Born in Alexandria, d. 283, St. Anatolius was a polymath who wrote ten books on mathematics alone. He wrote not only on arithmetic and geometry, but also physics, rhetoric, dialectic, and astronomy. Saint Jerome praised his scholarship and writing. His learning was so renowned, that his Christian faith did not stand in the way of his being appointed head of the Aristotelian school in Alexandria, Egypt.
However, he was known not just as a scholar but as a humble and deeply religious man. Ignorance horrified him. His work with the poor did not just include food, clothing and shelter, but also education. He held a number of government posts in Alexandria. During a Roman siege against a rebellion in the area, in the area, he negotiated a means of escape for the elderly, children and women who had been caught in the siege.
Not only was his learning renowned, his holiness was as well. While on is way to the Council of Antioch, he passed through Laodicea, an area where the bishop had recently died. The people seized him and would not let him proceed until he agreed to be their bishop. He served there faithfully for the remaining fifteen years of his life. He is considered a saint by the Eastern Orthodox and the Roman Catholic Churches. His feast day is July 3.
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