Aca'cius
2. A Syrian by birth, lived in a monastery near Antioch, and, for his active defence of the Church against Arianism, was made Bishop of Berrhoea, A. D. 378, by St. Eusebius of Samosata. While a priest, he (with Paul, another priest) wrote to St. Epiphanius a letter, in consequence of which the latter composed his
Panarium. (A. D. 374-6).
This letter is prefixed to the work. In A. D. 377-8, he was sent to Rome to confute Apollinaris before Pope St. Damasus.
He was present at the Oecumenical Council of Constantinople A. D. 381, and on the death of St. Meletius took part in Flavian's ordination to the See of Antioch, by whom he was afterwards sent to the Pope in order to heal the schism between the churches of the West and Antioch.
Afterwards, he took part in the persecution against St. Chrysostom (Socrates,
Hist. Eccl. 6.18), and again compromised himself by ordaining as successor to Flavian, Porphyrius, a man unworthy of the episcopate.
He defended the heretic Nestorius against St. Cyril, though not himself present at the Council of Ephesus.
At a great age, he laboured to reconcile St. Cyril and the Eastern Bishops at a Synod held at Berrhoea, A. D. 432.
He died A. D. 437, at the age of 116 years. Three of his letters remain in the original Greek, one to St. Cyril, (extant in the Collection of Councils by Mansi, vol. iv. p. 1056,) and two to Alexander, Bishop of Hierapolis. (
Ibid. pp. 819, 830, c. 41. 55.129, 143.)
