Cornelia B. Horn
- Published in print:
- 2006
- Published Online:
- September 2006
- ISBN:
- 9780199277537
- eISBN:
- 9780191604171
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0199277532.003.0007
- Subject:
- Religion, Early Christian Studies
This concluding chapter presents a synthesis of the analysis made in this volume. This study examined the following sources: the Vita Petri Iberi (extant in Syriac, translated into German), the ...
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This concluding chapter presents a synthesis of the analysis made in this volume. This study examined the following sources: the Vita Petri Iberi (extant in Syriac, translated into German), the Plerophoriae (extant in Syriac, translated into French), and the De obitu Theodosii (extant in Syriac, translated into Latin), all of which can reasonably be ascribed to John Rufus, the anti-Chalcedonian biographer and likely successor of Peter the Iberian. Based on these texts as well as on supplementary literary, historical, and archaeological sources, this book brought into focus the figure of Peter the Iberian, who until recently had been thoroughly neglected. It is shown that the concerns of Peter and his followers, as presented through Rufus’ lens, were not to engage in a thorough discussion of theology based on hermeneutical or philosophical categories to apologize for and to defend themselves and to prove all else was heresy. Rather, their aim was to live out their belief in their own life, no matter what forms of hardships that would require.Less
This concluding chapter presents a synthesis of the analysis made in this volume. This study examined the following sources: the Vita Petri Iberi (extant in Syriac, translated into German), the Plerophoriae (extant in Syriac, translated into French), and the De obitu Theodosii (extant in Syriac, translated into Latin), all of which can reasonably be ascribed to John Rufus, the anti-Chalcedonian biographer and likely successor of Peter the Iberian. Based on these texts as well as on supplementary literary, historical, and archaeological sources, this book brought into focus the figure of Peter the Iberian, who until recently had been thoroughly neglected. It is shown that the concerns of Peter and his followers, as presented through Rufus’ lens, were not to engage in a thorough discussion of theology based on hermeneutical or philosophical categories to apologize for and to defend themselves and to prove all else was heresy. Rather, their aim was to live out their belief in their own life, no matter what forms of hardships that would require.
Volker L. Menze
- Published in print:
- 2008
- Published Online:
- September 2008
- ISBN:
- 9780199534876
- eISBN:
- 9780191716041
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199534876.001.0001
- Subject:
- Religion, Early Christian Studies
This study historicizes the formation of the Syrian Orthodox Church in the first half of the 6th century. The Council of Chalcedon in 451 divided eastern Christianity, with those who were later ...
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This study historicizes the formation of the Syrian Orthodox Church in the first half of the 6th century. The Council of Chalcedon in 451 divided eastern Christianity, with those who were later called Syrian Orthodox among the Christians in the near eastern provinces who refused to accept the decisions of the council. These non-Chalcedonians (still better known under the misleading term monophysites) separated from the church of the empire after Justin I attempted to enforce Chalcedon in the East in 518. The book covers the period from the accession of Justin to the Second Council of Constantinople in 553. It focuses in the first two chapters on imperial and papal policy from a non-Chalcedonian, eastern perspective. Chapters 3 and 4 discuss monks, monasteries, and the complex issues of sacraments and non-Chalcedonian church life. Chapter 5 and the general conclusion complete the book with a study of the working of ‘collective memory’ among the non-Chalcedonians and the construction of a Syrian Orthodox identity. The study is a histoire évènementielle of actual religious practice, especially concerning the Eucharist and the diptychs, and of ecclesiastical and imperial policy which modifies the traditional view of how emperors (and in the case of Theodora: empresses) ruled the late Roman/early Byzantine empire. By combining this detailed analysis of secular and ecclesiastical politics with a study of long-term strategies of memorialization, the book also focuses on deep structures of collective memory on which the tradition of the present Syrian Orthodox Church is founded.Less
This study historicizes the formation of the Syrian Orthodox Church in the first half of the 6th century. The Council of Chalcedon in 451 divided eastern Christianity, with those who were later called Syrian Orthodox among the Christians in the near eastern provinces who refused to accept the decisions of the council. These non-Chalcedonians (still better known under the misleading term monophysites) separated from the church of the empire after Justin I attempted to enforce Chalcedon in the East in 518. The book covers the period from the accession of Justin to the Second Council of Constantinople in 553. It focuses in the first two chapters on imperial and papal policy from a non-Chalcedonian, eastern perspective. Chapters 3 and 4 discuss monks, monasteries, and the complex issues of sacraments and non-Chalcedonian church life. Chapter 5 and the general conclusion complete the book with a study of the working of ‘collective memory’ among the non-Chalcedonians and the construction of a Syrian Orthodox identity. The study is a histoire évènementielle of actual religious practice, especially concerning the Eucharist and the diptychs, and of ecclesiastical and imperial policy which modifies the traditional view of how emperors (and in the case of Theodora: empresses) ruled the late Roman/early Byzantine empire. By combining this detailed analysis of secular and ecclesiastical politics with a study of long-term strategies of memorialization, the book also focuses on deep structures of collective memory on which the tradition of the present Syrian Orthodox Church is founded.
Paul B. Clayton, Jr.
- Published in print:
- 2007
- Published Online:
- September 2007
- ISBN:
- 9780198143987
- eISBN:
- 9780191711497
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198143987.001.0001
- Subject:
- Religion, Early Christian Studies
Theodoret of Cyrus (c.393-466) was the most able Antiochene theologian in the defence of Nestorius from the Council of Ephesus in 431 to the Council of Chalcedon in 451. While the works of Theodore ...
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Theodoret of Cyrus (c.393-466) was the most able Antiochene theologian in the defence of Nestorius from the Council of Ephesus in 431 to the Council of Chalcedon in 451. While the works of Theodore of Mopsuestia and Nestorius are extant today only in translations or in fragments, Theodoret's voluminous works are largely available in their original Greek. This study of his writings throws light on the theology of those councils and the final evolution and content of Antiochene Christology. This book demonstrates that Antiochene Christology was rooted in the concern to maintain the impassibility of God the Word and is consequently a two-subject Christology. Its fundamental philosophical assumptions about the natures of God and humanity compelled the Antiochenes to assert that there are two subjects in the Incarnation: the Word himself and a distinct human personality. This Christology is not the hypostatic union of the Councils of Ephesus and Chalcedon.Less
Theodoret of Cyrus (c.393-466) was the most able Antiochene theologian in the defence of Nestorius from the Council of Ephesus in 431 to the Council of Chalcedon in 451. While the works of Theodore of Mopsuestia and Nestorius are extant today only in translations or in fragments, Theodoret's voluminous works are largely available in their original Greek. This study of his writings throws light on the theology of those councils and the final evolution and content of Antiochene Christology. This book demonstrates that Antiochene Christology was rooted in the concern to maintain the impassibility of God the Word and is consequently a two-subject Christology. Its fundamental philosophical assumptions about the natures of God and humanity compelled the Antiochenes to assert that there are two subjects in the Incarnation: the Word himself and a distinct human personality. This Christology is not the hypostatic union of the Councils of Ephesus and Chalcedon.
Cornelia B. Horn
- Published in print:
- 2006
- Published Online:
- September 2006
- ISBN:
- 9780199277537
- eISBN:
- 9780191604171
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0199277532.001.0001
- Subject:
- Religion, Early Christian Studies
This book explores anti-Chalcedonian asceticism in Palestine, an area that has so far been relatively neglected in academic studies. Anti-Chalcedonian asceticism in Palestine is significant because ...
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This book explores anti-Chalcedonian asceticism in Palestine, an area that has so far been relatively neglected in academic studies. Anti-Chalcedonian asceticism in Palestine is significant because it was in Jerusalem in the middle of the 5th century that monks who opposed the Council of Chalcedon first attempted to establish a dissenting anti-Chalcedonian ecclesiastical hierarchy. The monk Peter the Iberian, in particular, was a key force in this project because of his high-level political connections to the members of the imperial court in Constantinople. The beginnings of anti-Chalcedonian history in Palestine constitute the fist tangible manifestation of the schism between the adherents and opponents of the Council of Chalcedon, a schism which endures until today. This study also offers a further contribution in the field work carried out on site in the Middle East, which traced the footsteps of Peter the Iberian and his followers into the regions of modern Israel, Palestine, Jordan, Lebanon, Turkey, and Sinai/Egypt.Less
This book explores anti-Chalcedonian asceticism in Palestine, an area that has so far been relatively neglected in academic studies. Anti-Chalcedonian asceticism in Palestine is significant because it was in Jerusalem in the middle of the 5th century that monks who opposed the Council of Chalcedon first attempted to establish a dissenting anti-Chalcedonian ecclesiastical hierarchy. The monk Peter the Iberian, in particular, was a key force in this project because of his high-level political connections to the members of the imperial court in Constantinople. The beginnings of anti-Chalcedonian history in Palestine constitute the fist tangible manifestation of the schism between the adherents and opponents of the Council of Chalcedon, a schism which endures until today. This study also offers a further contribution in the field work carried out on site in the Middle East, which traced the footsteps of Peter the Iberian and his followers into the regions of modern Israel, Palestine, Jordan, Lebanon, Turkey, and Sinai/Egypt.
Cornelia B. Horn
- Published in print:
- 2006
- Published Online:
- September 2006
- ISBN:
- 9780199277537
- eISBN:
- 9780191604171
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0199277532.003.0006
- Subject:
- Religion, Early Christian Studies
This chapter shows that Abba Isaiah and Philoxenus of Mabbugh were influential contributors to anti-Chalcedonian theological and ascetico-spiritual perspectives in Palestine. They provided an ...
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This chapter shows that Abba Isaiah and Philoxenus of Mabbugh were influential contributors to anti-Chalcedonian theological and ascetico-spiritual perspectives in Palestine. They provided an immediate context for the theology and spirituality of Peter the Iberian, John Rufus, and their anti-Chalcedonian ascetic followers in the Gaza area. The importance of the Cross in the spiritual theology of these two teachers and leaders is discussed.Less
This chapter shows that Abba Isaiah and Philoxenus of Mabbugh were influential contributors to anti-Chalcedonian theological and ascetico-spiritual perspectives in Palestine. They provided an immediate context for the theology and spirituality of Peter the Iberian, John Rufus, and their anti-Chalcedonian ascetic followers in the Gaza area. The importance of the Cross in the spiritual theology of these two teachers and leaders is discussed.
Stephen T. Davis
- Published in print:
- 2006
- Published Online:
- May 2006
- ISBN:
- 9780199284597
- eISBN:
- 9780191603778
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0199284598.003.0007
- Subject:
- Religion, Theology
In this age of theological pluralism, even within Christianity, is there good reason to affirm the incarnation of Christ as expressed in the Creed of Chalcedon? To affirm as much is to commit oneself ...
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In this age of theological pluralism, even within Christianity, is there good reason to affirm the incarnation of Christ as expressed in the Creed of Chalcedon? To affirm as much is to commit oneself to what is called a maximal christology, as opposed to the many minimal christologies available today. It is argued that the New Testament picture of Jesus is unified and consistent. The purpose of the incarnation is to show what God is like, to make it possible for human beings to know God, and to defeat God’s enemies. To accomplish as much, Jesus had to be truly human and truly divine. Four indications that Christ was divine are considered: his willingness to forgive sins, his reference to God as Abba, his willingness to speak “with authority”, and his implicit claims to be divine.Less
In this age of theological pluralism, even within Christianity, is there good reason to affirm the incarnation of Christ as expressed in the Creed of Chalcedon? To affirm as much is to commit oneself to what is called a maximal christology, as opposed to the many minimal christologies available today. It is argued that the New Testament picture of Jesus is unified and consistent. The purpose of the incarnation is to show what God is like, to make it possible for human beings to know God, and to defeat God’s enemies. To accomplish as much, Jesus had to be truly human and truly divine. Four indications that Christ was divine are considered: his willingness to forgive sins, his reference to God as Abba, his willingness to speak “with authority”, and his implicit claims to be divine.
Margaret D. Kamitsuka
- Published in print:
- 2007
- Published Online:
- September 2007
- ISBN:
- 9780195311624
- eISBN:
- 9780199785643
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195311624.003.0005
- Subject:
- Religion, Theology
How can the contemporary feminist theologians continue to remain engaged with the Christian tradition, whose creeds and sacred texts pose seemingly insuperable obstacles for a diversity of feminist ...
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How can the contemporary feminist theologians continue to remain engaged with the Christian tradition, whose creeds and sacred texts pose seemingly insuperable obstacles for a diversity of feminist thinkers? This chapter argues that a postliberal rule theory approach to doctrine allows us to see how womanist theologies that are ostensibly disconnected from the Nicene-Chalcedonian creedal tradition (and possibly even at odds with each other) are regulatively instantiating a stream of that tradition in diverse ways. Employing feminist, deconstructive, postcolonial, and queer hermeneutical tools, the chapter offers a reading of John 4 that subverts the dominant tradition's masculinist, heteronormative, christocentric, or imperialist interpretations of this story as an account of the successful conversion of a Samaritan woman with dubious morals, misguided messianic notions, and illicit desires. This reading stands as an example of how the feminist scholar might resist “disciplinary” biblical texts, even while (perhaps surprisingly) finding herself still desiring to continue to read such texts at all.Less
How can the contemporary feminist theologians continue to remain engaged with the Christian tradition, whose creeds and sacred texts pose seemingly insuperable obstacles for a diversity of feminist thinkers? This chapter argues that a postliberal rule theory approach to doctrine allows us to see how womanist theologies that are ostensibly disconnected from the Nicene-Chalcedonian creedal tradition (and possibly even at odds with each other) are regulatively instantiating a stream of that tradition in diverse ways. Employing feminist, deconstructive, postcolonial, and queer hermeneutical tools, the chapter offers a reading of John 4 that subverts the dominant tradition's masculinist, heteronormative, christocentric, or imperialist interpretations of this story as an account of the successful conversion of a Samaritan woman with dubious morals, misguided messianic notions, and illicit desires. This reading stands as an example of how the feminist scholar might resist “disciplinary” biblical texts, even while (perhaps surprisingly) finding herself still desiring to continue to read such texts at all.
Bernard Green
- Published in print:
- 2008
- Published Online:
- May 2008
- ISBN:
- 9780199534951
- eISBN:
- 9780191715990
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199534951.003.0006
- Subject:
- Religion, Early Christian Studies
Leo's decision to write letters offering theological teaching was a new departure for the papacy. The Tome was his most ambitious theological project; arguments against his authorship are weak. It is ...
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Leo's decision to write letters offering theological teaching was a new departure for the papacy. The Tome was his most ambitious theological project; arguments against his authorship are weak. It is uncharacteristic of the main emphases of his theological development in previous years, where he had sought to coordinate rather than distinguish the two natures of Christ. It can best be understood as a response to what he thought to be the opposite errors of Eutyches and Nestorius. He revised his understanding of Nestorius when he was accused of Nestorianism in the aftermath of Chalcedon, and produced a more characteristic and satisfactory Christological statement in the Letter to the Palestininan monks.Less
Leo's decision to write letters offering theological teaching was a new departure for the papacy. The Tome was his most ambitious theological project; arguments against his authorship are weak. It is uncharacteristic of the main emphases of his theological development in previous years, where he had sought to coordinate rather than distinguish the two natures of Christ. It can best be understood as a response to what he thought to be the opposite errors of Eutyches and Nestorius. He revised his understanding of Nestorius when he was accused of Nestorianism in the aftermath of Chalcedon, and produced a more characteristic and satisfactory Christological statement in the Letter to the Palestininan monks.
Stephen J. Davis
- Published in print:
- 2008
- Published Online:
- May 2008
- ISBN:
- 9780199258628
- eISBN:
- 9780191718052
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199258628.003.0001
- Subject:
- Religion, Early Christian Studies
This introductory chapter begins with a discussion of Alexandrian Christology from the 2nd to the 5th centuries. It then discusses the strong influence of Cyril of Alexandria, the Council of ...
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This introductory chapter begins with a discussion of Alexandrian Christology from the 2nd to the 5th centuries. It then discusses the strong influence of Cyril of Alexandria, the Council of Chalcedon, and the reception of Alexandrian Greek Christology.Less
This introductory chapter begins with a discussion of Alexandrian Christology from the 2nd to the 5th centuries. It then discusses the strong influence of Cyril of Alexandria, the Council of Chalcedon, and the reception of Alexandrian Greek Christology.
J. Warren Smith
- Published in print:
- 2010
- Published Online:
- January 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780195369939
- eISBN:
- 9780199893362
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195369939.003.0007
- Subject:
- Religion, Theology
Having discussed Ambrose’s view of resurrection in Chapter 5, the book turns to the Christological and pneumatological foundation of Ambrose’s understanding of the Christian’s participation in the ...
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Having discussed Ambrose’s view of resurrection in Chapter 5, the book turns to the Christological and pneumatological foundation of Ambrose’s understanding of the Christian’s participation in the transformation of resurrection and the new humanity of the resurrection through an analysis of his use of the Pauline contrast between the inner man born in baptism and the outer man that is wasting away (Col. 3:9–10). In Christ Jesus, Ambrose sees the restoration and perfection of the harmonic relation of soul and body that is the prototype for the new humanity of the resurrection. In the Spirit, Ambrose locates the divine power that divinizes the soul and so allows the Christian’s life to be conformed to the model of the new Adam.Less
Having discussed Ambrose’s view of resurrection in Chapter 5, the book turns to the Christological and pneumatological foundation of Ambrose’s understanding of the Christian’s participation in the transformation of resurrection and the new humanity of the resurrection through an analysis of his use of the Pauline contrast between the inner man born in baptism and the outer man that is wasting away (Col. 3:9–10). In Christ Jesus, Ambrose sees the restoration and perfection of the harmonic relation of soul and body that is the prototype for the new humanity of the resurrection. In the Spirit, Ambrose locates the divine power that divinizes the soul and so allows the Christian’s life to be conformed to the model of the new Adam.
Geoffrey de Ste. Croix
Michael Whitby and Joseph Streeter (eds)
- Published in print:
- 2006
- Published Online:
- September 2007
- ISBN:
- 9780199278121
- eISBN:
- 9780191707872
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199278121.001.0001
- Subject:
- Classical Studies, European History: BCE to 500CE
The volume presents in seven chapters papers on early Christian topics by Geoffrey de Ste. Croix. Three of the chapters include papers which have previously been published and are widely accepted as ...
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The volume presents in seven chapters papers on early Christian topics by Geoffrey de Ste. Croix. Three of the chapters include papers which have previously been published and are widely accepted as classic studies, while the other four now appear in print for the first time – though they have already proved influential as a result of presentation at seminars and circulation in manuscript. The volume's central themes are: martyrdom, the evidence for which Ste. Croix scrutinizes closely in order to reveal the extent to which Christians, through the process of volunteering, were responsible for bouts of persecution; persecution, which extends from the Christian experience as recipients to their role as far more effective agents of the persecution of non-Christians and doctrinal opponents; orthodoxy, the determination of which through Church Councils, especially at the Council of Chalcedon, emerges as the product of calculated imperial intervention; and finally property and slavery, on which a clear divide emerges between the radical message of the Gospels and the actual practice of the early Church. In addition, the editors of the volume contribute essays on the historiographical impact of Ste. Croix's contributions to the study of early Christianity and on his views of toleration in the ancient world.Less
The volume presents in seven chapters papers on early Christian topics by Geoffrey de Ste. Croix. Three of the chapters include papers which have previously been published and are widely accepted as classic studies, while the other four now appear in print for the first time – though they have already proved influential as a result of presentation at seminars and circulation in manuscript. The volume's central themes are: martyrdom, the evidence for which Ste. Croix scrutinizes closely in order to reveal the extent to which Christians, through the process of volunteering, were responsible for bouts of persecution; persecution, which extends from the Christian experience as recipients to their role as far more effective agents of the persecution of non-Christians and doctrinal opponents; orthodoxy, the determination of which through Church Councils, especially at the Council of Chalcedon, emerges as the product of calculated imperial intervention; and finally property and slavery, on which a clear divide emerges between the radical message of the Gospels and the actual practice of the early Church. In addition, the editors of the volume contribute essays on the historiographical impact of Ste. Croix's contributions to the study of early Christianity and on his views of toleration in the ancient world.
Stephen J. Shoemaker
- Published in print:
- 2003
- Published Online:
- November 2003
- ISBN:
- 9780199250752
- eISBN:
- 9780191600746
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0199250758.001.0001
- Subject:
- Religion, Early Christian Studies
The ancient Dormition and Assumption traditions, a remarkably diverse collection of narratives recounting the end of the Virgin Mary's life, first emerge into historical view from an uncertain past ...
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The ancient Dormition and Assumption traditions, a remarkably diverse collection of narratives recounting the end of the Virgin Mary's life, first emerge into historical view from an uncertain past during the fifth and sixth centuries. Initially appearing in Syria, Palestine, and Egypt, these legends spread rapidly throughout the Christian world, resulting in over 60 different narratives from before the tenth century preserved in nine ancient languages. This study presents a detailed analysis of the earliest traditions of Mary's death, including the evidence of the earliest Marian liturgical traditions and related archaeological evidence as well as the numerous narrative sources. Most of the early narratives belong to one of several distinctive literary families, whose members bear evidence of close textual relations. Many previous scholars have attempted to arrange the different narrative types in a developmental typology, according to which the story of Mary's death was transformed to reflect various developments in early Christian Mariology. Nevertheless, evidence to support these theories is wanting, and the present state of our knowledge suggests that the narrative diversity of the early Dormition traditions arose from several independent ‘origins’ rather than through ordered evolution from a single original type. Likewise, scholars have often asserted a connection between the origin of the Dormition traditions and resistance to the council of Chalcedon, but the traditions themselves make this an extremely unlikely proposal. While most of the traditions cannot be dated much before the fifth century, a few of the narratives were almost certainly in composed by the third century, if not even earlier. These narratives in particular bear evidence of contact with gnostic Christianity. Several of the most important narratives are translated in appendices, most appearing in English for the first time.Less
The ancient Dormition and Assumption traditions, a remarkably diverse collection of narratives recounting the end of the Virgin Mary's life, first emerge into historical view from an uncertain past during the fifth and sixth centuries. Initially appearing in Syria, Palestine, and Egypt, these legends spread rapidly throughout the Christian world, resulting in over 60 different narratives from before the tenth century preserved in nine ancient languages. This study presents a detailed analysis of the earliest traditions of Mary's death, including the evidence of the earliest Marian liturgical traditions and related archaeological evidence as well as the numerous narrative sources. Most of the early narratives belong to one of several distinctive literary families, whose members bear evidence of close textual relations. Many previous scholars have attempted to arrange the different narrative types in a developmental typology, according to which the story of Mary's death was transformed to reflect various developments in early Christian Mariology. Nevertheless, evidence to support these theories is wanting, and the present state of our knowledge suggests that the narrative diversity of the early Dormition traditions arose from several independent ‘origins’ rather than through ordered evolution from a single original type. Likewise, scholars have often asserted a connection between the origin of the Dormition traditions and resistance to the council of Chalcedon, but the traditions themselves make this an extremely unlikely proposal. While most of the traditions cannot be dated much before the fifth century, a few of the narratives were almost certainly in composed by the third century, if not even earlier. These narratives in particular bear evidence of contact with gnostic Christianity. Several of the most important narratives are translated in appendices, most appearing in English for the first time.
Benjamin John King
- Published in print:
- 2009
- Published Online:
- September 2009
- ISBN:
- 9780199548132
- eISBN:
- 9780191720383
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199548132.003.0004
- Subject:
- Religion, Church History
This chapter examines what Newman had to say between the years of 1834 and 1840 about the doctrine of Christ's person and works. Covering the period from the publication of Arians to Newman's first ...
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This chapter examines what Newman had to say between the years of 1834 and 1840 about the doctrine of Christ's person and works. Covering the period from the publication of Arians to Newman's first insights into the development of doctrine, the chapter focuses on the three summer vacations which he spent researching the Christology of different Greek patristic authors and the result on Newman's sermons. In the summer of 1839, examining various Fathers before and after the Council of Chalcedon, he began to see doctrine no longer as something static but in development. Newman became aware of the need for an idea whereby pre-Nicenes like Origen and Dionysius of Alexandria could ‘develop’ into the fuller doctrinal positions of Athanasius and Cyril. But even Athanasius and Cyril needed some later interpreters to clarify their positions, particularly the trio of Leontius, Maximus, and John of Damascus.Less
This chapter examines what Newman had to say between the years of 1834 and 1840 about the doctrine of Christ's person and works. Covering the period from the publication of Arians to Newman's first insights into the development of doctrine, the chapter focuses on the three summer vacations which he spent researching the Christology of different Greek patristic authors and the result on Newman's sermons. In the summer of 1839, examining various Fathers before and after the Council of Chalcedon, he began to see doctrine no longer as something static but in development. Newman became aware of the need for an idea whereby pre-Nicenes like Origen and Dionysius of Alexandria could ‘develop’ into the fuller doctrinal positions of Athanasius and Cyril. But even Athanasius and Cyril needed some later interpreters to clarify their positions, particularly the trio of Leontius, Maximus, and John of Damascus.
G. E. M. De Ste. Croix
- Published in print:
- 2006
- Published Online:
- September 2007
- ISBN:
- 9780199278121
- eISBN:
- 9780191707872
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199278121.003.0006
- Subject:
- Classical Studies, European History: BCE to 500CE
Ste. Croix continued his challenge to traditional views about the history of the early Church through an exhaustive study of the Council of Chalcedon, which Emperor Marcian summoned in 451 in an ...
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Ste. Croix continued his challenge to traditional views about the history of the early Church through an exhaustive study of the Council of Chalcedon, which Emperor Marcian summoned in 451 in an attempt to resolve disputes about how the divine and human elements combined in the single person of Christ. His investigation revealed that proceedings were kept under close imperial control, which was implemented through the presiding officer, the general Anatolius. Far from being a neutral referee, Anatolius emerges as a significant correspondent of Bishop Theodoret, one of the key individuals at Chalcedon where he was reinstated in spite of doubts about his doctrinal views. Church Councils are revealed to have been particularly unruly events, with the attending bishops repeatedly shouting down their opponents, the detailed records being subject to manipulation, and violence or intimidation never far away.Less
Ste. Croix continued his challenge to traditional views about the history of the early Church through an exhaustive study of the Council of Chalcedon, which Emperor Marcian summoned in 451 in an attempt to resolve disputes about how the divine and human elements combined in the single person of Christ. His investigation revealed that proceedings were kept under close imperial control, which was implemented through the presiding officer, the general Anatolius. Far from being a neutral referee, Anatolius emerges as a significant correspondent of Bishop Theodoret, one of the key individuals at Chalcedon where he was reinstated in spite of doubts about his doctrinal views. Church Councils are revealed to have been particularly unruly events, with the attending bishops repeatedly shouting down their opponents, the detailed records being subject to manipulation, and violence or intimidation never far away.
Donald Fairbairn
- Published in print:
- 2003
- Published Online:
- November 2003
- ISBN:
- 9780199256143
- eISBN:
- 9780191600586
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0199256144.003.0007
- Subject:
- Religion, Early Christian Studies
In the light of the book's treatment of grace and christology, this chapter argues that the central issue in patristic christology was not whether Christ was one person or two or whether one spoke of ...
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In the light of the book's treatment of grace and christology, this chapter argues that the central issue in patristic christology was not whether Christ was one person or two or whether one spoke of one nature or two, but whether God the Son was personally present on earth through the incarnation. The chapter asserts that the key phrase expressing this issue was the ‘double birth’ of the Logos. Those who insisted that God the Son must be and was personally present insisted that the Logos was born twice (of the Father eternally and of Mary in time). This chapter looks briefly at John Chrysostom, John of Antioch, Celestine, Leo, and the Chalcedonian Definition and concludes that belief in the double birth of the Logos was the faith of the entire Church in the fifth century, with only a small handful of dissenters.Less
In the light of the book's treatment of grace and christology, this chapter argues that the central issue in patristic christology was not whether Christ was one person or two or whether one spoke of one nature or two, but whether God the Son was personally present on earth through the incarnation. The chapter asserts that the key phrase expressing this issue was the ‘double birth’ of the Logos. Those who insisted that God the Son must be and was personally present insisted that the Logos was born twice (of the Father eternally and of Mary in time). This chapter looks briefly at John Chrysostom, John of Antioch, Celestine, Leo, and the Chalcedonian Definition and concludes that belief in the double birth of the Logos was the faith of the entire Church in the fifth century, with only a small handful of dissenters.
Stephen J. Shoemaker
- Published in print:
- 2003
- Published Online:
- November 2003
- ISBN:
- 9780199250752
- eISBN:
- 9780191600746
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0199250758.003.0005
- Subject:
- Religion, Early Christian Studies
Many previous interpreters have sought to locate the origins of the Dormition traditions within ancient “Jewish‐Christianity.” Although they are quite correct in identifying a number of heterodox ...
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Many previous interpreters have sought to locate the origins of the Dormition traditions within ancient “Jewish‐Christianity.” Although they are quite correct in identifying a number of heterodox features present in some of the narratives, Jewish‐Christianity is a highly problematic construct that does not offer the best explanation for these features. Contact with some sort of gnostic Christianity can better explain these elements. Most importantly, these traces of contact with early Christian heterodoxy very strongly suggest that the narratives in question most likely were composed by the third century at the latest. This early date, along with several other features, makes very unlikely the frequently suggested hypothesis that the origin of the Dormition traditions is somehow linked with resistance to the council of Chalcedon.Less
Many previous interpreters have sought to locate the origins of the Dormition traditions within ancient “Jewish‐Christianity.” Although they are quite correct in identifying a number of heterodox features present in some of the narratives, Jewish‐Christianity is a highly problematic construct that does not offer the best explanation for these features. Contact with some sort of gnostic Christianity can better explain these elements. Most importantly, these traces of contact with early Christian heterodoxy very strongly suggest that the narratives in question most likely were composed by the third century at the latest. This early date, along with several other features, makes very unlikely the frequently suggested hypothesis that the origin of the Dormition traditions is somehow linked with resistance to the council of Chalcedon.
Paul Helm
- Published in print:
- 2004
- Published Online:
- April 2005
- ISBN:
- 9780199255696
- eISBN:
- 9780191602429
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0199255695.003.0004
- Subject:
- Religion, Philosophy of Religion
This Chapter—on Calvin's Christology—continues some of the themes of Ch. 2. Calvin's Christology is essentially Chalcedonian. He emphasizes the Son's undiminished deity in the Incarnation. The ...
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This Chapter—on Calvin's Christology—continues some of the themes of Ch. 2. Calvin's Christology is essentially Chalcedonian. He emphasizes the Son's undiminished deity in the Incarnation. The relation between the Son of God and the Incarnation is considered, and what Calvin means by the communicatio idiomatum is discussed. The ways in which dogma is meant to regulate our understanding of Scripture rather than to explain mysteries is further explored.Less
This Chapter—on Calvin's Christology—continues some of the themes of Ch. 2. Calvin's Christology is essentially Chalcedonian. He emphasizes the Son's undiminished deity in the Incarnation. The relation between the Son of God and the Incarnation is considered, and what Calvin means by the communicatio idiomatum is discussed. The ways in which dogma is meant to regulate our understanding of Scripture rather than to explain mysteries is further explored.
Brian E. Daley
- Published in print:
- 2002
- Published Online:
- November 2003
- ISBN:
- 9780199248452
- eISBN:
- 9780191600524
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0199248451.003.0008
- Subject:
- Religion, Theology
Daley observes how contemporary theologians are often puzzled by the language and concepts of later patristic discussions about the person of Christ, especially by the Council of Chalcedon's teaching ...
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Daley observes how contemporary theologians are often puzzled by the language and concepts of later patristic discussions about the person of Christ, especially by the Council of Chalcedon's teaching that he is one hypostasis or persona subsisting ‘in two natures, without confusion, without change, without division, without separation’. This chapter looks again at the significance of this classical christological vocabulary, in the light of an assertion made by the sixth‐century Leontius of Byzantium and echoed by Maximus Confessor and John of Damascus in the centuries that followed: that it is ‘the mode of union, rather than the intelligible structure of nature, which contains the great Mystery of our religion’. After sketching the background and apparent implications of the ancient language of ‘modality’ and of ‘union’, the paper looks more closely at the Christology of these three post‐Chalcedonian writers. It argues that for classical Greek Christology in its later stages, the unity and distinctiveness of Christ as a person, who is at once human and divine, are grounded in the unique way in which the divine and human realities condition and express each other in the historical Jesus of Nazareth. In the light of this ‘relational’ or ‘modal’ Christology, these late patristic authors also present human salvation as the beginning of a new mode of our own natural existence, and a new relationship with the triune that God modelled on that of God the Son.Less
Daley observes how contemporary theologians are often puzzled by the language and concepts of later patristic discussions about the person of Christ, especially by the Council of Chalcedon's teaching that he is one hypostasis or persona subsisting ‘in two natures, without confusion, without change, without division, without separation’. This chapter looks again at the significance of this classical christological vocabulary, in the light of an assertion made by the sixth‐century Leontius of Byzantium and echoed by Maximus Confessor and John of Damascus in the centuries that followed: that it is ‘the mode of union, rather than the intelligible structure of nature, which contains the great Mystery of our religion’. After sketching the background and apparent implications of the ancient language of ‘modality’ and of ‘union’, the paper looks more closely at the Christology of these three post‐Chalcedonian writers. It argues that for classical Greek Christology in its later stages, the unity and distinctiveness of Christ as a person, who is at once human and divine, are grounded in the unique way in which the divine and human realities condition and express each other in the historical Jesus of Nazareth. In the light of this ‘relational’ or ‘modal’ Christology, these late patristic authors also present human salvation as the beginning of a new mode of our own natural existence, and a new relationship with the triune that God modelled on that of God the Son.
Henry Chadwick
- Published in print:
- 2001
- Published Online:
- November 2003
- ISBN:
- 9780199246953
- eISBN:
- 9780191600463
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0199246955.003.0054
- Subject:
- Religion, Church History
The Christological debate between 449 and 451 was marked by continuing divisions in the east and became embroiled with the question of the authority of Rome. The anti‐Nestorian position won the ...
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The Christological debate between 449 and 451 was marked by continuing divisions in the east and became embroiled with the question of the authority of Rome. The anti‐Nestorian position won the sympathy of the eastern emperor Theodosius II and then of Pulcheria, the dominant figure in the reunited empire in 450–51. The second Council of Ephesus in 449 was marked by the intervention and assertion of Roman supremacy by Pope Leo I. In the divided eastern churches, the controversy was crucial in defining the legitimacy of the ordination of bishops, especially Nestorian or Monophysite bishops in Alexandria. The canons produced by the Council of Chalcedon in 451 and the question of their legitimacy contributed to the alienation between east and west and to divisions among the Greek churches for more than a century afterwards.Less
The Christological debate between 449 and 451 was marked by continuing divisions in the east and became embroiled with the question of the authority of Rome. The anti‐Nestorian position won the sympathy of the eastern emperor Theodosius II and then of Pulcheria, the dominant figure in the reunited empire in 450–51. The second Council of Ephesus in 449 was marked by the intervention and assertion of Roman supremacy by Pope Leo I. In the divided eastern churches, the controversy was crucial in defining the legitimacy of the ordination of bishops, especially Nestorian or Monophysite bishops in Alexandria. The canons produced by the Council of Chalcedon in 451 and the question of their legitimacy contributed to the alienation between east and west and to divisions among the Greek churches for more than a century afterwards.
Demetrios Bathrellos
- Published in print:
- 2004
- Published Online:
- July 2005
- ISBN:
- 9780199258642
- eISBN:
- 9780191602795
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0199258643.003.0002
- Subject:
- Religion, Early Christian Studies
Provides the necessary historical and theological background for understanding the monothelite controversy of the 7th century and the Christology of St Maximus the Confessor. It presents the ...
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Provides the necessary historical and theological background for understanding the monothelite controversy of the 7th century and the Christology of St Maximus the Confessor. It presents the Christological positions of Apollinarianism, Nestorianism, Cyril, and the Council of Chalcedon. It also presents the views of the Council’s critics, and of the Council’s defenders, including John the Grammarian and, in particular, Leontius of Byzantium and Leontius of Jerusalem. It argues that Apollinarism, Nestorianism, and monophysitism put forward unsatisfactory suggestions regarding the doctrine of the person of Christ. By contrast, the Council of Chalcedon (ad 451) put forward a very balanced view of Christ’s unity of person and distinction of natures. The Leontioi, in countering objections to Chalcedon, explained the Chalcedonian distinction between person/hypostasis and nature/essence in detail and in doing so paved the way for Maximus’ Christology. This chapter challenges the view that post-Chalcedonian Christology was strongly asymmetrical and thus undermined the Christological balance achieved by Chalcedon and thus led to the emergence of monothelitism.Less
Provides the necessary historical and theological background for understanding the monothelite controversy of the 7th century and the Christology of St Maximus the Confessor. It presents the Christological positions of Apollinarianism, Nestorianism, Cyril, and the Council of Chalcedon. It also presents the views of the Council’s critics, and of the Council’s defenders, including John the Grammarian and, in particular, Leontius of Byzantium and Leontius of Jerusalem. It argues that Apollinarism, Nestorianism, and monophysitism put forward unsatisfactory suggestions regarding the doctrine of the person of Christ. By contrast, the Council of Chalcedon (ad 451) put forward a very balanced view of Christ’s unity of person and distinction of natures. The Leontioi, in countering objections to Chalcedon, explained the Chalcedonian distinction between person/hypostasis and nature/essence in detail and in doing so paved the way for Maximus’ Christology. This chapter challenges the view that post-Chalcedonian Christology was strongly asymmetrical and thus undermined the Christological balance achieved by Chalcedon and thus led to the emergence of monothelitism.
