Saturday, February 20, 2010

Christological contribution of Severious of Antioch to the Syrian Orthodox Church



Introduction
Severious was the Syrian Orthodox Patriarch of the Antioch. According to Syrian Orthodox historians, he was the main defender of Syrian Orthodox Faith. The main works of Severious of Antioch are Liturgical works, letters, treatises, homilies, teachings etc. Most of the works are preserved in various libraries. Some works are published Patrologia Orientals. His homilies was delivered to a more varied audience as well as we can clearly visible his faith proclamation in his homilies. Those homilies are contained by main teachings of the Syrian Orthodox Church. He delivered that homilies in churches, monasteries and towns. Currently, Christian intellectual world conducting researches in the Christology of Severious.

A Short Biography of Severious
Severious of Antioch was born in 465 at Sozopolis in Pisidia ( The South western part of Modern Turkey) in a aristocratic family. His father was a senator. He completed his basic studies in Pisidia. Then he moved to Alexandria. From Alexandria he studied Philosophy, Greek, Latin and natural sciences at Alexandria and then he went to Beirut for his studies on Roman law to become an Advocate. Then he moved to Lebanon and intended to begin to practice the profession of advocacy. In that time he was attracted by the Christian religion and he decided to Christianity. He was baptized in 499 in Lebanon and he joined a Syrian Orthodox Monastery in Lebanon. This monastery is isolated from the world for a time, devoting him exclusively spiritual asceticism, the maceration of the body, separated from worldly activities. Severious ordained as a Priest Later he was elected Patriarch of Antioch in A.D. 512. At that moment he began to put in writing its conceptual development. The changing of political-religious imperial, religious intransigence with the arrival of Justin I in 518 Severious, was deposed from his chair. He was forced to abandon his Episcopal seat, and with it Antioch. Severious was able to return to Constantinople, between 531 and 536, where he enjoyed the direct protection of Theodora. At last he died in the Egyptian desert in A.D. 538.


Christology of Syrian Orthodox Church and His contributions
The Syrian Orthodox Church accepts the First three of the Councils. That is the Counicl of Niceae (325), The council of Constantinople (381), The council of Ephesus (431). The decisions of these Councils were not dominated by national or political agendas. These Councils defined the one true nature of the Incarnate God, proclaiming Jesus Christ as true God and true man; but united, without confusion and without division. Each of the regional Churches understood these gatherings as a sign of their ultimate unity, opportunities to witness in true Christian love. This faith was maintained until the de­velopment of the teaching of "two natures" framed at the Council of Chalcedon (A. D. 451), which was contrary to the teachings of the above mentioned Councils. This fourth gathering attempted to justify a formula of "two natures" in Christ against the "one nature" The Syrian Orthodox Church explicitly believes that HE is One out of both. The Logos and the humanity constitute one nature not two nature, and union is established not with losing His original attributes. The nature of humanity was not dis­solved in the Divine, as Eutyches taught at one point, but rather the Divine made the nature of human immediately its own. After the union, Jesus Christ is One not two, knowing the distinction between the natures and not confusing one with the other. Philaxinose of Mabugh states that "We became sons of God, although
our nature was not changed, and Christ became a man by his mercy, although his essence was not changed.[1]
Severious of Antioch’s Christology based on the first three councils, influence of Cyril of Alexandria’s teachings and School of Alexandria. For Severious, the concepts of
Nature and Hypostasis , are synonyms, except that the term Nature could refer either to the specific (individual) or to the generic (non individual), while the term Hypostasis always refers to an individual.[2]Severious argues for two kinds of hypostases: the non self-existent and self-existent hypostasis. The combination or union of these two makes one complete hypostasis. A simple self-existent hypostasis is one that exists in its own right and is not composite: the Father or the Holy Spirit is a simple self-existent hypostasis. Christ, on the other hand, is one self-existent composite hypostasis, the product of a union of a simple self-existent with a non-self existent hypostasis. The simple self-existent hypostasis is the divinity of Christ, and the simple non-self-existent hypostasis is the humanity of Christ. [3]

Influence of Cyril of Alexandria
Firstly, that Severious considered himself to be a disciple of Cyril of Alexandria. Thus we should not read into any of his teachings an anti-Cyrilline meaning which is not justified by his complete commitment to a Cyrilline Christology. Secondly, that the writings of Severious should be read in continuity with those of Cyril and not as though they taught something different. Any obscure points in the teaching of Severious should be explained by the teaching of Cyril and not assumed to be at odds with it. Syrian Orthodox Church considered as central the Christological ‘mia physis’ formula of St. Cyril “one incarnate nature of God the Word".[4] St. Cyril’s formula was accepted by the Council of Ephesus in 431. It was neither nullified by the Reunion of 433, nor condemned at Chalcedon. On the contrary, it continued to be considered an orthodox formula.[5]
Conclusion
Syrian Orthodox Church on the other hand opposes the Eutychian heresy that sees the in Christ's Incarnation, the humanity of Jesus swallowed up like a "drop of vinegar in a sea" of divinity. In the One Nature, both completely and fully human and divine, the properties of both continue to operate in the person of Jesus Christ. Both errors are avoided and rejected, serving as a balance for Syrian Orthodox Christology.

Foot Note
[1] Three Letters of Philoxenus, Bishop of Mabbogh (ed. And tr. A. VASCHALDE,
Dissertation for PhD; Rome: 1902. p. 164-5.
[2] E. W. Brooks, “A Collection of Letters of Severus of Antioch, from Numerous
Syriac Manuscripts (Letters I to LXI),” Patrologia Orientalis 12 Paris,1919.
[3] ABDUL MASSIH SAADI, Christological Contention and Tolerance in the Syriac Church Traditions: A Case for Ecumenism, Lutheran School of Theology, Chicago, p.50-52.

[4] Fr. Matthias F. Wahba, Monophysitism: Reconsidered, St. Antonius Coptic Orthodox Church, Hayward, California.
[5] Now what do the non-Chalcedonians mean by the mia physis, the "one incarnate nature?". They mean by mia one, but not "single one" or "simple numerical one," as some scholars believe. There is a slight difference between mono and mia. While the former suggests one single (divine) nature, the latter refers to one composite and united nature, as reflected by the Cyrillian formula. Cfr. Fr. Matthias F. Wahba, Monophysitism: Reconsidered, St. Antonius Coptic Orthodox Church, Hayward, California.


Other References


J.A. Dorner, History of the Development of the Doctrine of the Person of Christ, Vol. 1:2. Edinburgh, 1862.


George Dion Dragas, "The Anti-Apollinarist Christology of St. Gregory of Nyssa: A First Analysis," Greek Orthodox Theological Review 42.3-4 (1997): 299-314


J. Egan, "Gregory of Nazianzus and the Logos Doctrine," J. Plevnic, ed., Word and Spirit: Essays in Honor of David Michael Stanley. Willowdale, ON: 1975. pp.281-322.J. Jeremias, The Problem of the Historical Jesus. Philadelphia: Fortress, 1972.


Jacob Mathew, Christology of St. Severus of Antioch Mainly Basing His First Thirty One Cathedral Homilies, Doctoral Dissertation submitted to the University of Salzburg, Austria, 2001.



Torrance IR, Christology after Chalcedon, Severus of Antioch and Sergius the Monophysite, Norwich, 1988.

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