Theodore of mopsuestia encyclopedia volume catholic. Friend of john chrysostom and pupil of diodore of tarsus, the founder of the method of exegesis practiced in antioch, theodore was appointed bishop of mopsuestia in cilicia in 392. The christology of theodore of mopsuestia, volume 88. While the alexandrian school adopted the hypostasis union or the nature union of the. His pedigree thus seems impeccable, as was his early reputation as a commentator on the bible, which earned him the sobriquet the interpreter. Did augustines christology depend on theodore of mopsuestia. This paper assesses theodore of mopsuestias and cyril of alexandrias appeal. Series facultatis theologiae the christology of theodore o f mopsuestia, francis aloysius sullivan.
Duo filii and the homo assumptus in the christology of theodore of mopsuestia. I before consider ing this in greater detail it may clarify matters if we briefly consider the salient points of augustines doctrine of christ in terms of the major developmental stages thiough which it evolved. Comparison between alexandrine and antiochine approaches to christology. Theodore studied under the celebrated sophist and rhetorician libanius with his friend john chrysostom, who in 369 influenced him to become. Answering that question is the task of what we call christology, a word that means the study of christ and that refers to the branch of christian theology dealing with the person of christ. The christology of theodore of mopsuestia download ebook. Born in antioch circa 350 ad, theodore served as priest and eventual bishop of the city of mopsuestia. Series facultatis theologiae the christology of theodore of mopsuestia, francis aloysius sullivan. Mcguckin, saint cyril of alexandria and the christological controversy. Schmeling the christology of the seven ecumenical councils page 3 included all the writings of theodore of mopsuestia and the writings of theodoret of. The present state of the question new interest in theodore of mopsuestia traditional views on theodore of mopsuestia recent discussions of theodore s christology the reliability of the fragments found in resources hostile to theodore the contents of the hostile florilegia the theory of the common florilegium authorship of the. Theodore bishop of mopsuestia in cilicia catholic answers. Duo filii and the homo assumptus in the christology of theodore o f mopsuestia. I will explore three aspects of theodore s christology.
Theodore of mopsuestias chr istology theodore of mopsuestias chr istology has engaged the interest of historians and theologians alike. Their respective responses show a great divergence in thought, illustrating the great variances which the early fathers sought after an answer to. Sullivan, the christology of theodore of mopsuestia. Dudley tyng, theodore of mopsuestia as an interpreter of the old testament, journal of biblical literature 50 1931. The contemporary polemics against arianism and apollinarianism led the antiochenes diodorus, theodore, and nestorius to emphasize energetically the perfect divinity and the unimpaired humanity of christ, and to. As theodore was a teacher to nestorious, many of his works were condemned posthumously at the second council of constantinople the fifth.
Rabbula of edessa pressed the attack, cyril of alexandria wrote against diodore and theodore, and despite chalcedons apparent favor, theodore and his writings were anathematized in the first of the three chapters by justinian 5434 and the second council of constantinople 553, although defended by the west, especially facundus of. The sub tuum praesidium hymn that makes reference to the theotokos. A revised version of his princeton dissertation directed by peter brown, daniel schwartzs study seeks to explore the issue of christianization in the lateantique world through a particular set of catechetical homiliesthose composed and presented by theodore of mopsuestia while he was a priest in antioch in the early 390s. The focus of this study is the christology of theodore, the bishop of mopsuestia ca. More than one modern scholar has been prepared to class theodore. In the first chapter 2, i seek to define and illustratetheoriain two primary antiochene church fatherstheodore of mopsuestia and theodoret of cyrusof the fourth and fifth centuries in the second chapters 34, i unpack this research in order to understand how these two antiochenes locate links between the ot and the nt, as well as. Oct 03, 2006 theodore, bishop of mopsuestia, lived from 350428. The christology of theodore of mopsuestia as expressed in. Person, and in the long and intricate christological controversies which preceded it.
Author acknowledgments many people deserve thanks and praise for their assistance in seeing this project to its completion. Theodore of mopsuestia, syrian theologian, considered the greatest biblical interpreter of his time and the spiritual head of the exegetical school of antioch. Theological reactions to his view have tended to revolve about the issue whether his use of the analogy of grace to explain christs person is adequate. Robert devreesse has devoted himself for many years to the study of theodore of mopsuestia, and his devotion has borne fruit in a number of published texts and periodical articles. The council of chalcedon ad 451 is a landmark in the history of theology. Antiochene theoria in the writings of theodore of mopsuestia and theodoret of cyrus 9781451488005 by richard j. Click download or read online button to get the christology of theodore of mopsuestia book now. Volume 429 analecta gregoriana, analecta gregoriana series facultatis theologiae, issn 006676 analecta gregoriana. A friend of john chrysostom, he was a proponent of the antiochene school of biblical exegesis, which focused heavily on what might today be called the.
According to syrian sources theodore was the cousin of the somewhat younger nestorius nestle, op. Theodore, bishop of mopsuestia in cilicia and ecclesiastical writer, b. There has been considerable controversy over augustines christology throughout this century, concerning the attribution of sources, and whether he ought to be characterized as antiochene or alexandrian in his general approach that is, whether he prefers a dynamic gracecentred model of the christological union, such as that of theodore and nestorius, or whether he envisages a. The alexandrian and antiochian christological thoughts1 many scholars attribute the problem of the christological formula concerning the nature of christ miaphysis and dyophyses to the controversy between the alexandrian and the antiochian theology. This volume offers not only an introduction to theodore s life and work, but also the first modernlanguage translation of his commentaries on pauls minor epistles galatiansphilemon. Of wealthy antiochene parentage, educated with john chrysostom under the eminent rhetorician and philosopher libanius, like john he abandoned a secular career c. The christology in theodore of mopsuestias commentary on. Incurnutione of theodore of mopsuestia written in 391. The definition produced by the council has been the standard of orthodox christology ever since. According to theodore, the sin of adam rendered himself and mankind subject to death, because he was then mutable. Theodore s christology exercised a more direct and eventful influence on the doctrine of his mediate disciple nestorius q. Check out the other great catholic podcasts at the starquest production network. When marriage and the bar proved tempting, john persuaded him to persevere. Mingana, theodore of mopsuestia on the nicene creed.
The christologies of apollinaris of laodicea and theodore. He ranked next to origen in the esteem of the ancient church. Theodore of mopsuestia download ebook pdf, epub, tuebl, mobi. Theoria in the writings of theodore of mopsuestia and. Bishop of mopsuestia in cilicia and ecclesiastical writer.
Theodore of mopsuestia, universalist leader of the nestorians. The threechapter controversy, a phase in the chalcedonian controversy, was an attempt to reconcile the nonchalcedonians of syria syriac orthodox church and egypt coptic church with the orthodox catholic church, following the failure of the henotikon. The christology in theodore of mopsuestias commentary on the. Sullivan, further notes on theodore of mopsuestia, theological studies 20 1959. The christological ramifications of theodore of mopsuestias. The christology of theodore of mopsuestia book, 1956. The most famous representative of the school of antioch, theodore of mopsuestia, penned a number of commentaries on biblical books in both the old and new testaments. First of all, leslie ortiz at saint marys press has. The alexandrian and antiochian christological thoughts1. An advocate of nicene christology, he sought to articulate this theology in a way that distinguished between the human and divine natures of. In this article i will explain the christology of fourth century theologian theodore of mopsuestia, which contrasts with the christology of his contemporary apollinaris of laodicea.
Theodore of mopsuestia syrian theologian britannica. Indwelling in theodore s way of describing how the divine nature person is united to the human nature person in the person of jesus the divine nature indwells the human nature. The christological ramifications of theodore of mopsuestia s understanding of baptism and the eucharist frederick g. Theodore of mopsuestia and the nestorian heresy sage journals. The author offers a new insight into theodore of mopsuestias christological thought by stressing the antiochene fathers unique outlook on how christ functions. Theodore of mopsuestia as an interpreter of the old testament. This paper probes how theodore of mopsuestia understood type, participation and real presence in his sacramental thought at a time when a linguistic shift was occuring within the church.
The christology of theodore o f mopsuestia, volume 88. There has been considerable controversy over augustines christology throughout this century, concerning the attribution of sources, and whether he ought to be characterized as antiochene or alexandrian in his general approach that is, whether he prefers a dynamic grace. Sullivan in his christology of theodore of mopsuestia discusses the critical problems involved in the use of these sources in what must be considered in a definitive way 10. The bishop of mopsuestia is a mys terious and intriguing figure. He is the best known representative of the middle school of antioch of hermeneutics. Chrysostom, theodore of mopsuestia, theodoret of cyrus, and. Pdf duo filii and the homo assumptus in the christology of. There has been considerable controversy over augustines christology throughout this century, concerning the attribution of sources, and whether he ought to be characterized as antiochene or alexandrian in his general approach that is, whether he prefers a dynamic gracecentred model of the. While this lively discussion over the textual problem was going on, the irish theological quarterly printed a very instructive article by kevin mcnamara entitled theodore of mopsuestia and the nestorian heresy. Syriac text and english translation of theodore of mopsuestia on the nicene creed. He is also known as theodore of antioch, from the place of his birth and presbyterate. Theodore of mopsuestia 1911 encyclopedia britannica bible.
Theodore of mopsuestia project gutenberg selfpublishing. We may safely reject it, so far as it derives the christology of nestorius from this single. Antiochene theoria in the writings of theodore of mopsuestia. Both augustine and theodore of mopsuestia reject the old testament revelatory and epistemological foundation of new testament christology and. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading antiochene theoria in the writings of theodore of mopsuestia and theodoret of cyrus emerging scholars. He was born into a welltodo family in the city of antioch antakya in southern turkey around the year ad 350. Theodore of mopsuestia as an interpreter of the old testament dudley tyng brown university p. The christology of theodore of mopsuestia societas. Christology and pluralism at the turn of the century 217. In the first chapter 2, i seek to define and illustratetheoriain two primary antiochene church fathers theodore of mopsuestia and theodoret of cyrusof the fourth and fifth centuries. This site is like a library, use search box in the widget to get ebook that you want. Nor are we suggesting that he was a cryptosamosatene. Click download or read online button to get theodore of mopsuestia book now. This study on the transmission of the surviving fragments of this work offers insights into the course the controversies and clarifies the question of the texts reliability.
J journal of early christian studies, volume 10, number 1, spring 2002, pp. Theodore of mopsuestia schwartz major reference works. Two such writers who attempted to find an answer to this seeming paradox of christ were apollinaris of laodicea and theodore of mopsuestia. Sullivan has based his con clusions on a study of all the existing remains of the writings of theo dore of mopsuestia and he has consulted all the recent literature. The article derives from theodore of mopsuestias commentary on the gospel of john, wherein theodore describes how he understood. Theodore s doctrine concerning justification gave rise to very grave misgivings, even if we reject the accusations of leontius loc. The christological ramifications of theodore of mopsuestia.
Theodore of mopsuestia in southeastern turkey wrote boldly of human history as a march from what he called the first age an age of mutability, sin, mortality, and imperfection to the second age an age of perfection, sinlessness, and immortality. A study in the christology of theodore of mopsuestia r. Theodore of mopsuestia s syriac commentary on the gospel of john comes out of the most mature period of his life. The christology of theodore of mopsuestia francis aloysius. John chrysostom 1, he studied at the school of antioch, adopted its exegetical methods, and became a diligent writer and preacher.
The opinion generally prevails that theodore s christology is based on an inductive historicobiblical method which begins by recognizing the full humanity of christ and tries from this point to solve the problem of the unity of subject in christ. From ad 394428, theodore, also known as theodore the interpreter and theodore of antioch, was the bishop of mopsuestia, a city approximately 12 miles east of antioch in what is now turkey. Theodore, bishop of mopsuestia in asia minor from 394 to his death in 428. An introduction to christology surely the most important question in the world is the one that forms the title for this article.
Christian documents in syriac, arabic, and garshuni, edited and translated with a critical apparatus, of which the present book is volume 6, the commentary of theodore of mopsuestia on the lords prayer and on the sacraments of baptism and the eucharist is an important witness to the development of christianity. A friend of john chrysostom, he was a proponent of the antiochene school of biblical exegesis, which focused heavily on what might today be called the grammaticalhistorical interpretation of the text. Both augustine and theodore of mopsuestia reject the old testament revelatory and epistemological foundation of new testament christology and triadology. The two parts, the tradition and analysis of the fragments chapters 12 and an examination of the christology of the fragments chapters 35, are followed by. Antiochene theoria in the writings of theodore of mopsuestia and theodoret of cyrus emerging scholars kindle edition by perhai, richard j download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets. Theodore of mopsuestia stands out as an influential figure well situated to observe and contribute to the christianization of the roman empire during the latefourth and earlyfifth centuries. Pdf duo filii and the homo assumptus in the christology.
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