Testimonies of the Ancients

SIRMOND'S PREFACE

[XXI] Although, perhaps, I could have dispensed with this preface and left what has been accomplished in this edition of our Theodoret to your own eyes, reader, and to your own observation, yet it seemed not unpleasant to briefly indicate a few things regarding which I felt I might be stuck. First of all, regarding the *Questions on the Octateuch*, which are at the beginning of the first volume: although John Picus, the interpreter, recounted that no copy of these existed in his time in the royal library, the best and most ancient copy is now in it, which has provided us not only with Theodoret's preface (hitherto unedited), along with those things which were lacking at the end in Picus's codex, but also, in various places, many things that are either fuller or more amended than the common versions, and has resolved that confusion which was holding the minds of readers in suspense regarding Question 20. [XXII] Where, when Theodoret had brought forth and rejected the opinions of certain ancient writers concerning the image of God—how it should be understood—he seemed subsequently to assert and confirm the very same things he had condemned. This error, as is apparent, arose from the fact that since it is certain that these *Questions* of Theodoret were culled from the ancient *Catenae*, as they are called, the one who transcribed the codex that Picus used appended, through imprudence and omitting the names of the authors, the opinions of Origen as well as Diodorus and Theodore alongside Theodoret's own sentiments. The royal codex, which contains nothing in this place that is not of Theodoret, was completely free of this fault. Having therefore followed this, we have retained what followed in such a way that, by prefixing the names of Origen, Diodorus, and Theodore, we might show them to be not Theodoret's, but others'. Indeed, by this example, we have not only not removed other scraps of this kind of other authors which occurred in other places and retained their own name, but we have sometimes even inserted new ones, which pertained to Theodoret, taken from the same source, hoping it would be to your benefit. Furthermore, in the second volume, which contains the explanations of the prophets, in order that we might in some part compensate for the loss of the *Commentaries* on Isaiah, which are nowhere to be found, we have culled from the same *Catenae* those things which bore the name of Theodoret. These indeed, since they surely embrace the marrow and sap of all that he wrote on Isaiah, will serve as a subsidy in the meantime, while the entire work emerges. Although the hope of obtaining this has long since perished, if I am not mistaken, among the Greeks themselves: for they also set out to produce *Excerpts* of this kind to console the loss, copies of which we remember seeing both in Rome and in Paris, but which did not proceed beyond the fifteenth chapter of Isaiah. In the third volume, 147 of Theodoret's *Epistles* see the light now for the first time—a few, that is to say, if compared with the five hundred which Nicephorus mentions he had read. In these we have presented the Vatican codex, which Cardinal Baronius also used in his *Annals*. Afterward, having procured another from Naples, we selected various readings from it that were more corrected than the Vatican transcript, and we took care to publish them in their proper place. [XXIII] In the fourth volume, there is nothing at all that has not been printed in Greek and Latin before, whereas in the others many things are now brought forth for the first time: in the first, to be sure, the *Questions on the Books of Kings and Chronicles*, and likewise the *Interpretation of the Psalms* and the *Song of Songs*; in the second, the entire explanation of all the prophets, both the major ones except Isaiah and the twelve minor ones; finally, in the third, the *Exposition of the Epistles of the Blessed Paul*, the *Religious History of the Hermits*, and the *Epistles* of Theodoret which we already mentioned. You must also be admonished about the Latin versions, reader, since in a Greek-Latin edition it seemed that this especially had to be looked to: that the Latin should, as far as it was possible, correspond to the Greek with equal spacing, but the verbose style of certain translators did not at all befit the brevity of Theodoret, and it was necessary to act so that we might remedy this inconvenience. While we did this, now more sparingly, now more freely by interpolating certain things, we would have feared censure, had we not been conscious of ourselves, how much we valued the learning and eloquence of all who have been engaged in this arena. Indeed, so that the memory of their benefit should not perish, we have explained whose *Epistles* each person first brought to light, and we have deemed those omitted in other subsequent editions to be restored in our own. Above all, however, we have added the *Life* of Theodoret himself, fashioned primarily from his own *Epistles*. Judge everything fairly, and farewell.

TESTIMONIES OF CERTAIN ANCIENT WRITERS CONCERNING THEODORET.

From the *Epistle* of Saint Pope Leo to Theodoret himself, which exists in its entirety in the Appendix at the end of volume IV of the Sirmond edition.

To his beloved brother Theodoret, bishop, Pope Leo.

As our brothers and fellow-priests return to us, whom the See of blessed Peter sent to the holy council...

^A of Ephesus, we have recognized that your love, by the divine aid, has proved victorious over both the Nestorian impiety and the Eutychian madness. And after other things: But blessed be our God, whose invincible truth has shown you to the world, according to the judgments of the Apostolic See, to be free from every stain of heresy. You will render to Him worthy thanks for so many labors, if you keep yourself such as we have approved and do approve, for the defense of the universal Church. For in that God has dissolved the fallacies of all calumniators, we all recognize the greatest care of the most blessed Peter for us, he who, after he confirmed the judgment of his See in the defense of the faith, did not permit anything reprehensible to be seen regarding the person of any of you who have labored with us for the Catholic faith: because it was not possible, with the Holy Spirit judging, for any of them not to emerge victorious, whose faith had already conquered. ^B

Gennadius the presbyter, in the book *On Illustrious Men*, ch. 89. Theodoret, bishop of the city of Cyrrhus (for, founded by Cyrus, king of the Persians, it preserves even today in Syria the name of its author), is said to have written many things; yet these are the ones that have come to my notice: On the Incarnation of the Lord against the presbyter Eutyches and Dioscorus, bishop of Alexandria, who deny that there was human flesh in Christ—strong writings, through which he confirms, both by reason and by the testimonies of the Scriptures, that He thus possessed true flesh of maternal substance, which He had taken from the Virgin Mother, just as He also had true Deity, which He received from God the Father begetting Him by an eternal birth. And ten books of Ecclesiastical History, which he wrote in imitation of Eusebius of Caesarea, beginning from the end of the books of Eusebius up to his own time, that is, from the Vicennalia of Constantine up to the reign of Leo the Elder, under whom he also died. ^C

Theodore the abbot and philosopher, in the Argument to the Council of Ephesus. With John was present Theodoret, the most eloquent bishop of the eastern city of Cyrrhus. He, acting against Cyril, began to reprehend his twelve chapters, which he wrote in his third epistle to Nestorius; and he refuted them, saying that Saint Cyril was an Arian, and that he held the views of Eunomius and Apollinaris. For Cyril, indeed resisting Nestorius, who divided the Incarnation, showed greater concern for the union; whence he also seemed to Theodoret to be teaching a single nature, just like the Arians and those around Apollinaris. But neither was Theodoret ever seen defending Nestorius, but only accusing Cyril because of the insult brought upon John. But if anyone wishes to know that Nestorius was vehemently hated by Theodoret, let him read the book which Theodoret himself composed *Against Heresies*. ^D

John of Euchaita, in the Eulogies of the Ecclesiastical Writers. When I pursue learned teachers in my letters, Rightly is Theodoret to be reckoned among them, As a divine man, as an excellent teacher, As an immovable pillar of the orthodox faith. But if he was swayed a little by some chance, He was a man, you who are a man, do not bring a charge, take care. This movement was not so much of an evil opinion, As it was of a persistent impetus of battle. For why? It was fitting that Cyril should win everywhere, A man of highest doctrine and eloquence, But later he himself corrected this very thing. Seeing him in all other respects To be, therefore, not inferior to the greatest shepherds, I have rightly recounted him in this place among them.

^A TESTIMONIA VETERUM Of good speech and eloquence And of rhetorical skill and art, How I love you, and wonder at you all the more, O best writer of most beautiful words. Truly clear and luminous are they like lamps. And your words are indeed gleaming pearls, Advocates of godly virtue, But exposers of godless wickedness.

Claudii de Sainctes, later Bishop of Évreux, hexastich on Theodoret. No one interprets the holy things without the power of the gods: If he does it aptly and briefly, they consider the reward doubled. No one among the Greeks more briefly, no one more aptly than he Opens the Scriptures and presses the heretics. Certainly, divine gifts make him worthy of the name, And he is given by God to protect sacred things.

(*) In this new edition we did not wish to omit this most elegant anonymous epigram, which Henry Savile once copied from an old manuscript.

CERTAIN TESTIMONIES

Theodoret himself in his Preface to the books of Kings recounts them individually. "Since, relying on divine grace, we have interpreted the books of Moses the lawgiver, and of Joshua the prophet, and of the Judges, and of Ruth, come, let us again pray to receive the radiance of this light, and unfold the histories of the Kings."

The same, in 1 Chronicles, p. 561. "We have spoken of the difference between musical instruments in the books of Kings."

Photius in Bibliotheca, codex 204. "I read the Explanation of the Octateuch by the same divine man, the blessed Theodoret, which has an inscription appropriate to the work. For it deals with the difficult places of Scripture, among which are those on the books of Kings and those on Chronicles. The book is most useful in every respect."

Theodoret himself in epistle 82, to Eusebius, Bishop of Ancyra. ^B "For by the grace of God, I have expounded all the prophets, and the Psalter, and the Apostle."