Abstract:
In the late fourth and early fifth centuries we are informed of the activities of Cassian by
Palladius in his defence of John Chrysostom and by Innocent i, both with regard to the
exile of John Chrysostom in 404 and with regard to the reconciliation between the
churches of Rome and Antioch in 414. Do these three instances refer to the same person
and is that person John Cassian? In this paper it is argued that Palladius does indeed
refer to John Cassian and so does Innocent i in his comments about the exile of John
Chrysostom. However, the individual involved in the reconciliation between Antioch
and Rome is to be seen as a different person, contrary to the opinion of several scholars.
This becomes evident through a close reading of Innocent i’s Epistulae 19 and 20.
