Theophilus of Antioch

There is also a Theophilus of Alexandria (Template:Circa 412)

Theophilus of Antioch (Template:Langx) was Pope of Antioch<ref>Eusebius Ecclesiastical History IV, 20; Jerome Ep. ad Algas. quaest, 6.</ref> from 169 until 183. He succeeded Eros of Antioch Template:Circa 169, and was succeeded by Maximus I Template:Circa 183, according to Henry Fynes Clinton,<ref>Fasti Romani</ref> but these dates are only approximations. His death probably occurred between 183 and 185.<ref>John Lightfoot, S. Ignatius, vol. II, p. 166.</ref>

His writings (the only remaining being his apology to Autolycus) indicate that he was born a pagan, not far from the Tigris and Euphrates, and was led to embrace Christianity by studying the Holy Scriptures, especially the prophetical books.<ref>Apologia ad Autolycum i. 14, ii. 24.</ref> He makes no reference to his office in his existing writings, nor is any other fact in his life recorded. Eusebius, however, speaks of the zeal which he and the other chief shepherds displayed in driving away the heretics who were attacking Christ's flock, with special mention of his work against Marcion.<ref>Ecclesiastical History iv. 24.</ref> He made contributions to the departments of Christian literature, polemics, exegetics, and apologetics. William Sanday<ref>Studia Biblica, p. 90.</ref> describes him as "one of the precursors of that group of writers who, from Irenaeus to Cyprian, not only break the obscurity which rests on the earliest history of the Church, but alike in the East and in the West carry it to the front in literary eminence, and distance all their heathen contemporaries".

Works

Template:Eastern Orthodox sidebar Eusebius and Jerome mention numerous works of Theophilus existing in their time. They are:

1. the existing Apologia addressed to Autolycus;
2. a work against the heresy of Hermogenes;<ref>Hermogenes (1), a Teacher of Heretical Doctrine</ref>
3. against that of Marcion;
4. some catechetical writings;
5. Jerome<ref>On Illustrious Men Ch. 25</ref> also mentions having read some commentaries on the gospel and on Proverbs, which bore Theophilus's name, but which he regarded as inconsistent with the elegance and style of his other works.

The Apology to Autolycus

The one undoubted extant work of Theophilus, the 7th Bishop of Antioch (Template:Circa 169 – Template:Circa 183), is his Apology to Autolycus (Apologia ad Autolycum), a series of books defending Christianity written to a pagan friend.Template:Citation needed

The ostensible object of Ad Autolycum is to convince a pagan friend, Autolycus, a man of great learning and an earnest seeker after truth, of the divine authority of the Christian religion, while at the same time exhibiting the falsehood and absurdity of paganism. His arguments, drawn almost entirely from the Old Testament, with but very scanty references to the New Testament, are largely chronological. He makes the truth of Christianity depend on his demonstration that the books of the Old Testament were long anterior to the writings of the Greeks and were divinely inspired. Whatever truth the pagan authors contain he regards as borrowed from Moses and the prophets, who alone declare God's revelation to man. He contrasts the perfect consistency of the divine oracles, which he regards as a convincing proof of their inspiration, with the inconsistencies of the pagan philosophers. He contrasts the account of the creation of the universe and of man, on which, together with the history contained in the earlier chapters of Genesis, he comments at great length with the statements of Plato, "reputed the wisest of all the Greeks",<ref>iii. 15, 16.</ref> of Aratus, who had the insight to assert that the earth was spherical,<ref>ii. 32, iii. 2.</ref> and other Greek writers on whom he pours contempt as mere ignorant retailers of stolen goods. He supplies a series of dates, beginning with Adam and ending with Marcus Aurelius, who had died shortly before he wrote, thus dating this work to the years of the reign of Commodus, 180–192.

Theophilus regards the Sibylline books that were still in Rome as authentic and inspired productions, quoting the Sibylline oracles (scholars dispute that these are the same) largely as declaring the same truths with the prophets. The omission by the Greeks of all mention of the Old Testament from which they draw all their wisdom is ascribed to a self-chosen blindness in refusing to recognize the only God and in persecuting the followers of the only fountain of truth.<ref>III, 30 and following.</ref> He can recognize in them no aspirations after the divine life, no earnest gropings after truth, no gleams of the all-illumining light. The pagan religion was a mere worship of idols, bearing the names of dead men. Almost the only point in which he will allow the pagan writers to be in harmony with revealed truth is in the doctrine of retribution and punishment after death for sins committed in life.<ref>II, 37, 38.</ref>

Theophilus's critical powers were not above his age. He adopts Herodotus's derivation<ref>ii. 52;</ref> of θεός (theòs) from τίθημι (tithemi), since God set all things in order, comparing with it that of Plato<ref>Cratylus 397C.</ref> from θεεῖν (theein), because the Deity is ever in motion.<ref>Apologia i. 4.</ref> He asserts that Satan is called the dragon (Greek drakon) on account of his having revolted apode draken ai from God,<ref>II, 28.</ref> and traces the Bacchanalian cry "Evoe" to the name of Eve as the first sinner. He discovers the reason of blood coagulating on the surface of the ground in the divine word to Cain,<ref>Genesis 4:10-12.</ref> the earth struck with terror refusing to drink it in. In addition, Theophilus misquotes Plato several times,<ref>iii. 6, 16.</ref> ranking Zopyrus among the Greeks,<ref>iii. 26.</ref> and speaking of Pausanias as having only run a risk of starvation instead of being actually starved to death in the temple of Minerva.

Trinity

Theophilus's apology is most notable for being the earliest extant Christian work to use the word "Trinity" (Greek: τριάς trias; English: three), although it does not use the common formula of "the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit" to describe the Trinity. Rather, Theophilus himself puts it as "God, his Word (Logos) and his Wisdom (Sophia),"<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> perhaps following the early Christian practice of identifying the Holy Spirit as the Wisdom of God, as he seems to demonstrate in his interpretation of Psalm 33:6,<ref>Theophilus, To Autolycus, 1.7</ref> and which is also expressed in the works his contemporary, Irenaeus of Lyon, who commenting on that selfsame verse writes:

"By the word of the Lord were the heavens established, and by his spirit all their power". Since then the Word establishes, that is to say, gives body and grants the reality of being, and the Spirit gives order and form to the diversity of the powers; rightly and fittingly is the Word called the Son, and the Spirit the Wisdom of God.<ref>Irenaeus, Demonstration of the Apostolic Preaching, 5</ref>

This practice served as a way to express Christian doctrine in a way that is more relatable to contemporary views Sophia to ideas found in Greek philosophy or Hellenistic Judaism in which such concepts as Nous (Mind), Logos (Word, Reason) and Sophia (Wisdom) were common. As the Patripassionist heresies arose, however, the formula of "Father, Son, Holy Spirit" became more prominently featured, as such beliefs denied the persons of the Economy (an earlier developed term for the Trinity). As Theophilus does not appear to be introducing the word Trinity in novel fashion, it is probable that the word was in use before this time.<ref>Afterwards the term "Trinity" appears in Tertullian, for the first time, in Latin, as trinitas (Tertullian, De Pudicitia chapter 21. See McManners, Oxford Illustrated History of Christianity. p. 50.) (McManners, Oxford Illustrated History of Christianity, p. 53.)</ref> The context for his use of the word Trinity is commentary on the successive work of the creation weeks (Genesis chapters 1–3), where Theophilus expresses the Trinity as follows:

The concept of intermediate divine beings was common to Platonism and certain Jewish sects. In Template:Bibleverse Wisdom (as feminine consort) is described as God's Counsellor and Workmistress, who dwelt beside Him before the creation of the world.

References to the Old and New Testaments

Depiction of Theophilus of Antioch from the Nuremberg Chronicle

The theology of Theophilus was rooted in Jewish ideas and the Hebrew scriptures. Theophilus's quotation from the Old Testament scripture is copious, drawing largely from the Pentateuch and to a smaller extent from the other historical books. His references to Psalms, Proverbs, Isaiah, and Jeremiah are also numerous, and he quotes from Ezekiel, Hosea and other minor prophets. His direct evidence respecting the canon of the New Testament does not go much beyond a few precepts from the Sermon on the Mount,<ref>iii. 13, 14.</ref> a possible quotation from Luke 18:27,<ref name="ii. 13">ii. 13.</ref> Theophilus seems to have known a collection of Pauline epistles which included at least Romans, I and II Corinthians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians and the three Pastoral Epistles.<ref>Robert M. Grant. (1947). The Bible of Theophilus of Antioch. Journal of Biblical Literature Vol. 66, No. 2.</ref> More important is a distinct citation from the opening of the Gospel of St. John (1:1-3), mentioning the evangelist by name, as one of the inspired men by whom the Holy Scriptures were written<ref>ii. 22.</ref> The use of a metaphor found in 2 Peter 1:19 bears on the date of that epistle. According to Eusebius, Theophilus quoted the Book of Revelation in his work against Hermogenes; a very precarious allusion has been seen in ii. 28, cf. Revelation 12:3, 7, etc. A full index of these and other possible references to the Old and New Testament is given by Otto.<ref>Corp. Apol. Christ. ii. 353-355.</ref>

Although Theophilus cites the opening of the Gospel of St. John (1:1), he does not go on to speak of the incarnation of the Word and his (Jesus's) atoning sacrificial death. While Theophilus makes no mention of the name of Jesus or use the word Christ or the phrase Son of God, he identifies the Logos as the Son of God in his second letter, when he writes,

For the divine writing itself teaches us that Adam said that he had heard the voice. But what else is this voice but the Word of God, who is also His Son? Not as the poets and writers of myths talk of the sons of gods begotten from intercourse [with women], but as truth expounds, the Word, that always exists, residing within the heart of God. For before anything came into being He had Him as a counsellor, being His own mind and thought. But when God wished to make all that He determined on, He begot this Word, uttered, the first-born of all creation, not Himself being emptied of the Word [Reason], but having begotten Reason, and always conversing with His Reason. And hence the holy writings teach us, and all the spirit-bearing [inspired] men, one of whom, John, says, "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God," showing that at first God was alone, and the Word in Him. Then he says, "The Word was God; all things came into existence through Him; and apart from Him not one thing came into existence." The Word, then, being God, and being naturally produced from God, whenever the Father of the universe wills, He sends Him to any place; and He, coming, is both heard and seen, being sent by Him and is found in a place.<ref>Theophilus, To Autolycus, 2.22; see also 2.10</ref>

Meaning of term Christian

Theophilus explains the meaning of the term Christian as follows: Template:Blockquote

Chronology

In his third book Theophilus presents a detailed chronology "from the foundation of the world" to emperor Marcus Aurelius.<ref>Theophilus, Apologia ad Autolycum, Book III Chapters 24–27</ref> This begins with the Biblical first man Adam through to emperor Marcus Aurelius. Theophilus lived in the reign of this emperor. The chronology puts the creation of the world at about 5529 BC: "All the years from the creation of the world amount to a total of 5,698 years".<ref>Theophilus, Apologia ad Autolycum, Book III Chapters 28</ref> He uses this chronology to prove that Moses and the other Hebrew prophets preceded the philosophers. The leading chronological epochs correspond to the Old Testament prophets.

Patristic citations

The silence regarding his Apology in the East is remarkable; we fail to find the work mentioned or quoted by Greek writers before the time of Eusebius. Several passages in the works of Irenaeus show an undoubted relationship to passages in one small section of the Apologia,<ref>Iren. v. 23, 1; Autol. ii. 25 init.: Iren. iv. 38, 1, iii. 23, 6; Autol. ii. 25: Iren. iii. 23, 6; Autol. ii. 25, 26.</ref> but Harnack thinks it probable that the quotations, limited to two chapters, are not taken from the Apologia, but from Theophilus's work against Marcion<ref>cf. Möhler, Patr. p. 286; Otto, Corp. Apol. II. viii. p. 357; Donaldson, History of Christian Literature iii, 66.</ref> In the West there are a few references to the Autolycus. It is quoted by Lactantius<ref>Divinarum Institutionum i. 23.</ref> under the title Liber de Temporibus ad Autolycum. There is a passage first cited by Maranus in Novatian<ref>de Trin. c. 2.</ref> which shows great similarity to the language of Theophilus.<ref>ad Autol. i. 3.</ref> In the next century the book is mentioned by Gennadius of Marseilles<ref>c. 34.</ref> as "tres libelli de fide". He found them attributed to Theophilus of Alexandria, but the disparity of style caused him to question the authorship.

Editions

Jacques Paul Migne's Patrologia Graeca,<ref>t. vi. col. 1023–1168.</ref> and a small edition (Cambridge 1852) by W. G. Humphry. Johann Carl Theodor von Otto's edition in the Corpus apologetarum christianorum saeculi secundi vol. ii. (Jena, 1861) is by far the most complete and useful. English translations by Joseph Betty (Oxford 1722), W. B. Flower (London, 1860), Marcus Dods (Clark's Ante-Nicene Library), and Robert M. Grant (with the Greek text; Clarendon Press, 1970).

This article uses text from A Dictionary of Christian Biography and Literature to the End of the Sixth Century A.D., with an Account of the Principal Sects and Heresies by Henry Wace.

External links

• Theophilus' work to Autolycus and Catholic Encyclopedia 1913
• Online Text for Theophilus of Antioch
• Online complete text