Greek literature. This is evident in his only surviving work (the Epistle to Autolycus): he quotes poets, historians and pagan philosophers. Before accepting Christianity he studied the books of the Old Testament (mainly the prophetic ones), after which he became convinced of the undoubted superiority of Christianity over other religions. Contemporaries of Theophilus came to Christianity by similar paths: Justin the Philosopher, Athenagoras of Athens, Tatian. As a pagan, Theophilus was a fierce opponent of Christianity, and having accepted the Christian faith he became its zealous defender and confessor.
He occupied the see of Antioch in 168. It is not known exactly how long Theophilus was bishop. It is known that he died during the reign of the Roman emperor Commodus, in the 180s.
Unfortunately, all the numerous works written by Theophilus have been lost. It is known only that among them were works against heretics (Gnosticism, the doctrine of Marcion), against pagans, and apologetic and polemical writings.
It was Theophilus who first used the term "Trinity" in his writings: "The three days [of creation] which were before [the creation of] the luminaries," says the apologist, "are types of the Trinity (τύποι είσι της τριάδος): of God, His Word and His Wisdom".