RELIGIOUS ENCYCLOPEDIA
Theotokes Theremin
food nor drink, but only the law, the prophecies, songs of praise, and the like. All day they contemplated the (Old Testament) Scriptures, deciphering the hidden sense from the words assumed as symbols. As models they had also the writings of " ancient men," or the memorials of their founders. Besides, they had songs and hymns in different meters. Their devotional chambers they left only after sunset for food and sleep, without crossing, as a rule, the threshold of the house. Fasting was carried on from three to six days in the week. On the seventh day as well as the forty-ninth and fiftieth, after anointing themselves with oil, they assembled in common celebration, the sexes being separated by a partition. On such days, they arrayed themselves in white garments and partook of a common meal, prescribed to consist of bread, salt, hyssop, and water. The leader delivered a discourse, which was followed by philosophizing on the part of the members, interspersed with singing. Then the holy table was brought in, containing the most sacred viands, leavened bread and salt. The allegorical significance referring to the table in the temple and the distinction of the holy ones (priests) from others is obscure. Then followed an all-night vigil, consisting of exhilarating choral song and dance, in imitation of that of Miriam upon the deliverance from the Red Sea (Ex. xv. 1-21).
The first to mention this writing was Eusebius (Hist, eccl, II., xvi.-xvii.; Eng. transl., NPNF, 2d ser., i. 116-119), who, professing to quote from Philo, regarded the Therapeutae as the oldest Alexandrine Christians, and they and their practises were to him the weightiest proof that the Christian asceticism of his day, the philosophizing monasticism, was original Christianity itself. This was a strong support to the conception of Christianity which prevailed in the Church at the time. Philo rose in estimation and Jerome placed him among the illustrious men of the Church, a dignity which remained unchallenged for a thousand years. Protestant criticism easily overturned this assumption, and declared the Therapeutae to have been a society of philosophizing Jews. Until recently this verdict prevailed, and the appearance of the Therapeutae in the time of Christ was industriously employed to illustrate the diversification of the Jews in Alexandria. They were presumed to be the Alexandrine parallel to the Palestinian Essenes. H. Graetz first pointed out that they must be Christian monks of the third century (Geschichte der Juden, hi. 463 sqq., 2d ed., Leipsic, 1882). The result of the reinvestigation of P. F. Lucius (Die Therapeuten und ihre Stellung in der Geschichte der Askese, Strasburg, 1879) was as follows: the work was produced not long before the two of Eusebius by a literary philosophic author of ascetic temperament as a panegyric of asceticism; and to secure the weight of antiquity and authority he attached Philo's name. That the existence of the sect was most improbable among the Jews of the Alexandrine period was shown on internal grounds. Besides, although represented to be scattered world-wide no writer before Eusebius mentioned them, nor did Philo in any other of his writings. Philo could neither have intended nor composed it as an appendix to the
Quod omnis probus liber. Not only the details but the philosophic-ascetic ideals of the author with their rude attacks upon Plato and Hellenism are inconsistent with Philo's sympathy for Hellenic culture. That it was a Christian work of about the year 300 was shown because (1) Eusebius, who knew Christian monasticism, rediscovered Christian monks in the Therapeutae; (2) sects based on the Old Testament but who stripped off the Jewish national character are unknown in Judaism; (3) if Christian monks are at the basis, the writing can not be earlier than the middle of the third century. In conclusion, Lucius, from his thorough acquaintance with monasticism before Constantine, was able to point out the detailed correspondence of the Therapeutae to Christian monks, even after the author had veiled unequivocal Christian marks. Nevertheless, if this prove conclusive, yet the writing would open glimpses in many points into an ancient Christian monasticism hitherto unknown. At least not in every respect would it stand isolated to modern knowledge (see Hieracas, Hieracites) ; it would locate itself in some offshoot from Origen, but in detail would contain much that is new and striking, since reference to Gnostic communities is not to be thought of. But new light has been brought to bear on the work by F. C. Conybeare, and by P. Wendland (Die Therapeuten, Leipsic, 1896). The latter showed that the work accords philologically with the genuine tracts, and points out, from traditional historical considerations, that it was already in existence by the middle of the third century. He made it seem probable, further, that the inconsistency with other works of Philo does not necessarily invalidate unity of authorship; and that the tract was a continuation of the description of the Essenes, and therefore a part of the lost He hyper Judaion apologia, which is identical with the Hypothetika. If, until further proof to the contrary, the work is to obtain as genuine, then the Therapeutas are to be recognized as a circle of Jewish contemplative students of Scripture settled on Lake Mareotis. If the whole is literally true, Philo has introduced much that is extra-Jewish and strange; and that he is silent about them elsewhere remains striking. With the Essenes the Therapeutae have no connection.
(A. Harnack.)
Bibliography: The completeness of the edition of Philo's De vita contemplativa by F. C. Conybeare noted in the text, including the commentary and a most comprehensive series of excursuses covering all questions respecting the Therapeutae, together with the annotated bibliography (pp. 391-399), makes unnecessary here a list of works. Investigation of this subject should not be undertaken without a mastery of what Conybeare has offered. Later discussions do little beside traverse his work. Cf. W. Bousset, Die Religion des Judentums, pp. 443 sqq., Berlin, 1903; DCB, iv. 368-371.
THEREMIN, LUDWIG FRIEDRICH FRANZ: Distinguished preacher and professor in Berlin; b. at Gramzow (55 m. n.e. of Berlin) Mar. 19, 1780; d. in Berlin Sept. 26, 1846. He studied at Halle, and was ordained in Geneva in 1805. From 1810 he lived in Berlin, first as French preacher of a Reformed congregation, after 1814 as (German) court preacher. He became superior consistorial coun-
Theresa