Asterius The Sophist

d. after 341. Arian* theologian. Fragments remain in the works of Athanasius and of Marcellus of Ancyra from his Syntagmation, which was published possibly before the Council of Nicea (325). A disciple of Lucian, the teacher at Antioch, Asterius was too moderate in his Arianism for the historian Philostorgius. Recently M. Richard has edited his homilies on the Psalms, which provide liturgical evidence for the turn of the third century. He confirms that baptism was a regular part of the Easter vigil leading up to the Eucharist on Easter Day. An intriguing hymn to Easter night survives in his homilies.