Theodoret of Cyrrhus, Church History 2.31.5-2.31.8
https://caesarea-maritima.org/testimonia/377
Context
Theodoret served as bishop of Cyrrhus in northwestern Syria in 423-457
C.E. Following his wide education in both the Christian and the Greek traditions and a
brief monastic devotion, he became a vigorous leader of his diocese, distinguished by
his philanthropy, and a prominent theologian, particularly in opposition to Cyril of
Alexandria as a persistent defender of Nestorius. He was a prolific writer, and his many
extant works include exegesis, ecclesiastical history, and Christological treatises. In
this passage from the Church History, Theodoret describes the visit of
Constantius II to Antioch in early 361 C.E., when the bishop Meletius preached to wide
acclaim.
Text
(5) … ἐπειδὴ δὲ βασιλικὴν δεξάμενος κλῆσιν ἧκεν ὁ μέγας Μελέτιος,
ὑπήντησαν μὲν ἅπαντες οἱ τῆς ἀρχιερωσύνης μετειληχότες, ὑπήντησαν δὲ καὶ οἱ ἄλλοι τῆς
ἐκκλησίας χοροὶ καὶ ἅπαν τὸ τῆς πόλεως πλῆθος· παρῆσαν δὲ καὶ Ἰουδαῖοι καὶ Ἕλληνες, τὸν
πολυθρύλητον ἰδεῖν Μελέτιον ἱμειρομενοι.(6) Ὁ δὲ βασιλεὺς καὶ αὐτῷ καὶ τοῖς ἄλλοις οἳ
λέγειν ἠδύναντο τὸ ‘κύριος ἔκτισέ με ἀρχὴν ὁδῶν αὐτοῦ εἰς ἔργα αὐτοῦ’ παρηγγύησεν
ἀναπτύξαι τῷ πλήθει· τοὺς δὲ γράφειν εἰς τάχος πεπαιδευμένους γράψαι προσέταξε τὰ παρ’
ἑκάστου λεγόμενα, ἀκριβεστέραν ἔσεσθαι τὴν διδασκαλίαν ὑπολαβών. (7) καὶ πρῶτος μὲν ὁ
Λαοδικείας Γεώργιος τὴν αἱρετικὴν ἐξήμεσε δυσοσμίαν· μετὰ δὲ τοῦτον Ἀκάκιος ὁ
Καισαρείας μέσην τινὰ διδασκαλίαν προσήνεγκε, πλεῖστον μὲν
ὅσον τῆς ἐκείνων βλασφημίας ἀφεστηκυῖαν, οὐκ ἀκραιφνῆ δὲ καὶ τὸν ἀποστολικὸν χαρακτῆρα
φυλάττουσαν· τρίτος ὁ μέγας ἀνέστη Μελέτιος καὶ τοῦ ἦς θεολογίας κανόνος ὑπέδειξε τὴν
εὐθύτητα. (8) οἷον γάρ τινι στάθμῃ τῇ ἀληθείᾳ χρησάμενος, καὶ τὸ περιττὸν καὶ τὸ
ἐλλεῖπον διέφυγεν. εὐφημίας δὲ πλείστης παρὰ τοῦ πλήθους καὶ σύντομον αὐτοῖς
προσενεγκεῖν ἀντιβολούντων διδασκαλίαν, τρεῖς ὑποδείξας δακτύλους, εἶτα τοὺς δύο
συναγαγὼν καὶ τὸν ἕνα καταλιπών, τὴν ἀξιέπαινον ἐκείνην ἀφῆκε φωνήν· “τρία τὰ νοούμενα,
ὡς ἑνὶ δὲ διαλεγόμεθα.”1
Textual Note
Ed. Parmentier and Hansen 1998Translation
(5) … And when the great Meletius had received the imperial summons
and arrived, all the upper ranks of the episcopate came out to meet him, and all the
other orders of the church, and the whole city. There too were Jews and Gentiles, all
longing to see the great Meletius.(6) Now the emperor [Constantius II] had charged
both (Meletius) and the rest who were able to speak to expound to the multitude the text
“The Lord established me as the beginning of His way for his works.” He ordered trained
stenographers to record what each man said, supposing that (thus) their instruction
would be more exact. (7) First of all George of Laodicea gave vent to his foul heresy.
After him Acacius of Caesarea offered a doctrine of compromise
far removed indeed from the blasphemy of the enemy, but not preserving a pure, apostolic
character. The third to arise was the great Meletius, and he exhibited the unbending
line of the canon of theology, (8) for by using the truth as a carpenter does his
measuring-stick, he avoided excess and defect. When there was very loud applause from
the crowd, and they entreated him to summarize his teaching for them, he showed three
fingers, then he withdrew two and left one; and he uttered that admirable sentence,
“They are three things in our thoughts, but we talk about them as one.”2
Translation Note
Adapted from Jackson 1892 and Canivet et al. 2006-2009Works Cited
- 1 Theodoret of Cyrrhus, Theodoret. Kirchengeschichte, ed. Léon Parmentier and Günther Christian Hansen, 3rd ed., Die griechischen christlichen Schriftsteller der ersten Jahrhunderte n.F. 5 (Berlin: Akademie Verlag, 1998), bk: 2, ch: 31.5-31.8.
- 2 Theodoret of Cyrrhus, The Ecclesiastical History of Theodoret, in Theodoret, Jerome, Gennadius, & Rufinus: Historical Writings, trans. Blomfield Jackson, Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers. 2nd Series 3 (New York: The Christian Literature Publishing Company, 1892), 33–159, p: 92-93.
Additional Bibliography
- Theodoret of Cyrrhus, Histoire ecclésiastique, trans. Pierre Canivet, 2 vols., Sources chrétiennes 501, 503 (Paris: Les Éditions du Cerf, 2006), vol: 1, p: 490-493.
How to Cite This Entry
Joseph L. Rife, “Theodoret of Cyrrhus, Church History 2.31.5-2.31.8,” in Caesarea Maritima: A Collection of Testimonia, entry published April 28, 2023, https://caesarea-maritima.org/testimonia/377.
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Bibliography:
Joseph L. Rife, “Theodoret of Cyrrhus, Church History 2.31.5-2.31.8.” In Caesarea Maritima: A Collection of Testimonia, edited by Joseph L. Rife., edited by Joseph L. Rife. Caesarea City and Port Exploration Project, 2023. Entry published April 28, 2023. https://caesarea-maritima.org/testimonia/377.About this Entry
Entry Title: Theodoret of Cyrrhus, Church History 2.31.5-2.31.8
Authorial and Editorial Responsibility:
- Joseph L. Rife, general editor, Vanderbilt University
- Joseph L. Rife, editor, Caesarea Maritima: A Collection of Testimonia
- David A. Michelson, Daniel L. Schwartz, and William L. Potter, technical editor, “Theodoret of Cyrrhus, Church History 2.31.5-2.31.8”
- Joseph L. Rife, entry contributor, “Theodoret of Cyrrhus, Church History 2.31.5-2.31.8”
Additional Credit:
- Testimonium edited by Joseph L. Rife
- TEI record created by Joseph L. Rife
- Testimonium translated by Joseph L. Rife
- Testimonium transcribed by Joseph L. Rife
- Testimonium identified by Joseph L. Rife
- Editorial review by Joseph L. Rife