THEODORE of MOPSUESTIA 1. Introductory Remarks A) the Text
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CHAPTER SEVEN THEODORE OF MOPSUESTIA 1. Introductory Remarks a) The Text The catecheses of Theodore of Mopsuestia have attracted a far greater amount of research than those of Cyri!. The attention devoted to Theodore's baptismal instruction is undoubtedly a consequence of the clearly defined theology expressed here. In a rather different way to that of Cyril, Theodore joins the individual concepts of faith together into a distinctive structure. His work takes place within a milieu representing one of the most important traditions in early Christian theology. Theodore is considered one of the most outstanding representatives of Antiochene theology. I In him one can thus "hope to recover both the classical form and the original context of one of the two principal eastern traditions in patristic teaching about the Person of Christ" . 2 It is precisely his connection with this milieu which has led to Theodore's decidedly controversial posthumous reputation. When he died in 428, his theological work was looked upon with great approval. 3 Shortly after the Council of Ephesus (431), however, this theology is attacked for the first time and at this point the first collections of extracts from his writings appear. 4 Cyril of Alexandria furthers the attack on Theodore, who with his teacher Diodore of Tarsus is now put in the same category as Nestorius. 5 Opposition to Theodore's theology results in the repudiation of his entire theology by the 5th Ecumenical Council in Con stantinople (553).6 I "It was he who first developed and systematized the theological outlook of the so- called 'Antiochene School' ", Norris, Manhood p. XI. 2 Ibid. p. XII. 3 Quasten, Patrology III p. 40l. • Ibid. p. 414. , For Diodor of Tarsus, see SuIlivan, Christology p. 181-196 and Koch, Heilsver wirklichung p. 236-242. Koch maintains that it is hardly possible to relate Diodore to Theodore in order to establish theological dependence: "Ein solches Unterfangen muss scheitern, weil von dem Werk Diodors noch ungleich weniger erhalten ist als von den ja auch nur zum geringeren Teil iiberlieferten Schriften Theodors", Koch, Heilsver wirklichung p. 236. • Quasten, Patrology III p. 414. 200 THEODORE OF MOPSUESTIA One of the disputed questions in more recent Theodore research focuses precisely on this council's resolution of 553. Do collected extract a used by the opposition (in their case against Theodore) and which formed the basis of the synodal decision convey a correct picture of his theology? In this debate, Theodore's catecheses play an important role. The catecheses, which became available through A. Minganas' publication of 1932/33,7 provide a completely new type of source material for the study of Theodore's theology. For the first time in modern times there is now access to a comprehensive collection of texts from his own hand. This opens the way to a re-evaluation of his theology in its entirety. The catecheses themselves divide quite naturally into two main groups; the first ten are commentaries on the baptismal symbol, which is a local variation of the Niceno-Constantinopolitan Creed,8 while the last six interpret the Lord's prayer, Baptism and the Eucharist. The first group has been used during Lent but it is uncertain whether the last six have been used before or after the baptismal act. 9 Thus, we face catechu men instruction which, at least in its outer structure, is very similar to that of Cyril. The publication of these texts caused the controversy over the reliability of earlier sources for Theodore's theology to flare up again. R. Devreesse maintains that the quotations from Theodore's texts known to us from the documents of the 5th Ecumenical Council cannot be con sidered reliable. On the other hand, in his opinion, the Syriac transla tions of Theodore's work are dependable"o M. Richard has endeavored to support this view by translating from Syriac to Greek texts which also have been recorded by Leontius of Byzantium (543 + ) in Greek and by then comparing them. But, while Richard maintains that Leontius' text "was modified by a theologian well aware of what he was doing", 11 Sullivan contends that changes in an orthodox direction have been made in the Syriac text about the middle of the 5th century. 12 J. McKenzie has evaluated the two interpretations, one against the other, and arrived at the following result: "It has been proved, and Sullivan has accepted the 7 Mingana V and VI contain Cod. Mingana Syr. 561 with English translation. For text criticism see Mingana V p. 1-18. • Quasten, Patrology III p. 409. 9 Ibid. p. 408-409 means that the mystagogical catecheses are addressed to the neophytes in the course of the week following Baptism. Janeras, on the other hand, main tains that only the last catechesis was delivered in the week following Easter, Janeras, En quels jours p. 121-133. 10 Devreesse, Essai. 11 Richard, Tradition p. 66 (reference from McKenzie, Annotations p. 348). 12 Sullivan, Christology p. 80-82. .