Though few know him, Chromatius was influential

By Tony Staley

	St. Chromatius When: died c. 407 Where: Aquileia, Italy What: Bishop Feast: Dec. 2

Most of us have heard someone describe an important person from a bygone era and realized that we've never heard of that person or of their accomplishments.

St. Chromatius is one of those people. Despite being a leading 4th century bishop, and a close friend of and influence on some prominent saints whose writings are still highly regarded, few people know of him.

Chromatius was probably born in Aquileia, a city in northeast Italy at the head of the Adriatic Sea, about 75 miles from Venice. Aquileia was an important city, containing a naval station, a mint and an imperial palace. Its bishop also played a leading role in the church.

Chromatius was raised by his mother - his father died when Chromatius was a baby - and a large family of sisters and one brother, who also became a bishop.

Chromatius was ordained a priest in Aquileia. In 381, he attended the Synod of Aquileia, presided over by Bishop Valerianus. The synod condemned Arianism, a heresy which denied that Jesus is of the same substance as God. Instead, Arians believed that Jesus was a created being that was endowed with divine attributes and therefore unable to possess the same divinity as the Creator. When Valerianus died in about 387 or 388, Chromatius was elected to succeed him. As bishop, he is said to have eliminated the Arian heresy in his diocese.

Chromatius was a close friend of St. Ambrose, the scholarly Bishop of Milan; St. Jerome, the Bible translator; and Rufinus, a noted monk, historian and theologian. Chromatius encouraged and supported the scholarly efforts of all three.

In gratitude for his help in financing his translation of the Bible into Latin, Jerome dedicated his translations of several biblical books and commentaries to him.

When Jerome and Rufinus began to quarrel over various theological ideas presented by the 3rd century writer, Origen, Chromatius tried to make peace. He convinced Rufinus not to respond to the latest attack by Jerome. Instead, he said Rufinus should direct his energies to translating, from Greek to Latin, Eusebius' "Ecclesiastical History," which chronicles Christianity from the time of Christ to Constantine's conversion.

He also was a friend and supporter of St. John Chrysostom, Bishop of Constantinople, who had been exiled from his diocese by the Eastern Emperor, Arcadius.

Chromatius sent a letter supporting John to Honorius, the Western emperor, who forwarded that letter, his own appeal and one from Pope Innocent I to Arcadius - Honorius' brother. Arcadius refused to yield and John died in captivity.

Chromatius also was a Scripture scholar and 17 treatises he wrote on Matthew's Gospel still exist, as does a homily on the Beatitudes. He died of natural causes.

(Staley is a former editor of The Compass and member of Resurrection Parish, Allouez.)