Theophilus of Alexandria and the First Origenist Controversy
Rhetoric and Power
Series: Oxford Early Christian Studies;
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Product details:
- Publisher OUP Oxford
- Date of Publication 19 February 2015
- ISBN 9780198727545
- Binding Hardback
- No. of pages244 pages
- Size 223x144x21 mm
- Weight 460 g
- Language English 0
Categories
Short description:
This book is a literary-historical study of the letters of Theophilus, Patriarch of Alexandria (385-412) and the success of their rhetorical persuasion in securing the condemnation of Origen and the punishment and expulsion of his monastic followers in 400 ce.
MoreLong description:
In the age of the Theodosian dynasty and the establishment of Christianity as the only legitimate religion of the Roman Empire, few figures are more pivotal in the power politics of the Christian church than archbishop Theophilus of Alexandria (385-412). This work examines the involvement of archbishop Theophilus in the so-called First Origenist Controversy when the famed third-century Greek theologian Origen received, a century and a half after his death, a formal condemnation for heresy. Modern scholars have been successful in removing the majority of the charges which Theophilus laid on Origen as not giving a fair representation of his thought. Yet no sufficient explanation has been offered as to why what to us appears as an obvious miscarriage of justice came to be accepted, or why it was needed in the first place. Kratsu Banev offers a sustained argument for the value of a rhetorically informed methodology with which to analyse Theophilus' anti-Origenist Festal Letters. He highlights that the wide circulation and overt rhetorical composition of these letters allow for a new reading of these key documents as a form of 'mass-media' unique for its time. The discussion is built on a detailed examination of two key ingredients in the pastoral polemic of the archbishop - masterly use of late-antique rhetorical conventions, and in-depth knowledge of monastic spirituality - both of which were vital for securing the eventual acceptance of Origen's condemnation. Dr Banev's fresh approach reveals that Theophilus' campaign formed part of a consistent policy aimed at harnessing the intellectual energy of the ascetic movement to serve the wider needs of the church.
the book is significant and substantially reframes animportant episode in the early history of Christianity. By placing Theophilus and his writings under the spotlight and arguing for reappraising them on their own terms, Banev pushes Theophilus further out of the shadow of contemporary portrayals that paint him as a turncoat in the Origenist controversy and as a villain in the downfall of the bishop of Constantinople, John Chrysostom. Beyond that, by turning the spotlight on rhetoric and power -- most notably, the use of appeals to emotion, ethics, and reason in attacking and undermining an opponent -- this book challenges us to pay greater attention to the tactics employed in such disputes and to the identity and expectations of the audience.
Table of Contents:
Acknowledgments
Introduction
Part 1. Theophilus of Alexandria and the Origenist Controversy
Historical Background
(a) Distant Prehistory
(b) Immediate Prehistory
Theological Issues
(a) Theophilus' Origenism and the Evagrian Heritage
(b) The 'Elusive Anthropomorphites' at the time of Theophilus
The Anti-Origenist Councils of AD 400
(a) Violence in the Desert
(b) The Condemnation of Orige
Part II. Background for the Analysis of Theophilus' Rhetoric
Classical Rhetoric and Christian Paideia
(a) Rhetoric and the Early Church
(b) Mass Persuasion in the Fifth Century: The Case of Theophilus' Festal Letters
(c) Jerome and Synesius on Theophilus' Letters
Classical Rhetoric: Theoretical Foundations
(a) Aristotle's Art of Rhetoric
(b) The Progymnasmata Tradition
(c) The Hermogenic Corpus
Part III. Analysis of Theophilus' Rhetoric
Rhetorical Proofs from Pathos, Ethos and Logos
(a) Emotional Appeal
(b) Ethical Appeal
(c) Logical Appeal
(d) Theophilus' Teachers
Rhetorical Proofs from Liturgy and Scripture
Part IV. Monastic Reception of Theophilus' Rhetoric
The Value of Monastic Sources
(a) Rhetorically Important Themes in the Apophthegmata
(b) The Ambiguous Place of Heresy
The Image of Theophilus in the Apophthegmata
Review of the Argument and Epilogue
Bibliography
