death_date feast_day birth_date titles article_title name
c. 350 may -rrb- 5 -lrb- west -rrb- may 9 -lrb- east unknown bishop of jerusalem maximus of jerusalem
 saint maximus of jerusalem
maximus of jerusalem

saint maximus of jerusalem -lrb- maximus iii of jerusalem -rrb- was an early christian saint and bishop of jerusalem from roughly 333 ad to his death in roughly 350 ad .
he was the third bishop of jerusalem named maximus , the other two being in the latter half of the 2nd century .
during one of the persecutions of his era he was tortured for his christian faith , and thus became known as a confessor , although modern sources disagree as to whether this happened in the reign of galerius maximianus or the reign co-emperors diocletian and maximian .
he was a priest in jerusalem , and it is said by sozomen that he was so popular among the people for good character and for being a confessor that that when saint macarius attempted to appoint him as bishop of lydda -lrb- also known as diospolis -rrb- the populace insisted upon his retention in jerusalem .
upon macarius ' death maximus became bishop of jerusalem , and was present in 335 at the first synod of tyre , and signed that council 's condemnation of athanasius .
during athanasius ' return from exile , circa 346 , maximus convoked a synod in jerusalem of sixteen palestinian bishops that welcomed athanasius .
socrates scholasticus recorded that maximus `` restored communion and rank '' to athanasius , athanasius receiving support against the arians and maximus advancing the desire of the bishops of jerusalem to have their see be equal in status to the metropolitan see of caesarea , a desire later achieved in 451 ad .
maximus was succeeded as bishop of jerusalem by saint cyril , though the process is unclear .
sozomen and socrates say that maximus had been deposed in favor of cyril by acacius of caesarea and patrophilus of scythopolis , both arians .
theodoret does not include this story , yet does say that maximus had intended a different successor .
jerome says instead that maximus ' intended successor was heraclius , whom maximus had named upon his death bed , but that acacius and cyril deposed heraclius and made cyril bishop .
regardless of how the succession came about , cyril and acacius would become bitter enemies during the next few years , disagreeing both in the arian controversy and in terms of the precedence and rights of each see .
the roman catholic church marks his feast day on may 5 , and the eastern orthodox church on may 9 .
