Bishop Of Bostra Titus
A Dictionary of Early Christian Biography [1]
Titus (2), bp. of Bostra in Arabia Auranitis, c. 362–371, of very high repute for learning and eloquence. He is named by Jerome among the many distinguished Christian writers of great secular erudition and knowledge of Holy Scripture (Hieron. Ep. 70 [84]). Jerome mentions his works, dwelling especially on three written against the Manicheans (Hieron. de Vir. Ill. c. 102). He is also enumerated by Sozomen ( H. E. iii. 14, ad fin. ) with Eusebius of Emesa, Basil of Ancyra, Cyril of Jerusalem, and others, as writers of the highest celebrity, whose learning is proved by the many remarkable writings they left. The appearance of Titus in such company, and his being distinctly reckoned among the Acacians by Socrates ( H. E. iii. 25), makes his orthodoxy doubtful. He is chiefly known to us from the attempt made by the emperor Julian to induce the citizens of Bostra to expel him as a calumniator of their city. The pagan inhabitants made the authoritative revival of their cult by Julian the signal for organized attacks on their Christian fellow-citizens. The Christians retaliated. Julian, choosing to assume that the Christians were responsible for these disturbances, threatened to call Titus and the city clergy to judicial account if any fresh outbreak occurred (Soz. H. E. v. 15). Titus replied that though the Christian population exceeded the heathen in numbers, in obedience to his admonitions they had remained quiet under severe provocations and there was no fear of the peace of the city being disturbed by them ( ib. ). Julian then issued a rescript to the citizens of Bostra, Aug. 1, 362, charging Titus with calumniating them by his representations that they only abstained from violence in obedience to his monitions, and calling upon them to drive him out of their city as a public enemy (Julian Imp. Ep. 52, p. 437). The death of Julian found Titus still bp. of Bostra (Rendell, Emperor Julian , pp. 188, 222). On the accession of Jovian, Titus is enumerated by Socrates ( H. E. iii. 25) as a member of the Acacian party. According to Jerome, he died in the reign of Valens, c. 370. Of his works (Soz. H. E. iii. 14) we have only very scanty remains. Of that against the Manichees in four books ("fortes libros," l.c. ) commended by Jerome and referred to by Epiphanius ( Haer. lxvi. c. 21) and Theodoret ( Haer. Fab. lib. i. c. 26), three books exist in MS. in the library of the Johanneum at Hamburg. Tillem. Mém. eccl. vii. 385; Ceill. Aut. eccl. vi. 43 ff.; Cave, Hist. Lit. i. 228; Migne, Patr. Gk. xviii. 1069 ff.; Fabr. Bibl. Graec. vi. 748, viii. 684, ix. 320; Clinton, Fasti Rom. No. 141.
[E.V.]
