A Dictionary of Greek and Roman biography and mythology. By various writers. Ed. by William Smith. Illustrated by numerous engravings on wood.

THEOPHILUS. THEOPHILUS. 1085
he made use in his own Commentaries, but which marked by the same unscrupulous inconsistency.
lie thinks not equal in style to the other works of IHe appears to have passed a part of his early life
Theophilus. ( V. I.. c.; Praef. in Matt.; Alyas. among the monks of Nitria, who were divided
vol. iii. p. 318.) There are still extant, in Latin among themselves upon the chief controversy of
only, under the name of Theophilus, four books of the day, some being Origenists, and others Anthroallegorical commentaries on various passages of the pomorphites. The ignorance of the latter party he
Gospels, which the best critics pronounce to be must therefore have well known, and he was far too
undoubtedly an original Latin work, of a period strong-minded to share their prejudices; while, on
much subsequent to the time of Theophilus, al- the other hand, he was quite capable of appreciating
though very probably his commentary may have the works of Origen, with which it is evident that
been used in its compilation. This commentary is he was well acquainted. At first, he declared
published in the Bibliothecae Patrum, Paris, 1575, himself decidedly against the Anthropomorphites,
1598, 1609, 1654, Colon. 1618, Ludg. 1677. and in opposing them he sided openly with the
Eusebius further mentions certain catechetical Origenists, and drew his arguments from the works
works by him (Kal e'repa Be, ac KCaTJX1LI/KaO aVboV of Origen. When, however, it became evident that,8sCAa, H. E. iv. 24; beeves elegantesque tractatus the majority of the Egyptian monks were Anthropoad aedificationem ecclesiae pertinentes, HIieron. V. I. morphites, and when that party had shown their
1. c.); and Jerome (I. c.) refers to his Commentaries strength by the tumults which they stirred up,
on the tl'roverbs, in connection with his Commentarics about A. D. 399, Theophilus went over to their
on the Gospels, and with the same qualification as side, condemned the writings of Origen, and comto their style. (Cave, Hist. Litt. s. a. 168, pp. 69 manded all his clergy to condemn them, and com-71; Fabric. Bibl. Graec. vol. vii. pp. 101-106; menced a cruel persecution of the monks and
Lardner, Credibility; Mosheim, Eccles. Hist. others who opposed the Anthropomorphites; and all
Murdock's Note, vol. i. p. 155, Engl. ed.; Clinton, this, while he himself continued to read the works
Fasti Rom. s. aa. 171, 181.) of Origen with admiration. In A. n. 401, he issued
5. A bishop of Caesarela in Palestine, who a violent paschal or encyclical letter, in which he
presided over the council of Caesareia, and signed condemned the writings of Origen, and threatened
the letter of that council, which appears to have his adherents; and in the following year he sent
been drawn up by himself, on the Paschal contro- forth another letter of the same character, to the
versy, A. D. 198. (Euseb. H. E. v. 23; Hieron. unbounded delight of Jerome, who had been long
V. I. 43; Cave, Hist. Litt. s. a. 198, p. 87; Fabric. intimate with Theophilus, and who writes to him
Bibl. Graec. vol. vii. p. 107, vol. ix. p. 255, vol. xii. on the occasion in terms of exultation and flattery,
p. 363.) which are absolutely disgusting (Epist. 57, ed.
6. Bishop of Alexandria, in the latter part of Mait., 86, ed.Vallars.). By these proceedings, and
the fourth and the beginning of the fifth centuries by his general character, Theophilus well earned
of our era, is distinguished for his persecutions of the name of'ApuaaAAd(, which we finld applied
the Origenists, for his hostility to Chrysostom, and to him (Pallad. ap. Montfauc. vol. xiii. p. *20).
as being altogether one of the most violent and The persecuted monks of the Origenist party fled
unscrupulous even among the ecclesiastics of the for refuge to Constantinople, where they were
fifth century. His life belongs rather to ecclesias- kindly received by Chrysostom, against whom
tical than to literary history, and therefore only a Theophilus already had a grudge, because Chryvery brief account of it is required here. He suc- sostom had been made bishop of Constantinople in
ceeded Timotheus, as bishop of Alexandria, in A. D. spite of his opposition. The subsequent events,
385 (Socrat. H. E. v. 12; not 387, as the date is the call of Theophilus to Constantinople by the
given by Theophanes, p. 60, b., and Sozomen, H.E. empress Eudoxia, and his success in procuring the
vii. 14; see Clinton, FastiRom. s. a. 387). Soon deposition and banishment of Chrysostom (A. D,
after his elevation to the episcopal throne, he 403), are related under CHRYsosroa0MUs [Vol. 1.
secured the favour of the emperor by a most cha- p. 704, a.] During the tumult which followed the
racteristic manoeuvre. When the fate of the empire deposition of Chrysostom, Theophilus made his
was suspended on the battle which was to decide escape secretly from Constantinople, and returned
between Maximnus and Theodosius, A. D. 388, he to Alexandria, where, in the following year (A. D.
sent his legate, Isidorus, to Rorne, provided with 404) he issued a third paschal letter against the
letters to both, the one or the other of which he Origenists, and where he closed his turbulent
was to deliver, with certain presents, according to career in A. D. 41 2.
the issue of the battle (Sozom. H. E. viii. 2). He The works of Theophilus mentioned by the
also emulated the zeal of Theodosius against hea- ancient writers are:-one against the Origenists,
thenism; and having in A. n. 391 obtained the which is quoted by Theodoret (Dial. 2, p. 191),
emperor's permission to take severe measures with under the title of 7rpoaepowv-cctKbY' 7rpbs Trobe pothe pagans in his diocese, he proceeded to destroy vo'-ras'i'QpLYEvous, and which Gennadius (33)
their temples, and to seize their property, until, calls Adversus Origenem unum et grande volumein;
after Alexandria had been troubled with insur- a Letter to Porphyry, bishop of Antioch, quoted in
rections and bloodshed, most of them were driven the Acta Concil. Ephes. pt. i. c. 4; the three Pasout of Egypt (Socrat. H. E. v. 16). How little chal Letters, or episcopal charges, already menthis religious zeal proceeded from the dictates of tioned, and one more; and some other unimconscience or of calm judgment may be seen by portant orations, letters, and controversial works.
the pains which Theophilus afterwards took to The Paschal Letters are still extant in a trans.
force the bishopric of Cyrene upon Synesius, in lation by Jerome, and are published in the Antispite of his avowed devotion to the heathen Greek dot. contra divers. omrnium seculorum heresias, Basil.
philosophy. [SYNESIUS.] 1528, fol.; and the whole of his extant remains
His behaviour to the different sects, into which are contained, in Gallandii Biblioth. Patr. vol. vii.
the Christians of his diocese were divided, was pp. 603, foll.; Socrat. I. E. vi. 7-17; Sozom.