Vitae Auxibii
Standard abbreviation: Life Aux.
Other titles: none
Clavis numbers: ECCA 371
Category: Apocryphal Acts
Related literature: Acts of Barnabas, Acts of Heracleides
Compiled by Tony Burke, York University
Citing this resource (using Chicago Manual of Style): Burke, Tony. “Life of Auxibios of Soloi.” e-Clavis: Christian Apocrypha. Accessed DAY MONTH YEAR. https://www.nasscal.com/e-clavis-christian-apocrypha/life-of-auxibios-of-soloi/.
Created August 2024.
1. SUMMARY
Auxibios is from a wealthy family in Rome. He has a brother named Themistagoras. His father educated him in the wisdom of the world but, having heard about Christ, he wanted to seek out Jesus; so instead of marrying, he boards a ship and heads East. He disembarks at Limne on Cyprus for a rest from his journey.
Barnabas comes to Cyprus after his parting from Paul (Acts 1:36–29). Accompanied by Mark, they land at Lapithos and traverse the island, arriving in Salamis. There they meet Heracleides, who they teach about the gospel, and help him to establish churches and appoint priests (see Acts Barn. 7). Then they depart. Barnabas dies and Mark flees from Jewish opponents to a cave in Ledrai (Acts Barn. 8). After three days, he crosses the mountains, accompanied by Timon and Rhodon, and arrives in Limne. There they meet Auxibios and instruct him in the faith. Mark baptizes him, bestows upon him the power of the Holy Spirit and sends him to Soloi. Auxibios is told to act like a pagan and convert the people slowly. Mark departs to Alexandria (Acts Barn. 9).
In Soloi, Auxibios finds a temple of Zeus near the gates of the city. He converts a priest and lives in the temple, secretly preaching Christianity to the people of the city. When Paul discovers Barnabas has died and that there are now no apostles in Cyprus, he sends Epaphras and Tychikos and others to Cyprus to find Heracelides, who is told to install Epaphras as bishop in Paphos and Tychikos in Neapolis, and to journey to Soloi to appoint Auxibios as bishop of that city.
Heracleides finds Auxibios in the temple of Zeus and tells him to stop hiding his Christianity. Heracleides marks out the location of a church and teaches Auxibios the entire canon of the Church before returning to his own city. Auxibios begins openly preaching and healing in the city. One of his converts is his namesake Auxibios of Salapotamias. The two go one day to Tarichos. While his disciple is asleep under a tree, bishop Auxibios watches as a group of ants climb up to his head and form a crown. He sees this as a sign that God has chosen the disciple Auxibios to be the bishop’s successor.
Themistoagoras and his wife Timo come to Soloi; they are baptized and become a deacon and deaconess. After some time, the community grows so much that a new church is needed. Auxibios traces out the walls of a larger church and raises it through God’s assistance. After fifty years serving as bishop, Auxibios dies and is succeeded by the disciple Auxibios. Wonders happen at the bishop’s tomb, including the cure of 40 possessed people from Paphos. A festival is held in Paphos in honor of this event. Auxibios’s feast day is given as 19 February.
Named historical figures and characters: Auxibios (of Soloi), Auxibios (of Salapotamias), Barnabas, Epaphras, Heracleides, Mark (evangelist), Paul (apostle), Rhodon, Themistagoras, Timo, Timon, Tychicus (bishop), Zeus.
Geographical locations: Alexandria, Constantia, Cyprus, Lapithus, Ledrai, Limnes, Neapolis, Pamphylia, Paphos, Rome, Rhodes, Salamis, Salapotamias, Soloi, Tarichos.
2. RESOURCES
2.1 Web Sites and Other Online Resources
“S07031: Life of Auxibios.” The Cult of Saints in Late Antiquity. Compiled by Lavinia Cerioni.
3. BIBLIOGRAPHY
3.1 Manuscripts and Editions
3.1.1 Greek (BHG 204)
Brussels, Bibliothèque des Bollandistes, 192 (284), fols. 90–95 (17th cent.) ~ perhaps a copy of BNF gr. 1452; Pinakes
Istanbul, Patriarchikē Bibliothēkē, Hagia Trias 95, fols. 62r–67v (10th/11th cent.) ~ Pinakes
Jerusalem, Patriarchikē Bibliothēkē, Panagiou Taphou 1, fols. 116v–123v (10th cent.) ~ Pinakes; IMAGES
Paris, Bibliothèque nationale de France, gr. 1452, fols. 153v–159v (10th cent.) ~ Pinakes; Gallica
Vatican, Biblioteca Apostolica Vaticana, Ott. gr. 92, fols. 203–95 (154–1553) ~ Pinakes; BAV
Vienna, Österreichische Nationalbibliothek, hist. gr. 3, fols. 177–186 (11th cent.) ~ Pinakes; ONB
Noret, Jacques, ed. “Vita Sancti Auxibii.” Pages 139–202 in Hagiographica cypria. Sancti Barnabae laudatio auctore Alexandro monacho. Edited by Peter Van Deun and Jaques Noret. CCSG 26. Turnhout: Brepols; Leuven: University Press, 1993.
3.2 Translations
3.2.1 English
Pohlsander, Hans A., ed. Sources for the History of Cyprus. Vol. 7: Greek Texts of the Fourth to Fifteenth Centuries. Altamont, NY: Greece and Cyprus Research Center, 1999 (partial, pp. 57–60).
3.2.2 Latin
Bolland, Jean et al., eds. Acta Sanctorum, Februarius. Vol. 3. 3rd ed. Paris: V. Palmé, 1863 (Latin translation, vol. 3, pp. 127–30).
Lippomano, Luigi (Aloisius Lipomanus). Sanctorum priscorum patrum vitae numero centum sexagintatres, per gravissimos et probatissimos auctores conscripta. 8 vols. Rome: ex Officina Salviana and Venice: ad Signum Spei, 1551–1560 (Latin translation, vol. 5, pp. 569–73).
Surius, Laurentius. De probatis Sanctorum historiis: partim ex tomis Aloysii Lipomani . . . 6 vols. Cologne: Calenius and Quentel, 1570–1575 (Latin translation, vol. 1, pp. 1018–24).
3.3 General Works
Delahaye, “Saints de Chypre.” AnBoll 26 (1907): 161–301.
Furlong, Dean. The John also Called Mark. Reception and Transformation in Christian Tradition. WUNT II 518. Tübingen: Mohr Siebeck, 2020 (Life of Auxibios discussed, pp. 62–63).