Theophilus of Alexandria / Norman Russell.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Russell, Norman, 1945-

Series:

Early church fathers

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Theophilus, Archbishop of Alexandria, -412.

Theophilus.

Genre:

Biographies.

Physical Description:

x, 222 pages ; 23 cm.

Place of Publication:

London ; New York : Routledge, 2007.

Summary:

If Theophilus of Alexandria seems a minor figure to us today, it is because we persist in seeing him through the eyes of hostile contemporary witnesses, each of whom had his own reasons for diminishing Theophilus' stature. In fact, he was one of the greatest bishops of the Theodosian era, who played an important role in a crucial phase of the Roman Empire's transformation into a Christian society. Norman Russell's new assessment of Theophilus shows him as an able theologian, an expert ecclesiastical lawyer, a highly skilled orator and, surprisingly, a spiritual teacher. The introductory section examines his efforts to Christianize an Egypt still dominated by its great temples, and his battles to maintain the pre-eminence of the Alexandrian Church in an age of rapid change. The texts, most of them translated into a modern language for the first time, reveal the full power and range of his thinking. Theophilus of Alexandria brings back into focus a figure who has been long neglected in the study of early Christianity and will provide students and lecturers with a fresh perspective, not least through the translation of texts, for the first time, into English.

Contents:

The life of Theophilus of Alexandria

General introduction to the texts

Homilies

Ecclesiastical legislation

The Origenist controversy.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages 175-212) and index.

ISBN:

0415289149

0415289157

0203967550

OCLC:

69992287