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{{Infobox saint |
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After the early [[School of Antioch]] came into decline, the presbyter |
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|honorific_prefix=[[Mar (title)|Mar]] |
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Diodore of Tarsus re-founded it in the middle of the fourth century as |
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|name=Diodorus of Tarsus |
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a semi-monastic community. He was a native of Antioch who had studied |
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|birth_date=unknown |
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[[philosophy]] in [[Athens]] together with his friend [[Basil of Caesarea]]. |
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|death_date=390 |
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In Antioch he became famous for his orthodox steadfastness |
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against the [[Arian]] bishops that ruled the city at that time. |
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|venerated_in=[[Church of the East]],<br>[[Syro Malabar Church]]<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.syromalabarliturgy.org/assets/feasts/pdfs/1643950891.pdf|title=ഗ്രീക്ക് സഭാപിതാക്കന്മാരുടെ ഓർമ്മ|language=ml|website=syromalabarliturgy.org}}</ref> |
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In [[378]] Diodore left Antioche to become Bishop of [[Tarsus]] and his |
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|birth_place=[[Antioch]]<br />(modern-day [[Antakya]], [[Hatay Province|Hatay]], [[Turkey]]) |
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student Theodore of Mopsuestia became the new head of the school. |
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|death_place=[[Tarsus (city)|Tarsus]]<br />(modern-day [[Tarsus, Mersin|Tarsus]], [[Mersin Province|Mersin]], [[Turkey]]) |
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|titles=Bishop of Tarsus |
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|beatified_date= |
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|beatified_place= |
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|beatified_by= |
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|canonized_date= |
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|canonized_place= |
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|canonized_by= |
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|attributes= |
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|patronage= |
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|major_shrine= |
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|suppressed_date= |
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|influenced=[[John Chrysostom]]<br>[[Theodore of Mopsuestia]]|issues=[[Christology]] |
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}} |
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{{Infobox Christian leader |
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| type = Bishop |
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| name = Diodore of Tarsus |
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| title = [[Bishop of Tarsus]] |
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| image = |
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| alt = |
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| caption = |
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| church = [[Christianity|Christian]] ([[Nicene]]) |
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| archdiocese = |
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| diocese = |
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| see = [[Tarsus (city)|Tarsus]] |
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| term = 378–390 |
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| predecessor = |
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| successor = <!-- Orders --> |
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| ordination = 360 |
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| ordinated_by = |
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| consecration = |
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| consecrated_by = |
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| rank = <!-- Personal details --> |
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| birth_date = unknown |
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| birth_place = [[Antioch]]<br />(modern-day [[Antakya]], [[Hatay Province|Hatay]], [[Turkey]]) |
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| death_date = 390 |
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| death_place = [[Tarsus (city)|Tarsus]]<br />(modern-day [[Tarsus, Mersin|Tarsus]], [[Mersin Province|Mersin]], [[Turkey]]) |
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| previous_post = |
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}} |
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{{Eastern Christianity}} |
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'''Diodore of Tarsus''' ([[Greek language|Greek]] Διόδωρος ὁ Ταρσεύς; died c. 390) was a [[Christianity|Christian]] [[bishop]], a monastic reformer, and a [[Christian theologian|theologian]].<ref>{{cite encyclopedia|accessdate=2007-02-17|encyclopedia=[[Catholic Encyclopedia]]|url=http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/05008a.htm|title=Diodorus of Tarsus}}</ref> A strong supporter of the orthodoxy of [[First Council of Nicaea|Nicaea]], Diodore played a pivotal role in the [[First Council of Constantinople|Council of Constantinople]] and opposed the anti-Christian policies of [[Julian the Apostate]]. Diodore founded one of the most influential centers of Christian thought in the early church, and many of his students became notable theologians in their own right. |
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==Early life== |
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Diodore and Theodore were strong opponents of the heresy of |
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[[Apollinaris]], who maintained that Christ was the divine word dwelling |
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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.<ref>Julian, ''Letters'', 55.</ref> 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 I of Antioch|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 [[Antiphon|antiphonal singing]] in the church, a practice that became widespread among Christians.<ref>{{Cite EB1911 |wstitle=Flavian I. |
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in a human body, but without a human soul. In response, they insisted |
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|volume=10 |page=484}}</ref> |
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that Christ had both a divine and a human soul, which were connected |
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but distinct. The Alexandrian school on the other hand taught a union |
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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. |
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of the two persons of Christ. |
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Diodore was noted for [[simple living|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.<ref>{{Catholic Encyclopedia|prescript=|wstitle=Diodorus of Tarsus}}</ref> |
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==Priesthood== |
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During his priesthood, Diodore founded a monastery and [[catechetical school]] near the city of Antioch. It was through this school that Diodore became the mentor of the controversial theologian and liturgist [[Theodore of Mopsuestia]], but also of the legendary homileticist [[John Chrysostom]].<ref>Socrates, ''Historia Ecclesiastica'', 6.3</ref><ref>Rowan A Greer, "Diodore of Tarsus," in ''The Encyclopedia of Early Christianity,'' ed. Everett Ferguson, second edition (New York:Garland Publishing, 1997).</ref> This school would give rise to the unique Antiochene perspectives on both biblical interpretation and Christology known as the [[School of Antioch|Antiochene School]].<ref>Frederick W Norris, "Antioch" in ''The Encyclopedia of Early Christianity,'' ed. Everett Ferguson, second edition (New York:Garland Publishing, 1997).</ref> Ultimately, taken to the extreme, the perspective set out for this school by Diodore led to the teachings of [[Nestorius]], which were first condemned at the [[First Council of Ephesus]] in 431. |
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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.<ref>Catholic Encyclopedia, "Diodorus of Tarsus".</ref> 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. |
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==Episcopate== |
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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 [[Apollinarianism]] of his day ([[Arius]] taught that Jesus Christ was a creation of god, rather than a child and subordinate to him, [[Apollinaris of Laodicea]] spoke of the Incarnation in ways that left him open to the charge that Christ was not in all aspects human by saying that his mind was divine and non-rational. |
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Diodore played key roles in both the local [[Council of Antioch (379)]] and the ecumenical [[First Council of Constantinople]] in 381. When their mentor Meletius died in 381, Diodore recommended his friend Flavian as his successor, thus prolonging the division in the [[List of Patriarchs of Antioch|Antiochene church]].<ref>Norris, "Antioch".</ref> Diodore died around 394. |
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==Theology== |
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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 [[Nestorianism|Nestorian]].<ref name="Kelly, 302">{{cite book |first=J. N. D. |last=Kelly |title=Early Christian Doctrines |edition=revised |location=San Francisco |publisher=HarperCollins |year=1978 |page=302 |isbn=0-06-064334-X }}</ref> 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."<ref name="Kelly, 302" /> |
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The specifics of Diodore's theology are difficult to reconstruct, as all that remains of his works are fragments of uncertain provenance. |
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<ref>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</ref><ref>Parry, Ken and David Melling (editors). ''The Blackwell Dictionary of Eastern Christianity''. Malden, MA: Blackwell Publishing, 1999. {{ISBN|0-631-23203-6}}</ref> Much of Diodore's theology has been inferred from the later statements of his students and the intellectual heirs of the Antiochene School. |
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According to the Universalist clergyman [[John Mather Austin]] (1855) Diodorus was also a [[Universal Reconciliation|Universalist]] since Saloman, Bishop of Bassorah in his [[Book of the Bee]] (1222) proclaimed the salvation of all men and cited the opinions of both Diodorus and [[Theodore of Mopsuestia]] in support of his view.<ref>J. M. Austin. "[http://www.auburn.edu/~allenkc/briefhist.html Brief History of Universalism] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071226031303/http://www.auburn.edu/~allenkc/briefhist.html |date=2007-12-26 }}". Ca. 1855.</ref> |
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According to Universalist writer [[J. W. Hanson]] (1899) Diodorus believed that God's mercy would punish the wicked less than their sins deserved, inasmuch as his mercy gave the good more than they deserved and he denied that God would bestow immortality for the purpose of prolonging or perpetuating suffering.<ref name="hanson">J.W. Hanson. ''Universalism: The Prevailing Doctrine Of The Christian Church During Its First Five Hundred Years''. "[http://hellbusters.8m.com/upd18.html Chapter 18 Additional Authorities] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130512105612/http://hellbusters.8m.com/upd18.html |date=2013-05-12 }}". Boston and Chicago Universalist Publishing House. 1899.</ref> |
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{{quotation|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."<ref>J. W. Hanson, citing Assemani Bib. Orientalis, III, p. 324.</ref>}} |
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==See also== |
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{{Portal|Christianity}} |
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*[[Christian Universalism]] |
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*[[Early Christianity]] |
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*[[Eastern Christianity]] |
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*[[School of Antioch]] |
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*''[[Theoria]]'' |
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==References== |
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<references/> |
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==External links== |
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* [https://books.google.com/books?id=IgQzPdBp_qUC&q=diodore+of+tarsus Diodore of Tarsus: Commentary on the Psalms] |
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* [http://www.documentacatholicaomnia.eu/30_20_0330-0391-_Diodorus_Tarsus.html Greek Opera Omnia by Migne Patrologia Graeca with analytical index] |
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{{Authority control}} |
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Diodore}} |
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[[Category:4th-century Romans]] |
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[[Category:4th-century bishops in the Roman Empire]] |
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[[Category:Christian universalist theologians]] |
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[[Category:Doctors of the Church]] |
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[[Category:390 deaths]] |
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[[Category:4th-century Christian saints]] |
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[[Category:4th-century Christian universalists]] |
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[[Category:Christian universalist clergy]] |
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[[Category:People from Antioch]] |
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[[Category:Year of birth unknown]] |
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[[Category:Participants in the First Council of Constantinople]] |
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Latest revision as of 23:49, 20 October 2024
Diodorus of Tarsus | |
|---|---|
| Bishop of Tarsus | |
| Born | unknown Antioch (modern-day Antakya, Hatay, Turkey) |
| Died | 390 Tarsus (modern-day Tarsus, Mersin, Turkey) |
| Venerated in | Church of the East, Syro Malabar Church[1] |
| Controversy | Christology |
| Influenced | John Chrysostom Theodore of Mopsuestia |
Diodore of Tarsus | |
|---|---|
| Bishop of Tarsus | |
| Church | Christian (Nicene) |
| See | Tarsus |
| In office | 378–390 |
| Orders | |
| Ordination | 360 |
| Personal details | |
| Born | unknown |
| Died | 390 Tarsus (modern-day Tarsus, Mersin, Turkey) |
| Part of a series on |
| Eastern Christianity |
|---|
 |
Diodore of Tarsus (Greek Διόδωρος ὁ Ταρσεύς; died c. 390) was a Christian bishop, a monastic reformer, and a theologian.[2] A strong supporter of the orthodoxy of Nicaea, Diodore played a pivotal role in the Council of Constantinople and opposed the anti-Christian policies of Julian the Apostate. Diodore founded one of the most influential centers of Christian thought in the early church, and many of his students became notable theologians in their own right.
Early life
[edit]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
[edit]During his priesthood, Diodore founded a monastery and catechetical school near the city of Antioch. It was through this school that Diodore became the mentor of the controversial theologian and liturgist Theodore of Mopsuestia, but also of the legendary homileticist John Chrysostom.[6][7] This school would give rise to the unique Antiochene perspectives on both biblical interpretation and Christology known as the Antiochene School.[8] Ultimately, taken to the extreme, the perspective set out for this school by Diodore led to the teachings of Nestorius, which were first condemned at the First Council of Ephesus in 431.
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
[edit]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 Apollinarianism of his day (Arius taught that Jesus Christ was a creation of god, rather than a child and subordinate to him, Apollinaris of Laodicea spoke of the Incarnation in ways that left him open to the charge that Christ was not in all aspects human by saying that his mind was divine and non-rational.
Diodore played key roles in both the local Council of Antioch (379) and the ecumenical First Council of Constantinople in 381. When their mentor Meletius died in 381, Diodore recommended his friend Flavian as his successor, thus prolonging the division in the Antiochene church.[10] Diodore died around 394.
Theology
[edit]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 John Mather Austin (1855) Diodorus was also a Universalist since Saloman, Bishop of Bassorah in his Book of the Bee (1222) proclaimed the salvation of all men and cited the opinions of both Diodorus and Theodore of Mopsuestia in support of his view.[14]
According to Universalist writer J. W. Hanson (1899) Diodorus believed that God's mercy would punish the wicked less than their sins deserved, inasmuch as his mercy gave the good more than they deserved and he denied that God would bestow immortality for the purpose of prolonging or perpetuating suffering.[15]
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
[edit]
References
[edit]- ^ "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".
- ^ a b Kelly, J. N. D. (1978). Early Christian Doctrines (revised ed.). San Francisco: HarperCollins. p. 302. 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
- ^ Parry, Ken and David Melling (editors). The Blackwell Dictionary of Eastern Christianity. Malden, MA: Blackwell Publishing, 1999. 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.
