Ticonius


Ticonius, also spelled Tyconius or Tychonius was an African Donatist writer whose conception of the City of God influenced St. Augustine of Hippo.

Life and doctrine

He appears to have had some influence on Augustine of Hippo. He defended a milder form of Donatism than Parmenianus. He admitted a church outside his own sect and rejected the rebaptism of Catholics. Parmenianus wrote a letter against him, quoted by Augustine. Otherwise almost all we know of him is contained in Gennadius:
This gives 379–423 AD as extreme dates of his life.

Works

Ticonius's best known work, the Seven Rules of Interpretation, is quoted and explained by St. Augustine in De doctrina christiana and his authority gave them great importance for many centuries in the West. St. Bede too quotes them.
Ticonius wrote a commentary on the Apocalypse of John, which explains the Apocalypse in light of his seven rules. His interpretation of the Apocalypse is amillennial.

Doctrine

''Homoousios''

Tyconius defended the Nicene doctrine of the homoousios, by stating: