St. Theophilus, Bishop of Antioch (6 December): Butler's Lives of the Saints

About this sermon

Discover the powerful life and teachings of St. Theophilus of Antioch, an early Church Father, bishop, apologist, and one of the first Christian writers to use the term “Trinity.” This episode, taken from Father Alban Butler’s Lives of the Saints, recounts his remarkable conversion from pagan philosophy to Christianity, his profound theological writings, and his courageous fight against heresy in the second century. Born into a pagan family, Theophilus became deeply educated in ancient philosophy. His sincere search for truth led him to examine creation, the writings of the prophets, and the Gospels. He ultimately found the Christian faith to be the only true and reasonable belief. As Bishop of Antioch, he tirelessly defended Christian doctrine, corrected errors, and guided souls with wisdom, clarity, and love. This reading highlights: – The spiritual journey of St. Theophilus – His defense of the Resurrection – His arguments against pagan idolatry – His writings to Autolycus – His use of the word Trinity – His pastoral zeal and fight against heresy – His legacy in early Christian history 00:00 – Introduction 00:20 – St. Theophilus of Antioch: Early Life & Education 01:00 – His Search for Truth & Discovery of Scripture 01:40 – Struggle with the Doctrine of the Resurrection 02:13 – Conversion Through Scripture & Reflection 02:52 – Devotion to Holiness After Baptism 03:02 – Theophilus Becomes Bishop of Antioch 03:49 – Defense Against Heresy & Pastoral Leadership 04:52 – Writings Against Pagan Philosophers 05:40 – Teaching on the Trinity & Divinity of Christ 06:59 – Instruction to His Friend Autolycus 07:36 – The Need for Purity of Heart in Knowing Truth 08:54 – Refutation of Pagan Idolatry 09:58 – Creation, Providence, and God’s Wisdom 10:52 – Christians’ Virtue & Response to Persecution 11:29 – Legacy, Works, and Editions of His Writings https://sensusfidelium.com/the-lives-of-the-fathers-martyrs-and-other-principal-saints/december/st-theophilus-bishop-of-antioch/ Get Butler's Lives of the Saints here: https://loretopublications.idevaffiliate.com/idevaffiliate.php?id=102&url=1 🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴 Support Catholic Businesses here - https://sensusfidelium.com/catholic-businesses/ Sensus Fidelium Press - https://sensusfideliumpress.com/ Sensus Fidelium Apps - https://sensusfidelium.tv/ Support Sensus Fidelium - https://sensusfidelium.com/donate-support/ 🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴 🙏🏻PLEASE HELP OUR CHANNEL GROW 🙏🏻 ▶ 1. Become a Channel Patron: https://www.patreon.com/SensusFidelium ▶ 2. Visit the website https://www.sensusfidelium.com for Gueranger, Saint of the Day, Apologetics, Meditation by the Saints, Scripture Study and more. ▶ 3. Subscribe to Other Video Platforms 🔴 SpiritusTV - https://spiritustv.com/@SensusFidelium 🔴 BitChute --- https://www.bitchute.com/channel/Sensus_Fidelium/ 🔴 Rumble --- https://rumble.com/c/c-298311 🔴 My Catholic Tube - https://mycatholictube.com/videos/sensus-fidelium-channel/ 🔴 LBRY.tv --- https://lbry.tv/@SensusFidelium:c 🔴 ODYSEE - https://odysee.com/@SensusFidelium:c 🔴 UGETube - https://videos.utahgunexchange.com/@Sensus%20Fidelium 🔴 BrandNewTube - https://brandnewtube.com/@SensusFidelium 🔴 GabTV - https://tv.gab.com/channel/Sensus_Fidelium 🔴 GloriaTV - https://gloria.tv/Sensus%20Fidelium 🔴 Brighteon - https://www.brighteon.com/channels/sensusfidelium ▶ 4. Paypal, Bitcoin, Anedot, Stripe, Square & PO Box donations - https://sensusfidelium.com/donate-support/ ▶ 5. YouTube: Click Subscribe, then Click "Notification Bell" = 🔔 Please "Like" our videos so that Youtube shares it to others by clicking the "Like" thumbs-up under the video = 👍🏻 ▶ 6. Please share this video 📲, and help others find Christ inside the Catholic Church! Please share this video on Facebook and Twitter using the share button. ▶ 7. Follow on Social Media: 🔴 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SensusFidelium/ 🔴 Twitter: https://https://twitter.com/Sensus_Fidelium 🔴 YouTube: Click Subscribe, then Click "Notification Bell" = 🔔 🔴 Parler: https://parler.com/profile/Sensusfidelium/posts 🔴 SP3RN: https://www.sp3rn.com/community/pages/14-sensus-fidelium 🔴 GAB: https://gab.com/Sensus_Fidelium 🔴 Bastyon: https://bastyon.com/sensusfidelium 🔴 GETTR: https://gettr.com/user/sensus_fidelium 🔴 INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/sensusfidelium/ 🔴 Telegram: https//t.me/RealSensusFidelium 🔴 Truth Social - @SensusFidelium ▶ 8. Follow on iTunes: 🔴 https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/sensus-fidelium-catholic-podcast/id1477010758 #SaintTheophilus #TheophilusOfAntioch #LivesOfTheSaints #CatholicSaints #EarlyChurchFathers #ChristianApologetics #ChurchHistory #TrinityDoctrine #Patristics #CatholicPodcast #Christianity #FaithAndReason #CatholicTeaching #DecemberSaints