Diodorus of Tarsus
Syro Malabar Church[1] | |
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Controversy | Christology |
Influenced | John Chrysostom Theodore of Mopsuestia |
Diodore of Tarsus | |
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Diodore of Tarsus (
Early life
Diodore was born into a noble family in the area of Antioch. He received a classic philosophical education at the school of Athens, and very quickly after his education entered into the monastic life.[3] During this period, Diodore's work focused on philosophical treatises and opposing Emperor Julian's attempts to restore paganism in the empire. When an Arian named Leontius was made bishop of Antioch, Diodore and his friend Flavian (who later was himself appointed as bishop of Antioch) organized those who followed the Nicene orthodoxy outside the walls of the city for worship. Those services are seen as the beginning of antiphonal singing in the church, a practice that became widespread among Christians.[4]
During his time at the monastery in Antioch, Diodore came under the tutelage of Meletius of Antioch. Meletius was elected bishop in 360 and ordained Diodore as a priest. When the Antioch split into factions, Diodore, in turn, was a strong supporter of Meletius and of his move towards Nicene orthodoxy.
Diodore was noted for living with few possessions, being dependent on alms for food, frequently being imprisoned on account of his beliefs. His physical appearance was rough, but Chrysostom described his expression as angelic.[5]
Priesthood
During his priesthood, Diodore founded a monastery and
It was his role as the head of the Antiochene School which led to Diodore's exile in 372. Banished to Armenia by Emperor Valens, Diodore encountered a fellow supporter of the Nicene faction, Basil of Caesarea, during his exile.[9] When Diodore returned from exile following the death of the emperor in 378, Basil was serving as the archbishop (or patriarch) of Caesarea, and he appointed Diodore as the bishop of Tarsus.
Episcopate
As bishop of the see of Tarsus, Diodore continued to speak out for the Nicene understanding of the relationship between the human and the divine in the person of Jesus Christ. He actively opposed both the Arianism and the
Diodore played key roles in both the local
Theology
The Christology of Diodore was condemned as heretical by later generations, most explicitly at a local synod in Constantinople in 499 which described Diodore's views as Nestorian.[11] Certainly, a similarly negative view of Diodore was held by Cyril of Alexandria. However, in his own generation Diodore was seen as someone who supported the orthodoxy of Nicaea, and in his official decree ratifying the actions of the First Council of Constantinople, Emperor Theodosius I described Diodore as a "champion of the faith."[11]
The specifics of Diodore's theology are difficult to reconstruct, as all that remains of his works are fragments of uncertain provenance. [12][13] Much of Diodore's theology has been inferred from the later statements of his students and the intellectual heirs of the Antiochene School.
According to the Universalist clergyman
According to Universalist writer
Diodorus according to
Joseph Simon Assemani’s Bibliotheca Orientalis (1728)— "For the wicked there are punishments, not perpetual, however, lest the immortality prepared for them should be a disadvantage, but they are to be purified for a brief period according to the amount of malice in their works. They shall therefore suffer punishment for a short space, but immortal blessedness having no end awaits them, the penalties to be inflicted for their many and grave sins are very far surpassed by the magnitude of the mercy to be showed them. The resurrection, therefore, is regarded as a blessing not only to the good, but also to the evil."[16]
See also
- Christian Universalism
- Early Christianity
- Eastern Christianity
- School of Antioch
- Theoria
References
- ^ "ഗ്രീക്ക് സഭാപിതാക്കന്മാരുടെ ഓർമ്മ" (PDF). syromalabarliturgy.org (in Malayalam).
- ^ "Diodorus of Tarsus". Catholic Encyclopedia. Retrieved 2007-02-17.
- ^ Julian, Letters, 55.
- ^ Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). . Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 10 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 484.
- ^ Herbermann, Charles, ed. (1913). "Diodorus of Tarsus". Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Robert Appleton Company.
- ^ Socrates, Historia Ecclesiastica, 6.3
- ^ Rowan A Greer, "Diodore of Tarsus," in The Encyclopedia of Early Christianity, ed. Everett Ferguson, second edition (New York:Garland Publishing, 1997).
- ^ Frederick W Norris, "Antioch" in The Encyclopedia of Early Christianity, ed. Everett Ferguson, second edition (New York:Garland Publishing, 1997).
- ^ Catholic Encyclopedia, "Diodorus of Tarsus".
- ^ Norris, "Antioch".
- ^ ISBN 0-06-064334-X.
- ^ What remains is fragments in the catenae on the Hexateuch and the Pauline Epistles. Recently a complete commentary on the Psalms has been discovered, which its editor ascribes to Diodore. Andrew Louth, 'John Chrysostom to Theodoret of Cyrrhus', in Frances Young, Lewis Ayres and Andrew Young, eds, The Cambridge History of Early Christian Literature, (2010), p344
- ISBN 0-631-23203-6
- ^ J. M. Austin. "Brief History of Universalism Archived 2007-12-26 at the Wayback Machine". Ca. 1855.
- ^ J.W. Hanson. Universalism: The Prevailing Doctrine Of The Christian Church During Its First Five Hundred Years. "Chapter 18 Additional Authorities Archived 2013-05-12 at the Wayback Machine". Boston and Chicago Universalist Publishing House. 1899.
- ^ J. W. Hanson, citing Assemani Bib. Orientalis, III, p. 324.