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István Pásztori-Kupán Theodoret of Cyrus's Double Treatise on The István Pásztori-Kupán Theodoret of Cyrus’s Double Treatise On the Trinity and On the Incarnation: The Antiochene Pathway to Chalcedon István Pásztori-Kupán Theodoret of Cyrus’s Double Treatise On the Trinity and On the Incarnation: The Antiochene Pathway to Chalcedon Published by The Transylvanian District of the Reformed Church in Romania Kolozsvár/Cluj 2007 Edition supported by The Transylvanian District of the Reformed Church in Romania © 2002 István Pásztori-Kupán ISBN: 978–973–7971–36–4 Printed in the Misztótfalusi Kis Miklós printing office of The Transylvanian District of the Reformed Church in Romania Technical editor: Lajos Bálint Dedicated to Prof. Emeritus David F. Wright A theologian of the Word and a man of his word Table of contents Acknowledgements 7 List of abbreviations 10 Prooemium 11 Chapter 1: Theodoret as Theologian and Churchman 13 1.1 Birth, education and consecration for bishopric in Cyrus 13 1.2 The Nestorian controversy 15 1.3 Between Ephesus and Chalcedon 18 1.4 Theodoret’s death and condemnation in 553 23 Chapter 2: The Textual Tradition of Both Treatises 25 2.1 The dating of the two treatises 25 2.1.1 External and internal evidence 25 2.1.2 A possible post-Ephesian retouching 31 2.2 The textual tradition 34 2.2.1 Manuscripts of ancient and mediaeval authors 34 2.2.2 The editions 43 2.3 The restoration of both works to Theodoret 47 Chapter 3: Theodoret’s Trinitarian Concept 50 3.1 The structure and purpose of both treatises 50 3.1.1 Unbalanced chapter division 52 3.1.2 The addressees of De Trinitate and De incarnatione 53 3.2 The teaching about God the Father 54 3.2.1 The Father’s specific title in relation to the Son and to the Spirit 55 3.2.2 Other attributes of the Father 57 3.2.3 Conclusion 62 3.3 The teaching about God the Son 62 3.3.1 The Son’s titles and attributes 63 Coeternity with the Father 63 The Son as ‘reflection’, ‘express image’ and ‘icon’ 66 o< w]n The Son as and Mediator 67 The Son and the assumed nature 68 Excursus: The inadequacy of the Arian syllogism 73 The Son’s specific titles in relation to the Father and to the Spirit 77 Begotten impassibly 77 Only-begotten and Firstborn 79 Reciprocal knowledge between Father and Son 83 Equality of power 85 Equality of worship 86 Sameness of nature and of essence 86 Sameness of dominion 91 3.3.2 Conclusion 91 3.4 The teaching about God the Holy Spirit 92 3.4.1 The Spirit’s specific attribute in relation to the Father and to the Son 93 The problem of the Filioque 94 3.4.2 Other titles and properties of the Holy Spirit 98 The Spirit as Creator 99 The Holy Spirit as God of God 100 The Holy Spirit is uncreated and eternal 102 3.4.3 Conclusion 103 3.5 Theodoret’s doctrine on the Trinity – summary 103 The properties of the divine hypostases – an outlook to Christology 103 Chapter 4: The Christology of Theodoret’s De incarnatione 108 4.1 Introduction 108 4.2 Anthropology underlying Christology 110 4.2.1 The human body 110 4.2.2 The human soul 110 4.2.3 Theological reasons why Christ had to assume a human rational soul 117 4.3 The concept and meaning of sin 118 4.4 The divinity and humanity of Christ in the oikonomia 121 4.4.1 The birth and childhood of Christ 121 4.4.2 The baptism of Christ 123 4.4.3 The soteriological heartland of Theodoret’s early Christology: the Temptation-story 125 4.4.4 The passion, death and resurrection of Christ 131 4.5 Theodoret’s Christological model: Two natures – One Person 133 4.5.1 The properties of both natures 133 4.5.2 Communicatio idiomatum or communicatio onomaton? 139 The ontological importance of ‘naming’ 143 4.5.3 The subject of predication 150 The concrete designations used for the manhood 159 4.5.4 The attributive ascription of different deeds and its legitimacy 166 4.5.5 The union of worship – the ‘cultic prosopon’ 170 4.5.6 Terminology 182 ‘Essence’, ‘nature’ and ‘person’ 182 Terms describing the union 195 Rejection of misleading terms and the ‘image’ of the oikonomia 200 Conclusion 203 Bibliography 208 Appendix: Towards a critical edition of De Trinitate and De incarnatione 222 Index of Scriptural Citations 232 Index of Names and Subjects 234 Acknowledgements It is an almost impossible attempt to try to enumerate all those who in one way or another have contributed to the realisation of this work. The carrying out of such a task should in fact involve a meticulous ‘scholarly research’ in my own memories starting with the beginning of this journey and to remember all those who have helped me to arrive here. After our gracious God, to whom I am indebted not only for my salvation but for having been given the strength to carry out this work, I express my most heartfelt gratitude to my wife Zita and to our children Zsófia and András-Nimród for all their patience and loving care by which they have endured the long months of separation and had understanding for everything – beyond any measure that could have been expected. Upon preparing this volume for publication I realise once again how many sacrifices they have brought for my sake, silently making it my life-lasting duty to profoundly desire to be a husband and a father again. I have a lot to thank my parents Mária and Gerő Pásztori-Kupán as well as my grandparents (especially Nagyi) for bringing me up in the way they did and for always believing that help comes from above. My father, being a New Testament scholar, was my very first Greek teacher and initiator in the knowledge of Scripture. The places, people and communities which formed my life and strengthened my faith in the Lord through the darkest years of communist dictatorship in the 1980s (my home village Olasztelek, the middle school in Barót, the Bethlen Gábor College in Nagyenyed) should also be remembered with deep thankfulness. Their contribution was vital in an indirect manner to the completion of this work. Special thanks ought to be presented to my theological alma mater, the Protestant Theological Institute in Kolozsvár where I had the privilege to study between 1991 and 1996 and where I am currently teaching. Apart from my colleagues and friends among whom I felt enveloped with love and support, I express my thanks towards my learned and fully supportive teachers as well as spiritual mentors. To László Nagy (commonly called ‘Cogito’), who is not amongst us anymore, yet the profound depth of his one-time words I came to understand throughout these past years: ‘The castle of theology cannot be conquered by an instant cavalry charge. This task is a life-lasting steadfast siege.’ Prof. István Tőkés, the author of the Commentary on the Second Helvetic Confession (a copy of which I proudly discovered in New College Library in Edinburgh also) deserves a special place among my spiritual preceptors. Zoltán Adorjáni, my Greek and Hebrew teacher, who worked through my Hungarian translation of De Trinitate, Prof. Zsolt Kozma, Prof. Dezső Buzogány and all the others have presented their contribution to this thesis in various ways. Similar recognition is due to the ecclesiastical authorities of my home church, the Hungarian Reformed Church in Romania, including Bishop Géza Pap and László Tőkés. I also want to thank my former pupils in the Reformed College of Nagyenyed whom I had to abandon in order to travel to Scotland as well as the students at the Theological Institute in Kolozsvár for their understanding. My first scholarly enterprise in Edinburgh in 1998 was facilitated by the Church of Scotland, for which I hereby express my sincere thankfulness. Rev. Susan Cowell, our most lovely ‘Zsuzsi néni’, has a special place in the heart of our entire family for so many reasons that I cannot even attempt to enumerate them, but rather ask God’s richest blessing upon her life and utterly devoted ecclesiastical and human service. Isobel and 8 Acknowledgements Alexander Reid ought to be given special thanks for all the wonderful evenings we had the honour to spend in their home and the spiritual boost they never ceased to give me. Similar thanks are presented to Eitan Abraham and his wife Margaret, to Bálint Joó and his wife Kim, as well as to my friends Attila Gáll and Ábrahám Kovács for all their loving care and helpful readiness in every need. Concerning my academic formation in Scotland I have a lot to thank New College. My supervisor, Prof. David Wright has won my admiration not only by his profound erudition, but for the caring empathic vigilance by which he continued to look after not merely the formation of the thesis, but after my own personal spiritual welfare also. His watchful guidance was undoubtedly vital regarding all the aspects of this academic enterprise including translation, sources, style and method. I am utterly indebted to him also for his invaluable assistance concerning the publication of my Routledge volume on Theodoret of Cyrus. I thank my other supervisor, Dr. Paul Parvis, for his clarifications concerning the Syriac sources. I express my thanks to Dr. Gary Badcock, my first supervisor in 1998, for all his encouragement as well as for his scholarly and spiritual support. Prof. Larry Hurtado has been my great spiritual comforter, who also rocked the cradle of my first academic publications.
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