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Bible Encyclopedias
Leontius of Neapolis
Cyclopedia of Biblical, Theological and Ecclesiastical Literature
or (or of Hagiopolis, according to his own authority), in Cyprus, who was bishop of that city, which Le Quien (Oriens Christianus, 2:1061) identifies with the Nova Lemissus, or Nemissus, or Nemosa, that rose out of the ruins of Amathus, flourished in the latter part of the 6th and the early part of the 7th century. Baronins, Possevinlo, and others call Leontius bishop of Salamis or Constantia, but in the records of the second Nicene or seventh General Council, held A.D. 787, Actio 4 (Concilia, 7, col. 236, ed. Labbe; 4, col. 193, ed. Hardouin; 8, col. 884, ed. Coleti; and 13, col. 44, ed. Mansi), he is expressly described as bishop of Neapolis, in Cyprus. His death is said to have occurred between 620 and 630. His principal works are Λόγοι ὑπὲρ τῆς Χριστιανῶν ἀπολογίας κατὰ Ι᾿ουδαίων καὶ περὶ εἰκόνων τῶν ἁγίων , Sermones pro Defensione Christianorum contra Judaeos ac de incmainsibus sanctis. A long extract from the fifth of these sermons was read at the second Nicene Council (Concilia, 1. c.) to support the use of images in worship; and several passages, most of them identical with those cited in the council, are given by John of Damascus in his third oration, and in De lmnaginibus (Opera, 1:373, etc., ed. Le Quien). A Latin version of another portion of one of these discourses of Leontius is given in the Lectiones Antiquae of Canisius, 1:793, edit. Basnage: Βίος τοῦ ἁγίου Ι᾿ωάννου ἀρχειπισκόπου Ἀλεξανδρείας τοῦ ῾Ελεήμονος, Vita Sancti Joannis Arcaiepiscopi Alexandria c Coynomento En leemonis, s. Eleemosynarii. (See JOHN THE ALMSGIVER).
This life by Leontius was mentioned in the second Nicene Council (Concilia, vol. cit., col. 246 Labbe. 202 Hardouin, 896 Coleti. 53 Mansi), and is extant in No. 8 in the Imperial Library at Vienna. An ancient Latin version by Anastasius Bibliothecarius is given by Rosweid (De his Patrunm, pars 1), Surius (De Probatis Sanctorunm his), and Bollandus (Acta Sanctorum, January, 2:498, etc.). The account of St. Vitalis or Vitalius, given in the Acta Sanctorum of Bollandus (January), 1:702, is a Latin version of a part of this life of John the Almsgiver: Βίος τοῦ ὁσίου Συμεὼν τοῦ σαλοῦ, Vita Sancta Symneonis Simplicis, or Βίος καὶ πολιτεία τοῦ ἀββᾶ Συμεὼν τοῦ διὰ Χριστοῦ ἐπονομασθέντος Σαλοῦ , Vita et Conversatio Abbatis Symeonis qui cognomisnatus est Stultus propter Christum, was also mentioned in the Nicene Council (1:(.), and published in the Acta Sauclt. of the Bollandists (July), 1:136, etc. The other published works of Leontius are homilies: Sermo in Simeonem quando Dominum in Ulnas suscepit: — In Diem festum mediae Pentecostes; both with a Latin version in the Novum Auctariumsn of Combis, vol. 1 (Par. 1648, fol.). As Leontius is recorded to have written many homilies in honor of saints (ἐγκώμια ) and for the festivals of the Church (πανηγυρικοὶ λόγοι ), especially on the transfiguration of our Savior, it is not unlikely that some of those extant under the name of Leontius of Constantinople may be by him. He wrote also Παραλλήλων λόγοι β῎ , Parallelorum, s. Locorum communium Theologicorum Libri ii; the first book consisted of τῶν θειων, and the other τῶν ἀνθρωπινων .
Turrianus possessed the second book; but whether that or the first is extant, we know not; neither has been published. It has been thought that John of Damascus, in his Parallela, made use of those of Leontius. Fabricius also inserts among the works of our Leontius the homily Εἰς τὰ βαϊ v α , In Festumn (s. Ratwos) Pulnarum, generally ascribed to Chrysostom, and printed among his doubtful or spurious works (7:334, ed. Savill; 10:767, ed. Montfaucon, or 10:915, and 13:354, in the recent Parisian reprint of Montfaucon's edition). Maldonatus (ad Joan. 7) mentions some MS. Commentarii in Joannem by Leontius, and an Oratio in ltaudem S. Epiphanii is mentioned by Theodore Studita in his Antirrheticus Secundus,pud Sismondi, Opp. 5. 130. (See Fabricius, Bibl. Graec. 8:320, etc.; Cave, Hist. Litt. 1:550; Oudin, De Scriptor. Sirach, 1, col. 1575, etc.; Vossius, De Histor. Graec. lib. 2. 100:23; Le Quien, Oriens Christianus, 2, col. 1062; Acta Sanctor. July, 5:131.) Smith, Dict. of Greek and Roman Biography, 2:758.
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McClintock, John. Strong, James. Entry for 'Leontius of Neapolis'. Cyclopedia of Biblical, Theological and Ecclesiastical Literature. https://www.studylight.org/encyclopedias/eng/tce/l/leontius-of-neapolis.html. Harper & Brothers. New York. 1870.
