Methodius of Olympus

Methodius of Olympus

The Church Father and Saint Methodius of Olympus (died ca. 311) was a Christian bishop, ecclesiastical author, and martyr.

Contents

Life

Few reports have survived on the life of this first scientific opponent of Origen; even these short accounts present many difficulties. Eusebius does not mention him in his Church History, probably because he opposed various theories of Origen. We are indebted to Saint Jerome for the earliest accounts of him[1]. According to him, Methodius was Bishop of Olympos in Lycia and afterwards Bishop of Tyre. The latter statement is not reliable; no later Greek author knows anything of his being Bishop of Tyre; and according to Eusebius[2], Tyrannio was Bishop of Tyre during the persecutions of Diocletian and died a martyr; after the persecution Paulinus was elected bishop of the city. Jerome further states that Methodius suffered martyrdom at the end of the last persecution, i.e., under Maximinus Daia (311). Although he then adds, "that some assert", that this may have happened under Decius and Valerian at Chalcis, this statement (ut alii affirmant), adduced even by him as uncertain, is unlikely. Various attempts have been made to clear up the error concerning the mention of Tyre as a subsequent bishopric of Methodius; it is possible that he was transported to Tyre during the persecution and died there.

Works

Methodius had a comprehensive philosophical education, and was an important theologian as well as a prolific and polished author. Chronologically, his works can only be assigned in a general way to the end of the third and the beginning of the fourth century. He became of special importance in the history of theological literature, in that he combated various views of the great Alexandrian, Origen. He particularly attacked his doctrine that man's body at the resurrection is not the same body as he had in life, as well as his idea of the world's eternity. Nevertheless he recognized the great services of Origen in ecclesiastical theology.

Like Origen, he is strongly influenced by Plato's philosophy, and uses to a great extent the allegorical explanation of Scripture. Of his numerous works only one has come down to us complete in a Greek text: the dialogue on virginity, under the title Symposium, or on Virginity (Symposion e peri hagneias)[3]. In the dialogue, composed with reference to Plato's Symposium, he depicts a festive meal of ten virgins in the garden of Arete, at which each of the participators extols Christian virginity and its sublime excellence. It concludes with a hymn on Jesus as the Bridegroom of the Church. Larger fragments are preserved of several other writings in Greek; we know of other works from old versions in Slavonic, though some are abbreviated.

The following works are in the form of dialogue:

  1. On Free Will (peri tou autexousiou), an important treatise attacking the Gnostic view of the origin of evil and in proof of the freedom of the human will
  2. On the Resurrection (Aglaophon e peri tes anastaseos), in which the doctrine that the same body that man has in life will be awakened to incorruptibility at the resurrection is specially put forward in opposition to Origen.

While large portions of the original Greek text of both these writings are preserved, we have only Slavonic versions of the four following shorter treatises:

  1. De vita, on life and rational action, which exhorts in particular to contentedness in this life and to the hope of the life to come
  2. De cibis, on the Jewish dietary laws, and on the young cow, which is mentioned in Leviticus, with allegorical explanation of the Old Testament food-legislation and the red cow (Num., xix)
  3. De lepra, on leprosy, to Sistelius, a dialogue between Eubulius (Methodius) and Sistelius on the mystic sense of the Old Testament references to lepers (Lev., xiii)
  4. De sanguisuga, on the leech in Proverbs (Prov., xxx, 15 sq.) and on the text, "the heavens show forth the glory of God" (Ps. xviii, 2).

Of other writings, no longer extant, Jerome mentions (loc. cit.) a voluminous work against Porphyry, the Neoplatonist who had published a book against Christianity; a treatise on the Pythonissa directed against Origen, commentaries on Genesis and the Canticle of Canticles. Other authors attributed a work On the Martyrs, and a dialogue Xenon to Methodius; in the latter he opposes the doctrine of Origen on the eternity of the world. Gregory Abu'l Faraj attribute to Methodius some kind of work dealing with the patriarchs.[4]

The 7th-century Apocalypse of Pseudo-Methodius is falsely attributed to him. His feast day is September 18. Among the editions of his works are: P.G., XVIII; Jahn, S. Methodii opera et S. Methodius platonizans (Halle, 1865); Bonwetsch, Methodius von Olympus: I, Schriften (Leipzig, 1891).

Doctrines

Virginity of Jesus Christ

Methodius taught that Jesus Christ remained a virgin His whole life as an example for men:

"What then did the Lord, the Truth and the Light, accomplish on coming down to the world? He preserved His flesh incorrupt in virginity with which he had adorned it. And so let us too, if we are to come to the likeness of God, endeavor to aspire to the virginity of Christ." (Symposium 1.5)

Notes

  1. ^ De viris illustribus, chapter 83
  2. ^ Historia Ecclesiastica, VIII, xiii.
  3. ^ In Patrologia Graeca, XVIII, 27-220.
  4. ^ http://books.google.com/books?id=1cKlL1vjqTwC&pg=PA237&dq=gabriel+melitene#v=onepage&q=adam&f=false

Further reading

  • Patterson, L. G. (Lloyd George), Methodius of Olympus: Divine Sovereignty, Human Freedom, and Life in Christ (Washington: Catholic University of America Press, 1997).

 This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domainHerbermann, Charles, ed (1913). "St. Methodius of Olympus". Catholic Encyclopedia. Robert Appleton Company. 


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Поможем сделать НИР

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Methodius of Olympus, Saint — • Bishop, ecclesiastical writer, martyr, died c. 311 Catholic Encyclopedia. Kevin Knight. 2006 …   Catholic encyclopedia

  • Methodius von Olympus — Methodios von Olympos, lateinisch Methodius († vermutlich 311 oder 312) war ein griechischer christlicher Schriftsteller, nach manchen Quellen auch Bischof und Märtyrer. Er ist Heiliger der Katholischen Kirche, sein Fest wird am 18. September… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • St. Methodius of Olympus —     St. Methodius of Olympus     † Catholic Encyclopedia ► St. Methodius of Olympus     Bishop and ecclesiastical author, date of birth unknown; died a martyr, probably in 311. Concerning the life of this first scientific opponent of Origen very… …   Catholic encyclopedia

  • Methodius — may refer to: Methodius of Olympus (d. 311), Christian bishop, church father, and martyr Methodius I of Constantinople (c. 790 847), patriarch of Constantinople Saint Methodius (826 885), Byzantine Greek archbishop of Great Moravia and scholar… …   Wikipedia

  • Olympus — • Titular see of Lycia in Asia Minor. Catholic Encyclopedia. Kevin Knight. 2006. Olympus     Olympus     † …   Catholic encyclopedia

  • Methodius, S. (3) — 3S. Methodius. Ep. M. (20. Juni). Dieser hl. Methodius wird in allen Heiligenverzeichnissen der griechischen Kirche erwähnt. In einem ihrer Menologien wird er als »ehrwürdiges Gefäß des göttlichen Geistes«, und »dessen unsterbliches Werkzeug«,… …   Vollständiges Heiligen-Lexikon

  • Methodius, S. (4) — 4S. Methodius Ep. M. (18. Sept.). Von diesem hl. Methodius, welchen die Boll. von dem eben beschriebenen unterscheiden, während Andere an der Einheit ihrer Person festhalten, sind nur wenige sichere Nachrichten vorhanden. Es gedenkt seiner der hl …   Vollständiges Heiligen-Lexikon

  • Apocalypse of Pseudo-Methodius — The Apocalypse of Pseudo Methodius is a 7th century apocalypse that shaped the eschatological imagination of Christendom throughout the Middle Ages. The work was written in Syriac in the late 7th century, in reaction to the Islamic conquest of… …   Wikipedia

  • Мефодий Олимпийский — Μεθόδιος Πατάρων …   Википедия

  • Méthode d'Olympe — ou de Patare (en grec Μεθόδιος Όλύμπου) est un écrivain chrétien de langue grecque, mort sans doute en 311 ou 312, et qui aurait été évêque et martyr. L hypothèse qu il aurait été évêque de Patare provient du fait que son dialogue Sur la… …   Wikipédia en Français

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”