Flavianus, patriarch of Antioch, was born of one of the best families in that city in the early part of the 4th century. Even while a layman he was an earnest opponent of Arianism. Theodoret (who gives a full account of Flavian) says that he, associated with an- other lay monk, Diodorus, " by night and day exhort- ed all men to be zealous in religion." He says also that " they were the first to devise the choir, and to teacli them to sing tlie Psalms of David responsivelj'" (^Hi«t. Eccles. ii, 21). His zeal did not diminish after his ordination as priest by Meletius (q. v.), about A.D. 365(?). When Meletius was banished from his see by Valens, Flavian remained to serve the churches in An- tioch. But the Eustathian (q. v.) bishop Paiilinus con- tested the right of Meletius, and the churches were divided. On the death of Meletius, A.D. 381, Flavian was elected to succeed him, although (according to the accusation of Paulinus) he had I ound himself bj' oath not to accept the office while the Eustathian bishop survived. The dispute was a fierce one ; but at last, when Evagrius, successor of Paulinus, died, 390, Fla- vian was acknowledged by both the Eastern and ^^^eft- ern churches. He was held in great respect : Chrysos- tom, who was his pupil, speaks verj' highlj'' of him. He died A.D. 404. He treated the Messalians severe- ly ["see Messalians], — Socrates, Hist. Eccl. bk, v, ch. xxiv ; Sozomen, Hist. Eccles. viii, 24 ; Theodoret, Hist. Eccl. ii, 24 ; Cave, Hist. Litt. ; Ceillier, Auteurs Sacres (Paris, 1860), vi, 310. See Ecstathius ; Meletius.
Flavianus of Constantinople was chosen bish- op of that city, as successor to Proclus, A.D. 446 or 447. The emperor Theodosius was set against him from the beginning of his episcopate. Eutyches and his friends were very strong at court, but at a Home Synod at which Flavian presided (A.D. 44S) at Constantinople, Eusebius of Dorylaium presented a formal complaint against Eutyches. Flavian, knowing the danger of attacking persons so powerful in court influence, at first sought to quiet the matter ; but, as Eutj'ches was stubl)orn, the trial was had, and ended in his condem- nation for heresy. The emperor was greatly offend- ed, and, under the advice of Dioscurus, summoned a council at Ephesus (the Robber Council), at which Di- oscurus presided, and where the most violent courses were pursued. Flavian was not only deposed, but so brutally beaten by the Egyptian attendants of Dios- curus that he died three days after (A.D. 449). The Council of Chalcedon named him martyr, and liis name is to be found in the Roman martyrology, Feb. 18. See Evagrius, Hist. Eccl. i, 8 ; Neander, Church //w/027/, ii, 506 sq. ; and arts. Eutyches ; Eutychianism ; Erii-
ESUS, ROBBEK COUNCIL OF;-EuSEBIUS OF DOKYL^-
Plavigny, Valerian de, a French Hebrew schol-
ar, was born at Villers-en-PraA-cres, near Laon, about the commencement of the 17th centurj'; was made doctor of the Sorbonne in 1628, and in 1630 professor of Hebrew at tlie College of France. Flavigny was master of several Oriental languages, and was consid- ered one of the l)est critics of the Bible text of his time. He was engaged in a controversy witlx Abraham Ech- ellensis (q. v.) and Gabriel Sionita with regard to the correctness of the polyglot of Le Jaj', which was finally decided against him by a committee of the Sor- bonne. He condemned the Copernican system as he- retical in his Expostulatio adversus thesim, etc. (Paris, 1666, 12mo). He died April 29, 1674. Flavigny's writings on the text of the Bible are, Epistoke iv de in- aenti Bibliorum opere septemlingui (1636): — Epistohe duce in quibus de ingenti Bibliorum opere quod ntiper Lvtetiw Parisionim prodiit ac ei prafxaprcefatione, etc. (1646) : — Epistola iii^ in qua de libello Ruth Syriaco, quern Abr. Echellensis iiwertum esse voluit ingenti Bibliorum operi, etc. (1647) : — Ejmtola adversus A br. Echellenseni de libello Ruth, siimdque sacrosancta Veritas hebraica strenue de- fenditur at que jyropvgnatur (16-iS) : — Disquisitio theolog- ica, an, ut hnbet Capellanus, nonnulla sanctce Scriptures testimonia alio modo proferantur a rabbinis quam nunc legimtur in voluminibus hebraicis , . . (16C6). Flavig- ny published also a dissertation against the proposi- tions of Louis of Cloves on the episcopacy and priest- hood. He was also editor of the works of Guillaume de Saint-Amour, a divine of the 13th century. — Dupin, Bibliothi'que des Aut. ecclesiastiques, xviii, 99; Hoefer, Nouv. Biographic Generale, xvii, 864 ; Biographic Uni' verselle, xv, 27.
Flax, nndQ, pishtah' (Exod. ix, 31; Isa. xlii, 3; "tow," xliii,17); and nR"^S,p'«A^eA' (rendered "flax" or "linen"); Greek \ivov. As regards the latter of these two Heb. terms, there is probably only one pas- sage where it stands for the plant in its undressed state (Josh, ii, 6). Eliminating all the places M'here the words are used for the article manufactured in the thread, the 7 iece, or the made-up garment (q. v. sever- all3')i ^'^ reduce them to two : Exod. ix, 31, certain, and Josh, ii, 6, disputed. In the former the flax of the Egyptians is recorded to have been damaged by the plague of hail. The word ?"2;<, there rendered "boll," is retained by Onkelos ; but is rendered in the Sept. (TirtppaTiZov, and in the Vulg. follicidos germinahat. Rosenmiiller renders it " the globule or knob of ripen- ing flax" (Schol. ad loc). Gesenius makes it the ca- lix or corolla; refers to the Mishna, where it is used for the calix of the hyssop, and describes this explana- tion as one of long standing among the more learned Rabbins (Thes. p. 261). See Rolled. As the depart- ure of the Israelites took place in the spring, this pas- sage has reference no doubt to the practice adopted in Egj'pt, as well as in India, of sowing grain partly in the months of September and October, and partly in spring, so that the wheat might easily be in blade at the same time that the barley and flax were more ad- vanced. From the numerous references to flax and linen, there is no doubt that the plant was extensive- ly cultivated, not only in Egypt, but also in Pales- tine. Ritter {Erdlcumle, ii, 916 : compare his Vorhulle, etc., p. 45-48) renders it probable that the cultivation of flax for the purpose of the manufacture of linen was by no means confined to these countries, but tliat, orig- inating in India, it spread over the whole continent of Asia at a very early period of antiquity. For the cul- ture of flax, low alluvial lands which have received deposits left hy the overflowing of rivers are deemed the most favorable situations. To this circumstance Egypt must have been indebted for tlie superiority of her flax, so famous in the ancient world, and whicli gave to her more' elaborate manufactures the subtilty of the most exquisite muslin, well meriting the epithet " woven air." Herodotus mentions (iii, 47) as laid up in a temple at Lindus, in Rhodes, a linen corslet which