Theophilus of Alexandria and the first Origenist controversy : rhetoric and power / Krastu Banev.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Banev, Krastu, author.

Series:

Oxford early Christian studies

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Theophilus, Archbishop of Alexandria, -412--Correspondence.

Theophilus.

Theophilus, Archbishop of Alexandria, -412.

Origen.

Church history--4th century.

Church history.

Church history--5th century.

Genre:

Correspondence.

Personal correspondence.

Physical Description:

x, 233 pages ; 23 cm.

Edition:

First edition.

Place of Publication:

Oxford ; New York : Oxford University Press, 2015.

Summary:

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.

Contents:

Part I Theophilus of Alexandria and the Origenist Controversy

1 Historical Background 9

a Distant Prehistory 11

b Immediate Prehistory 13

2 Theological Issues 19

a Theophilus' Origenism and the Evagrian Heritage 23

b The 'Elusive Anthropomorphites' at the time of Theophilus 29

3 The Anti-Origenist Councils of 400 35

a Violence in the Desert 42

b The Condemnation of Origen 44

Part II Background for the Analysis of Theophilus' Rhetoric

4 Classical Rhetoric and Christian Paideia 53

a Rhetoric and the Early Church 54

b Mass Persuasion in the Fifth Century: The Case of Theophilus' Festal Letters 66

c Jerome and Synesius on Theophilus' Letters 72

5 Classical Rhetoric: Theoretical Foundations 81

a Aristotle's Art of Rhetoric 83

b The Progymnasmata Tradition 89

c The Hermogenic Corpus 95

Part III Analysis of Theophilus' Rhetoric

6 Rhetorical Proofs from Pathos, Ethos, and Logos 107

a Emotional Appeal 108

b Ethical Appeal 122

c Logical Appeal 130

d Theophilus' Teachers 144

7 Rhetorical Proofs from Liturgy and Scripture 150

Part IV The Monastic Reception of Theophilus' Rhetoric

8 The Value of Monastic Sources 165

a Rhetorically Important Themes in the Apophthegmata 168

b The Ambiguous Place of Heresy 177

9 The Image of Theophilus in the Apophthegmata 182.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages [201]-222) and indexes.

ISBN:

9780198727545

0198727542

OCLC:

884242416