Auxentius

d.374. Bishop of Milan. A Cappadocian ordained by Gregory of Alexandria about 343, he succeeded the exiled Dionysius in the see of Milan in 355. Supporting Valens at the Council of Rimini (359), he subscribed to the “Dated Creed.” Homoousion* censures on him there and at Paris (360) did not affect him. Toleration of religion under Julian, Jovian, and Valentinian I encouraged Hilary (of Poitiers)* to oppose Arian bishops in Gaul; he overthrew the bishops of Arles and Perigueux, and aided by Eusebius of Vercilli, he sought to dislodge Auxentius while Valentinian was residing at Milan (364-65). Auxentius secured a favorable verdict both by counseling popular quiet in the face of agitation by Hilary and by glossing his affirmation of “one divinity and substance” with a subtle formula capable of either an Arian or a Nicene interpretation. Influenced by Athanasius, Pope Damasus in 372 condemned the “Dated Creed” and its supporters, but Valentinian would not depose Auxentius.