Theodore oy Mopsuestia. bishop, and leader in the so-called theological school of Antioch, was born at Antioch about the year 350. He studied philosophy and rhetoric, the latter in company with John Chrysos- tom at the school of the famous Libaniiis. Stimulated by Chrysostom to a fervor of Christian enthusiasm, he renounced his proposed secular career in order to devote himself to Christian studies and monastic asceticism; and though affection for a lady named Hermione inter- rupted his course, he was recalled to it by the zealous efforts of his friend, and, through the intluence of his teacher, Diodorus of Tarsus, who introduced liim to the study of sacred literature, was confirmed in it for life. Two of Chrj'sostom's letters to Theodore in relation to this subject are yet extant. He became a presbyter at Antioch and rapidly acquired re]iutation, but soon re- moved to Tarsus, and thence to IMopsuestia, in Cilicia Secunda, as bishop. In 394 he attended a council at Constantinople, and subsequently other synods. When Chrysostom was overtaken by his adverse fortunes, Theodore sought to aid his cause, but without suc- cess. Theodore himself enjoyed a notable reputation throughout the Church, especially in the Eastern branch. Even Cyril of Alexandria deemed him worthy of praise and esteem. He was accused, indeed, of favoring the heresy of Pelagius, but died in peace in 428 or 429, before the Christological quarrel began between the schools of Antioch and Alexandria, in which his char- acter for orthodoxy was so seriously impaired. After his death, the Nestorians ajipealed to his writings in support of their opinions, and at the Fifth CEcumenical Council Theodore and his writings were condemned. His memory was revered among the Nestorians, and his works were held in repute in the churches of Syria.
The theological im|)ortancc of this father grows chief- ly out of his relation to tlie Christological controversies of his time, and, in a lower degree, out of his exegeti- cal labors. He was an uncommonly prolific writer, and expended much effort on the exposition of the Script- ures; but of his exegetical works only a commentary on the minor prophets in Greek has been preserved in- tact to the present time. Other expositions of minor books, e. g. the Pauline epistles, which had been pub- lished in Latin by Hilary of Poitiers, have lately been recognised as the property- of Theodore. Frag- ments of still other exegetical labors by this father are scattered through the compilations of Wegner, Mai, and Fritzsche (see below). Theodore's method was that of sober, historical exposition, although his results are not always satisfactory-; and to this he added inde- pendent criticism of the canon. He distinguished the books of the Bible into prophetical, historical, and di- dactic writings, the latter class including the books of Solomon, Job, etc., whose inspiration he denied.
In Christology Theodore was opposed to Angustini- anism. and thus naturally approximated to Pelagian- ism, though his position was intermediate. Adam was
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created mortal. The human will, in its earthly cnvi- r.mnuiit. wimlil necessarily be drawn into sin. Adam's sin was not transmitted, and Christ's work had lor its uhject the enablinij of a created ami imperfect nature to realize the true end of its beina: ratlier ilian the res- toration of a ruined nature. All iiitelliifent beint^s were iiieliuled in this imrpose, and it would eonseqnently ap- l>ear that Tiieodorc tauj;ht the imi)ossibility of eternal pimisiimeiit.
The works of this author which are still extanfare, .1 Ciiiti'iifiiliiri/ on the Minor Pniplictit (Werner [ Berol. Ifi34 I ; Mai, Script. I \t. Xuv. Coll. [ Horn. l«o2 ], vol. vi). and Fni'/iiieiit.<. in Mai, .\'oi: Pdtr. Bihl. 1854, vol. vii. The (Ireek frai^mentsare more completely given in Fritzsche, Tlieod. .l/o;w. in N. Test. Comm. (Turici, 1847). I'itra, in Spicil. Soksm.iVar. 1854), vol. i, has Latin versions of Theodore's commentaries on Pliilippiaus, Colossians, and Thessalonians. See also ^lercalor, Opji. ed. Baluz., on the councils iiTowing out of the controversy of the Three Cliapters. etc.
Liter/itiire. — Uiipin, Xotn: Bihl. vol. iii ; Cave, Script. Keel. Hist. [At. p. 217 ; Tillemont, Meiuoirts, vol. xii ; Fa- bricius, Hihl. Grieca, ix, 1 5o sq. (ed. Ilarl. x, 3415) ; Norisii Diss, dc Si/ikhIo Qiiintd, in his JJist. Peldf/. Pat. l()7o, and ;)p/-C()H//(((iarner in Wni Liberdtus; the Church liistories: F'ritzsche. De Theod. .Mops. Vita et Script. (183()); Kle- ner, Si/mlxil. Lit. ad Theod. Mops. Pe rt in. {Gott. 1830). Also, with reference to exegetical questions, Sieffert, Theod. A/ops. Vet. Test, sobrie Interpr. Vind. (Kegiom. 1827); Kiihn, Theod. Mop. u. .Jun. Africanus als Exet/e- ten (Freib. 1880) ; and the histories of interpretation. With reference to doctrines, the literature of the Pela- gian controversy, and especially Dorner, P/ifirirklinir/s- f/esch.vol. ii. — Smith, Did. of Biog. and Mythol. s. v.; and Herzog, Real- Encyklop. s. v.
Theodore I, pope, was a Greek by birth, and reign- ed from (142 to (;4!l. He excimimunicated Paul, the |)a- triarch of Constantinople, in (540, for holding Monothe- lite views, and recognised in his stead the banished pa- triarch Pyrrhus, who had recanted his jMonothelite er- rors while at Home. Pyrrhus, however, returned to his heretical opinions, and Theodore thereupon pronounced the ban against him. Shortly before his death, in ()49, this pope convened a synod at Kome which rejected tlie Typos promulgated by the emperor Constans H; and he also sent a vicar, in the person of the bishop of Dore, to Palestine in order to dismiss all bishops who should be founil to hold the Monothelite heresy, and thus stamp out the sect's adherents. lie wrote Epistola Synodica ad Paiiliiiii Pair. Const., and Eremplar Proposit. Cun- stantinop. Transmissee adr. Pyrrhnm.