Theodoret of Cyrrhus

Bishop of Cyrrhus, Church historian, and theologian. Controversial theological status; not universally venerated as a saint.

Works

• Ecclesiastical History
• Philotheos (Religious History)

Preliminaries

• TO THE MOST REVEREND AND MOST ILLUSTRIOUS LORD HENRY FRANCIS VAN DER BURCH, ARCHBISHOP AND DUKE OF CAMBRAI, PRINCE OF THE HOLY ROMAN EMPIRE, COUNT OF CAMBRAI. — Book IV, chapter 17: records the encounter of Demosthenes (imperial kitchen prefect) with Basil

  "Theodoretus, Book IV, chapter 17, adds this"

Preface and Praise of Sacred Scripture

• Chapter I: On the Excellence, Necessity, and Fruit of Sacred Scripture — His Philotheos cited as source of St. Marcian's saying

  "St. Marcian in Theodoret's Philotheos"

• The Fathers' Defense of the Old Testament — Published questions and phrases on the Pentateuch

  "St. Augustine, Theodoret, Bede, Procopius, and Jerome"

• Sacred Writers as Pens of the Holy Spirit — Rightly says the tongues and hands of sacred Writers were pens of the Holy Spirit

  "as Blessed Gregory and Theodoret rightly say"

Commentary on the Pentateuch of Moses

• Argumentum — Holds the better view that Genesis was written after the departure from Egypt

  "But Theodoret, Bede, and Tostatus hold a better view"

Chapter I (The Six Days of Creation)

• Introduction — Listed among those who wrote on Genesis

  "Origen, St. Jerome, Augustine, Theodoret, Procopius, Chrysostom"

• Verse 2: And the earth was without form and void — Cited for identifying the Spirit of the Lord as a wind or as the Holy Spirit

  "the Hebrews, Theodoret, and Tertullian"

• Verse 3: And God said: Let there be light — Cited alongside Basil and Nazianzen for the quality of light created without a subject

  "St. Basil, Theodoret, and Nazianzen think"

• Verse 9: Let the waters be gathered together — Cited for noting the sea is restrained by God's command

  "Theodoretus notes that the raging sea is restrained not so much by its shores as by God's command"

• Verse 14: Let There Be Lights in the Firmament — Cited alongside Basil on days and years

  "So Basil and Theodoret."

• Verse 21: And God Created the Great Sea Creatures — Cited alongside Basil on great sea creatures

  "say St. Basil and Theodoret."

• Verse 26: Let Us Make Man in Our Image and Likeness — Cited for denouncing the idea that angels created man

  "St. Basil, Chrysostom, Theodoret, Cyril in Book I Against Julian"

• Verse 26: Let Us Make Man in Our Image and Likeness — Cited for the (incorrect) view that the image of God is in man alone

  "as Theodoret holds"

• Heaven and Earth: Four Interpretations — Listed among supporters of the empyrean heaven interpretation

  "of Origen, Theodoret, Alcuin"

Related

• St. Basil the Great
• Demosthenes (the cook)