Theodoret of Cyrrhus

Greek theologian

• Born: c. 393
• Birthplace: Antioch, Roman Syria (now Antakya, Turkey)
• Died: c. 458
• Place of death: Cyrrhus, Roman Syria (now in Syria)

Theodoret served as the bishop of Cyrrhus for forty-one years. Aside from carrying out an effective and sensitive bishopric, he authored works on practically every aspect of Christian thought and practice. He is perhaps best remembered for his contribution to the Christological debates that led to the Council of Chalcedon.

Early Life

Theodoret (thee-AHD-uh-ruht) was born in Antioch in the Roman province of northern Syria c. 393 c.e. to moderately wealthy Christian parents. He spent the first twenty-three years of his life in the city of Antioch, leaving in 416-417 for the monastery at Nicerte. While Theodoret wrote sparingly of these formative years in Antioch, his remarks as well as what can be deduced from his later writings reveal that he drew deeply from both the rich Greco-Roman culture of the city and the monks who lived on the fringes of Antioch. His writings reflect the education typical of the privileged population of large Greco-Roman cities in late antiquity. Such an education would have entailed training in Greek grammar, speech, and the classics of Greek literature and philosophy from Homer to Demosthenes.

From his parents, Theodoret inherited a fondness for the monks who lived in the caves and wilderness surrounding Antioch. Theodoret’s mother had sought out these monks to cure an eye ailment, and his father had sought help when after thirteen years of marriage no child had been conceived. In both cases, the monks were given credit for solving the problem; from childhood, Theodoret was taken on weekly visits to them. Theodoret fondly recalled his visits to the monks Peter of Galatia and Macedonius and noted that Peter had given him a piece of linen girdle that was treasured by the family when it proved a remedy for a variety of physical afflictions.

On the death of his parents, Theodoret left Antioch to become a monk himself. He joined the monastic community at Nicerte near Apamea and there enjoyed some seven years of quiet seclusion. It was during his tenure at Nicerte that Theodoret composed his celebrated apology for the Christian religion, Therapeutica (c. 424; A Treatise of Laws, 1776). This apology displays the breadth of his knowledge of Greek philosophy and religion as he juxtaposes the claims of Christianity to those associated with a host of Greek philosophical schools and religious cults.

Life’s Work

After seven years in the monastery at Nicerte, Theodoret was called to assume the duties of bishop of the diocese of Cyrrhus. Theodoret says he “unwillingly assumed” the office, as it meant leaving behind the beloved tranquillity of the monastery and taking on the demands of an exceptionally large and unruly diocese on the eastern edges of the Roman Empire. Theodoret’s reluctance did not prevent him from fulfilling his appointed task: He served as bishop there from the year 424 until his death in 458.

The boundaries of the diocese were the same as those of Cyrrhestica, a territory of the province of Euphatensis in eastern Syria. The diocese was subject to the Metropolitan at Hierapolis and covered 1,600 square miles (2,580 square kilometers). Theodoret described the diocese as mountainous and bare. This bleak landscape had not, however, discouraged the establishment and spread of Christianity; Theodoret also refers to the existence of eight hundred parishes, each with its own church. The area also contained a significant population of monks, with whom Theodoret maintained a cordial relationship.

The town of Cyrrhus, where Theodoret was to reside, was located approximately sixty-five kilometers northeast of Antioch at the confluence of the Aphreen and Saboun Souyou rivers. Cyrrhus had been an important Roman military outpost, but, like many other Roman frontier towns, it was in a state of decline by the fifth century. Theodoret called it “a solitary and ugly village.” During his residence, he spent much time and energy in rebuilding and improving Cyrrhus. Using funds collected from the diocese, he constructed two bridges and public galleries, rebuilt a major aqueduct, and improved the public baths. The bishop also paid to have skilled physicians move to the town and secured the service of educators and engineers.

Theodoret’s responsibilities were numerous. He describes such tasks as visiting and encouraging the monks living in the diocese, driving out heretics, playing ecclesiastical politics, and writing a number of tracts on practically every aspect of Christian life and thought. Aside from the apology mentioned earlier and the treatises on Christology to be discussed below, the extant works from Theodoret’s vast corpus include historical studies, biblical commentaries, a series of sermons on Providence, and a collection of letters.

While Theodoret’s interests and contributions were wide-ranging, his place in the history of Christianity has consistently been recorded in terms of his role in the Christological controversies that began with the Council of Ephesus in 431 and culminated with the Council of Chalcedon in 451. In 431, Theodoret was called on to represent the Antiochene interpretation of Christ (the two-nature Christology) against the Alexandrian interpretation as it was put forth by Cyril of Alexandria. Theodoret’s response took the form of a tract entitled Reprehensio duodecim capitum seu anathema anathematismorum Cyrilli (431), in which he stressed the biblical foundation for the fullness of the two natures of Christ and argued that Cyril’s formula implicated the divine Christ in the passion and suffering of the Crucifixion. The Council of Ephesus was called to resolve the differences between Cyril and Theodoret; it decided in favor of Cyril.

In the years between the First Council of Ephesus and the Council of Chalcedon, Theodoret continued to be involved in the debates over the proper interpretation of the nature of Christ. In 447, he composed a work entitled Eranistes seu Polymorphus (Dialogues, 1892) as an attack on the position held by the monk Eutyches, who had succeeded Cyril as the leader of the Alexandrian one-nature school of interpretation. This work and the ensuing debate led to the Second Council of Ephesus in 449; Theodoret again lost and was deposed from his bishopric in Cyrrhus. He was apparently restored soon thereafter, and the Council of Chalcedon in 451 closed the chapter on Theodoret’s involvement in the Christological debates. In fact, from the end of the Council of Chalcedon till his death in 458, Theodoret must have lived a comparatively quiet and uninvolved life as bishop, as there is no record of any further writing or involvement in ecclesiastical politics.

Significance

Theodoret of Cyrrhus was one of the most prolific writers and influential voices for Christianity in the East during late antiquity. He wrote against a rich and complex background that was at once deeply indebted to the language, ideas, and ideals of the long-established Greco-Roman culture and that at the same time increasingly felt the influence of Christianity and its otherworldly monks and theological squabbles. Theodoret labored as a bishop in the eastern provinces of the later Roman Empire to improve the life and resources for his congregation, to establish the proper interpretation of the Bible, to chronicle the history of the Church and its monks, and to clarify what the Church taught about the person and work of Christ. While in the end, Theodoret found himself on the losing side of the Christological debates, his contributions to those debates have been judged the clearest and most profound statements on the two-nature view of Christ.

Bibliography

Ashby, Godfrey, and William Ernest Candler. Theodoret of Cyrrhus as Exegete of the Old Testament. Grahamstown, South Africa: Rhodes University Press, 1972. Provides, in largely summary fashion, a guide to Theodoret’s exegesis of the Old Testament. While the author provides few critical insights, the work nevertheless proves valuable as it offers an entry into an enormous collection of biblical commentary, most of which is available only in Greek or Latin.

Bellitto, Christopher M. The General Councils: A History of the Twenty-one General Councils from Nicaea to Vatican II. New York: Paulist Press, 2002. Noted Church historian Bellitto traces the history of twenty-one general councils. Written for the nonspecialist, the first section on the “Councils of the Early Church” is of particular note. Bellitto addresses not only the historical context, goals, successes and failure of the councils but also the impact on their times.

Chesnut, Glenn F. The First Christian Histories. Paris: Éditions Beauchesne, 1977. A well-researched work that compares the ecclesiastical histories of Eusebius, Socrates, Sozomen, and Theodoret. The author demonstrates how each brought to his historical studies a distinct theological and philosophical bias and shows the extent to which these early Christian historians were dependent on classical Greco-Roman models of history writing.

Grillmeier, Alois. From the Apostolic Age to Chalcedon. Vol. 1 in Christ in Christian Tradition. Translated by John Bowden. Rev. ed. Atlanta: John Knox Press, 1975. This book provides a thorough treatment of the development of Christology in the early Church and includes a long and helpful discussion of Theodoret’s contribution. The book has an extensive bibliography of works in English and European languages.

Jones, A. H. M. The Later Roman Empire. 2 vols. 1964. Reprint. Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, 1975. The standard work on this period, it provides not only an account of the major events and persons but also useful insights into the contemporary social world.

Theodoret of Cyrrhus. “The Ecclesiastical History,” “Dialogues,” and “Letters” of Theodoret. Translated by B. Jackson. Grand Rapids, Mich.: Wm. B. Eerdmans, 1975. This English translation of the letters and two of Theodoret’s works was originally published in 1892. In the case of Ekklēsiastikē historia (c. 449; The Ecclesiastical History, 1612) and Dialogues, newer editions of the Greek text have been published. The translations are competent and since they are the only modern English translations of these works of Theodoret, they are invaluable for those wishing to read his words who are limited to reading publications in English. A brief historical and theological introduction has been appended to the collection.

Theodoret of Cyrrhus. A History of the Monks of Syria. Translated by R. M. Price. Kalamazoo, Mich.: Cistercian Publications, 1985. One of the rare English translations of a work by Theodoret. The text and translation are based on the French edition of Pierre Canivet. The history itself offers a rare glimpse into the provocative world of Syrian monasticism. The translation is clear, and the introduction and notes do a splendid job of situating the work historically and literally.

Urbainczyk, Theresa. Theodoret of Cyrrhus: The Bishop and the Holy Man. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press, 2002. Urbainczyk discusses Theodoret’s writings and arguments in relationship to his life and political circumstances. Includes bibliographical references and indexes.

Young, Frances M. From Nicaea to Chalcedon: A Guide to the Literature and Its Background. Philadelphia: Fortress Press, 1983. This is a clearly written handbook intended as an introduction to the major figures and writings of Christianity from the period between the Council of Nicaea and the Council of Chalcedon. Many of Theodoret’s works are discussed, with special attention paid to The Ecclestiastical History and his Christological treatises. There is a substantial bibliography.