Patriarch Dioscorus of Alexandria : the last pharaoh and ecclesiastical politics in the later Roman empire /
This book provides the first full account of Dioscorus as patriarch of Alexandria between 444 and 451 CE. Often historically tarnished as a ruthless 'tyrant-bishop' in the Western Church, Dioscorus is shown rather to be a conflicted reformer against the backdrop of the Later Roman Empire a...
| Main Author: | |
|---|---|
| Format: | eBook |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Oxford ; New York, NY :
Oxford University Press,
[2023]
|
| Series: | Oxford early Christian studies.
|
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | Connect to the full text of this electronic book |
| Summary: | This book provides the first full account of Dioscorus as patriarch of Alexandria between 444 and 451 CE. Often historically tarnished as a ruthless 'tyrant-bishop' in the Western Church, Dioscorus is shown rather to be a conflicted reformer against the backdrop of the Later Roman Empire and its political mechanisms for implementing 'Orthodoxy'. Patriarch Dioscorus of Alexandria: The Last Pharaoh of Alexandria and Ecclesiastical Politics in the Later Roman Empire offers a thorough revision of the historical role of Dioscorus as patriarch of Alexandria between 444 and 451 ce. The monograph works on the premise that the Christological controversy of the fifth century can only be fully understood against the background of imperial politics in the Later Roman Empire. Christian theology did not develop without its historical context, and how 'Orthodoxy' was implemented depended on the mechanisms of late imperial (ecclesiastical) politics. The focus is on Dioscorus, one of the major protagonists of the Christological controversy, whose image is extremely distorted: he became a saint in those eastern church traditions which oppose the Council of Chalcedon, while western church traditions remember him as heretic and violent villain. Western scholarship maintains the image of Dioscorus as 'ruthless and ambitious', a 'tyrant-bishop' feared by his opponents - the 'Attila of the Eastern Church'. The book breaks with these negative stereotypes and offers the first serious historical analysis of Dioscorus as ecclesiastical politician and reformer. It discusses the discrepancy that theologically Dioscorus was a loyal follower of his famous predecessor Cyril of Alexandria (412-444) while politically he was the protagonist of the anti-Cyrillian party in Alexandria. Analysing Dioscorus' role as president of the Second Council of Ephesus in 449 and his downfall and deposition at the Council of Chalcedon in 451, the book also offers a much-needed new reading of the acts of these two general councils. |
|---|---|
| Physical Description: | 1 online resource. |
| Bibliography: | Includes bibliographical references and index. |
| ISBN: | 0192699172 9780191967641 0191967645 9780192699169 0192699164 9780192699176 |