THE'ODORE OF MOP'SUES'TIA (c.350 428). The most noted biblical scholar and the ologian of the school of Antioch. lle was born in Antioch, was educated under the rhetorician Libanius, and studied theology with Diodorus. At the age of thirty-two he was made presbyter of the Antiochian Church, and in 392 he became Bishop of Mopsuestia, a little village in Cilicia, about 40 miles from Tarsus. In fame and influ ence he surpassed all the other Christian teach ers and writers of the East. llis biblical scholar ship seems almost modern. His commentarieli have in many cases perished, but enough remains to show his hisIorieal spirit, and the simple, literal method of interpretation which character ized the school of Antioch, as against the mys tical, allegorical method of Alexandria. Theodore expounded almost all the books of the Bible. Be also wrote on the Incarnation and various other theological topics. Soon after his death, charges of doctrinal error began to be brought against him, yet no word of censure was spoken by the Council of Ephesus (431). He had no doubt fa vored the Pelagians, and the fact that he had been the teacher of Nestorius was afterwards remembered against him. Opposition to his the
ology continued and increased until the fifth general council (Constantinople, 553), when he was explicitly condemned, in connection with the `Three Chapter Controversy.' Yet Theodore remains one of the truly great teachers of the ancient Church, worthy to be compared with Origen, whom he equaled in knowledge of the Bible, and surpassed in soundness of its inter pretation. Part of the remains of Theodore's works are printed in Migne. Patrologia Grffea, vol. lxvi. The Latin version of his commentary on the minor Pauline Epistles has been edited by Swete (Cambridge, 1880-82), and the Syriac version of his commentary on John by Chabot (Paris, 1897). The best general account of Theodore in English is the article by Swete in Smith and Wace's Dictionary of Christian Biog raphy, vol. iv. Consult also, Moeller, History of the Christian Church, vol. i. (London, 1892) ; Bardenhewer, Patrologie (Freiburg, 1901).