Dictionary of Christian Biography and Literature to the End of the Sixth Century/Paphnutius, surnamed Bubalus

Paphnutius (5) (Pafnutius, Pynuphius, surnamed Bubalus, and Cephala), an anchoret and priest in the Scetic desert in Egypt. Cassian's words (Coll. iv. c. 1) regarding his promotion of abbat Daniel to the diaconate and priesthood have been held to prove that a presbyter had the power of ordaining, but Bingham (Ant. bk. ii. 3, 7) will not admit that Cassian is to be so understood. When Cassian visited him in 395, he was 90 years old, but hale and active (Coll. iii. c. 1). He seems to have fled twice from the Scetic into Syria for greater solitude and perfection (Cass. de Coen. Inst. iv. cc. 30, 31), and with some others had in 373 already found refuge at Diocaesarea in Palestine (Tillem. vi. 250, 251, ed. 1732). In the anthropomorphic controversy between Theophilus bp. of Alexandria and the monks of the Egyptian desert, Paphnutius took the side of the bishop and orthodoxy (Cass. Coll. x. c. 2) ; his attempt to convert the aged Serapion and his failure, till Photinus came, is very curious (ib. 3).

[J.G.]