The Origenist Controversy
The Origenist Controversy

Author: Elizabeth A. Clark

Publisher: Princeton University Press

Published: 2014-07-14

Total Pages: 300

ISBN-13: 1400863112

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

Around the turn of the fifth century, Christian theologians and churchmen contested each other's orthodoxy and good repute by hurling charges of "Origenism" at their opponents. And although orthodoxy was more narrowly defined by that era than during Origen's lifetime in the third century, his speculative, Platonizing theology was not the only issue at stake in the Origenist controversy: "Origen" became a code word for nontheological complaints as well. Elizabeth Clark explores the theological and extra-theological implications of the dispute, uses social network analysis to explain the personal alliances and enmities of its participants, and suggests how it prefigured modern concerns with the status of representation, the social construction of the body, and praxis vis--vis theory. Shaped by the Trinitarian and ascetic debates, and later to influence clashes between Augustine and the Pelagians, the Origenist controversy intersected with patristic campaigns against pagan "idolatry" and Manichean and astrological determinism. Discussing Evagrius Ponticus, Epiphanius, Theophilus, Jerome, Shenute, and Rufinus in turn, Clark concludes by showing how Augustine's theory of original sin reconstructed the Origenist theory of the soul's pre-existence and "fall" into the body. Originally published in 1992. The Princeton Legacy Library uses the latest print-on-demand technology to again make available previously out-of-print books from the distinguished backlist of Princeton University Press. These editions preserve the original texts of these important books while presenting them in durable paperback and hardcover editions. The goal of the Princeton Legacy Library is to vastly increase access to the rich scholarly heritage found in the thousands of books published by Princeton University Press since its founding in 1905.

Theophilus of Alexandria and the First Origenist Controversy
Theophilus of Alexandria and the First Origenist Controversy

Author: Krastu Banev

Publisher:

Published: 2015

Total Pages: 245

ISBN-13: 0198727542

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

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 Theological Anthropology of Eustathius of Antioch
The Theological Anthropology of Eustathius of Antioch

Author: Sophie Cartwright

Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA

Published: 2015

Total Pages: 293

ISBN-13: 0198744552

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

This is a study of Eustathius, Bishop of Antioch from c.324 to c.327, a leading figure at the Council of Nicaea and opponent of Arianism. Sophie Cartwright considers in particular Eustathius' theological anthropology with chapters devoted to body and soul, the image of God, soteriology, and eschatology.

Reading Renunciation
Reading Renunciation

Author: Elizabeth A. Clark

Publisher: Princeton University Press

Published: 1999-07-19

Total Pages: 437

ISBN-13: 1400823188

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

A study of how asceticism was promoted through Biblical interpretation, Reading Renunciation uses contemporary literary theory to unravel the writing strategies of the early Christian authors. Not a general discussion of early Christian teachings on celibacy and marriage, the book is a close examination, in the author's words, of how "the Fathers' axiology of abstinence informed their interpretation of Scriptural texts and incited the production of ascetic meaning." Elizabeth Clark begins with a survey of scholarship concerning early Christian asceticism that is designed to orient the nonspecialist. Section Two is organized around potentially troubling issues posed by Old Testament texts that demanded skillful handling by ascetically inclined Christian exegetes. The third section, "Reading Paul," focuses on the hermeneutical problems raised by I Corinthians 7, and the Deutero-Pauline and Pastoral Epistles. Elizabeth Clark's remarkable work will be of interest to scholars of late antiquity, religion, literary theory, and history.

Genesis and Cosmos
Genesis and Cosmos

Author: Adam Rasmussen

Publisher: BRILL

Published: 2019-03-25

Total Pages: 218

ISBN-13: 9004396934

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

In Genesis and Cosmos Adam Rasmussen examines how Basil and Origen addressed scientific problems in their interpretations of Genesis 1. For the first time, he offers an in-depth analysis of Basil’s thinking on three problems in Scripture-and-science: the nature of matter, the super-heavenly water, and astrology. Both theologians worked from the same fundamental perspective that science is the “servant” of Christianity, useful yet subordinate. Rasmussen convincingly shows how Basil used Origen’s writings to construct his own solutions. Only on the question of the water does Basil break with Origen, who allegorized the water. Rasmussen demonstrates how they sought to integrate science and Scripture and thus remain instructive for those engaged in the dialogue between religion and science today.

Ancoratus
Ancoratus

Author: Saint Epiphanius (Bishop of Constantia in Cyprus)

Publisher: CUA Press

Published: 2014

Total Pages: 277

ISBN-13: 0813225914

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

Epiphanius of Cyprus was lead bishop of the island from 367 until his death in 403, and he was a contemporary of several of the great church fathers of the patristic era, including Athanasius, Basil, and Jerome. He is well known among modern scholars for his monumental heresiology, the Panarion, as well as for his involvement in several ecclesiastical and theological controversies. Before he began to write his magnum opus, however, he had already completed the Ancoratus, an important theological treatise, written in the form of a letter to Christians in southern Anatolia. The Ancoratus addressed numerous theological issues, particularly in response to the continuous disputes about the divinity of the Son, the developing arguments over the divinity of the Holy Spirit, and the early quarrels over the Incarnation of Christ. In addition, he included his thoughts on proper biblical exegesis, the problematic theology of Origen, and the relationship of the Christian faith with Hellenistic culture. Epiphanius's convictions on these issues represented important contributions to the ongoing theological and cultural controversies of the late fourth century, but he has often been overshadowed in modern scholarship by the work of his more illustrious contemporaries. Because there has been no complete English translation of the Ancoratus to date, this volume adds significantly to the resources available for patristic studies.

Reconstructing the Theology of Evagrius Ponticus
Reconstructing the Theology of Evagrius Ponticus

Author: Augustine Casiday

Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Published: 2013-08-01

Total Pages: 279

ISBN-13: 1107244412

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

Evagrius Ponticus is regarded by many scholars as the architect of the eastern heresy Origenism, as his theology corresponded to the debates that erupted in 399 and episodically thereafter, culminating in the Second Council of Constantinople in 553 AD. However some scholars now question this conventional interpretation of Evagrius' place in the Origenist controversies. Augustine Casiday sets out to reconstruct Evagrius' theology in its own terms, freeing interpretation of his work from the reputation for heresy that overwhelmed it, and studying his life, writings and evolving legacy in detail. The first part of this book discusses the transmission of Evagrius' writings, and provides a framework of his life for understanding his writing and theology, whilst part two moves to a synthetic study of major themes that emerge from his writings. This book will be an invaluable addition to scholarship on Christian theology, patristics, heresy and ancient philosophy.

The Lives of Peter the Iberian, Theodosius of Jerusalem, and the Monk Romanus
The Lives of Peter the Iberian, Theodosius of Jerusalem, and the Monk Romanus

Author: John Rufus (Bishop of Maiuma)

Publisher: Society of Biblical Lit

Published: 2008

Total Pages: 463

ISBN-13: 1589832000

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

The context of the history of Georgia from the fourth to the sixth centuries -- Christianity and monasticism in Georgia in the fourth and fifth centuries -- Peter's genealogy in the life of Peter the Iberian : hagiographic ancestry -- The history of the christological controversies and their context in Palestine from the fourth to the sixth centuries -- Monasticism in fifth-century Palestine -- On the death of Theodosius -- The anti-chalcedonian defeat in Palestine -- Authorship -- John Rufus -- Rhetoric and genre in the life of Peter the Iberian -- Text-critical overview -- Versions and original text -- Synopsis of the Vita Petri Iberi and the De obitu Theodosii -- Outline of the Vita Petri Iberi -- Outline of the De obitu Theodosii -- Genealogical tables of the families of Peter the Iberian and Zuzo -- Chronological timeline -- Texts and translations -- Life of Peter the Iberian -- On the death of Theodosius.