| Diodorus of Tarsus | |
| Birth: |
unknown |
|---|---|
| Death: |
390 (0390
)
|
| Honored: |
Assyrian Church of the East |
| In the face: |
saint |
Diodorus of Tarsus- Christian theologian of the 4th century, saint of the Assyrian Church of the East and one of its “three Greek teachers”. The theology of Diodorus, like that of most theologians of his time, concerns many aspects of Christian life. In particular, Diodorus is known as a reformer of monasticism, an apologist for Christianity, who defended it from the anti-Christian policies of Julian the Apostate, and an exegete who wrote interpretations of almost all books of the Bible.
Biography
Diodorus was born into a noble family in the suburbs of Antioch. Having received a classical philosophical education at a school in Athens, he became a monk very soon after completing his education. Diodorus was taught theology by Eusebius of Emesa. During the reign of Julian the Apostate, Diodorus wrote a number of essays and philosophical treatises directed against attempts to restore paganism in the empire. Being a consistent defender of the Nicene creed, Diodorus did not submit to the Arian bishop Leontius and, together with his friend Flavian (who would later become the bishop of Antioch), supported Orthodoxy outside the walls of Antioch. There is information that it was in the services of that time in the suburbs of Antioch that antiphonal singing appeared, which later became widespread in the Church. In the monastery in Antioch, Diodorus was conquered by Meletius, an anti-Arian theologian who had strong support from the Nicene wing of the Church. In 360, two Arian bishops and two Nicene bishops were installed in Antioch. Meletius became one of the Nicaean bishops, and he ordained Diodorus as a priest. Diodorus was a consistent supporter not only of the Nicene consubstantiality, but also of Meletius, and was actively involved in organizational activities in Antioch.
Thus, during his priesthood, Diodorus founded a monastery and a catechetical school near Antioch. It was thanks to this school that Diodorus became the mentor of both the theologian and liturgist Theodore of Mopsuestia (controversial in his Christology) and the undoubtedly Orthodox brilliant preacher John Chrysostom, the future archbishop of Constantinople. The Christology and exegesis of the school of Diodorus will be developed and somewhat transformed in the Antiochian school of theology. The Christological theology of Diodorus taken to the extreme, however, was accepted by Nestorius, who was condemned at the Council of Ephesus in 431.
In 372, Diodorus was exiled to Armenia by the Arian emperor Valens. Diodorus returns from exile after the death of Valens in 378, and his friend Basil the Great, Archbishop of Caesarea, ordains Diodorus as bishop. As a consistent "Nicene", Diodorus becomes Bishop of Tarsus.
Theology of Diodorus
As Bishop of Tarsus, Diodorus continued to actively oppose both Arianism and Apollinarianism, defending the claim that Jesus Christ was fully God and fully man. Diodorus played a key role in the Local Council of Antioch in 379, and was one of the participants in the Second Ecumenical Council in Constantinople in 381. After the death of his mentor Meletius, Diodorus recommended his friend Flavian as his successor.
Despite the fact that the Second Ecumenical Council included Diodorus in the list of council fathers, and Theodosius I the Great called Diodorus a “fighter for the faith,” Diodorus’ Christology was subsequently condemned in Byzantium. This is due to the fact that for the time of Theodosius it was important to defend the Nicene definition, while subsequently the question of the relationship between the two natures in Christ became more acute. Cyril of Alexandria extremely sharply condemned the views of Diodorus on this matter. Based on the Gospel image of Christ, the practical and sober-minded opponent of allegories, Diodorus, argued for the non-mixture of Divine and human nature. The specificity of Diodorus's Christology is now difficult to reconstruct, since his surviving works are completely merged with the text of numerous commentators; for the most part, it can be judged from the later works of his students and supporters of the Antiochian school. Presumably, Diodorus believed that God the Word dwelt in the individual man Jesus, the Divinity dwelt in Christ not essentially, but hypostatically; not naturally, but morally, so to speak, by coming into contact with humanity.
Ultimately, many years after his death, Diodorus began to be perceived by those who accepted the Council of Ephesus as the forerunner of Nestorianism, although he was not personally condemned. On the contrary, for the Assyrian Church of the East, Diodorus became one of the main teachers. In particular, through him the opinion of apokatastasis (universal salvation at the end of time) found its way into the works of Isaac the Syrian.
Notes
| Patristics | |
|---|---|
| Apostolic men and apologists |
Barnabas Apostle Clement of Rome Ignatius of Antioch Polycarp of Smyrna Papias of Hierapolis |
| Greek patristics |
Origen†OK. 254 Eusebius Pamphilus (Caesarean)†OK. 340 Anthony the Great (Egyptian) †356 Ephraim the Syrian †373 Athanasius the Great (Alexandrian) †373 Basil the Great (Caesarean) †379 Cyril of Jerusalem †386 Gregory the Theologian (Nazianzen) †389 Macarius the Great †391 Gregory of Nyssa †c. 394 Epiphanius of Cyprus †403 John Chrysostom †407 Cyril of Alexandria †444 Pseudo-Dionysius Areopagite †before 532 Maximus the Confessor †662 John of Damascus †753 |
Diodorus was born into a noble family in the suburbs of Antioch. Having received a classical philosophical education at a school in Athens, he became a monk very soon after completing his education. Diodorus was taught theology by Eusebius of Emesa. During the reign of Julian the Apostate, Diodorus wrote a number of essays and philosophical treatises directed against attempts to restore paganism in the empire. Being a consistent defender of the Nicene creed, Diodorus did not submit to the Arian bishop Leontius and, together with his friend Flavian (who would later become the bishop of Antioch), supported Orthodoxy outside the walls of Antioch. There is information that it was in the services of that time in the suburbs of Antioch that antiphonal singing appeared, which later became widespread in the Church. In the monastery in Antioch, Diodorus was conquered by Meletius, an anti-Arian theologian who had strong support from the Nicene wing of the Church. In 360, two Arian bishops and two Nicene bishops were installed in Antioch. Meletius became one of the Nicaean bishops, and he ordained Diodorus as a priest. Diodorus was a consistent supporter not only of the Nicene consubstantiality, but also of Meletius, and was actively involved in organizational activities in Antioch.
Thus, during his priesthood, Diodorus founded a monastery and a catechetical school near Antioch. It was thanks to this school that Diodorus became the mentor of both the theologian and liturgist Theodore of Mopsuestia (controversial in his Christology) and the undoubtedly Orthodox brilliant preacher John Chrysostom, the future archbishop of Constantinople. The Christology and exegesis of the school of Diodorus will be developed and somewhat transformed in the Antiochian school of theology. The Christological theology of Diodorus taken to the extreme, however, was accepted by Nestorius, who was condemned at the Council of Ephesus in 431.
In 372, Diodorus was exiled to Armenia by the Arian emperor Valens. Diodorus returns from exile after the death of Valens in 378, and his friend Basil the Great, Archbishop of Caesarea, ordains Diodorus as bishop. As a consistent "Nicene", Diodorus becomes Bishop of Tarsus.
Theology of Diodorus
As Bishop of Tarsus, Diodorus continued to actively oppose both Arianism and Apollinarianism, defending the claim that Jesus Christ was fully God and fully man. Diodorus played a key role in the Local Council of Antioch in 379, and was one of the participants in the Second Ecumenical Council in Constantinople in 381. After the death of his mentor Meletius, Diodorus recommended his friend Flavian as his successor.
Despite the fact that the Second Ecumenical Council included Diodorus in the list of council fathers, and Theodosius I the Great called Diodorus a “fighter for the faith,” Diodorus’ Christology was subsequently condemned in Byzantium. This is due to the fact that for the time of Theodosius it was important to defend the Nicene definition, while subsequently the question of the relationship between the two natures in Christ became more acute. Cyril of Alexandria extremely sharply condemned the views of Diodorus on this matter. Based on the Gospel image of Christ, the practical and sober-minded opponent of allegories, Diodorus, argued for the non-mixture of Divine and human nature. The specificity of Diodorus's Christology is now difficult to reconstruct, since his surviving works are completely merged with the text of numerous commentators; for the most part, it can be judged from the later works of his students and supporters of the Antiochian school. Presumably, Diodorus believed that God the Word dwelt in the individual man Jesus, the Divinity dwelt in Christ not essentially, but hypostatically; not naturally, but morally, so to speak, by coming into contact with humanity.
Ultimately, many years after his death, Diodorus began to be perceived by those who accepted the Council of Ephesus as the forerunner of Nestorianism, although he was not personally condemned. On the contrary, for the Assyrian Church of the East, Diodorus became one of the main teachers. In particular, through him the opinion of apokatastasis (universal salvation at the end of time) found its way into the works of Isaac the Syrian.