Considered a Father of the Church, Pacian is eulogized in Jerome's De viris illustribus, in which Jerome praises his eloquence, learning, chastity, and holiness of life.
His writings are extant only in part in three letters and a short treatise, Paraenesis ad Poenitentiam. In his writings, he discussed ecclesiastical discipline, baptism, papal supremacy, and teachings on penance against Novatianism, which was then flourishing in Spain. He is also remembered from a phrase from one of his letters: Christianus mihi nomen est, catholicos vero cognomen ("My name is Christian, my surname is Catholic.").
Pacian was married and had a son, Flavius Dexter, who served as high chamberlain to Theodosius I and as praetorian prefect to Honorius. Jerome did not know Pacian personally, but knew Pacian's son, to whom De Viris Illustribus is dedicated.
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Last updated on Tuesday July 01, 2008 at 14:16:47 PDT (GMT -0700)
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