Theophilus of Antioch

Theophilus († 183 ) was the sixth bishop of Antioch; his term of office began probably in the year 169 and lasted until his death in which is placed according to sources in the year 181, 183 or 188. Important sources for the life of Theophilus are Jerome and Eusebius of Caesarea, who describes him in the " Praeparatio evangelica ". Also Theophilus himself wrote a number of works.

Life

Theophilus was born according to own data in Mesopotamia. For Christianity he converted by studying the Holy Scriptures. Eusebius reported that Theophilus had particularly in the fight against " heretics ", especially the Marcionites, excelled. Theophilus had a classical education ( paideia ) and wrote exegetical, catechetical, apologetic antihäretische and writings, but which - in addition to a few fragments - only the three-volume apologia Ad Autolycum is obtained.

Like other early Christian apologists and church writers of his time, such as Irenaeus of Lyons and Cyprian of Carthage, Theophilus contribute by his literary activity to the fact that the early church emerges from the darkness of a disagreeable and beleaguered community of worship and the human and theological connections are apparent. Successor of Theophilus in the episcopate was Maximianus.

Works

At the works of Theophilus, Eusebius and Jerome mention:

The Apology "Ad Autolycum "

The best-known works are the three books "Ad Autolycum ". In it he tries Autolycus to convince a seeker of truth formed of the merits of the Christian religion. He is concerned with the nature of God, Providence, the Creatio ex nihilo, against the non-Christian mythology and the morality of Christians. This Theophilus refers to the temporal priority which the divinely revealed to Moses commandments would above all pagan writings that ultimately all could be traced back to Moses. In this context, he cited, among other 3:20-22 in a short passage from the book " About the originality of Judaism " of Flavius ​​Josephus (Book 1, 93-126 ).

In addition, the divinely inspired Scriptures are fully consistent with each other, while always contradictions are to be discovered in the writings of the Gentiles. Plato, Aratus and the Sibylline books were merely repeating what had been previously said in the books of Moses and from the prophets. The pagan authors were, without mentioning their biblical sources, fall into a despicable idolatry; only the idea of punishing earthly sins after death have been preserved. Theophil used first the word " Trinity".

While Henry Wace praises this work of Theophilus, it is considered by most critics as Henry Chadwick, or Donaldson as mediocre. Be objected to this obviously false etymological derivations Theophilus ', as if he wants to see in the bacchanalian reputation " Evoe " a reference to Eve, but also his view that the earth was flat and he to the adoption of the sphericity of the Earth by Greek philosophers their error rate. His exegesis is based more on arbitrary allegories, which lack any systematics.