Rufinus the Syrian or Rufinus of Syria (

fl. ''Floruit'' (; abbreviated fl. or occasionally flor.; from Latin for "they flourished") denotes a date or period during which a person was known to have been alive or active. In English, the unabbreviated word may also be used as a noun indicatin ...

c. 400) was a Christian theologian, priest and author, generally identified as a

Pelagian Pelagianism is a Christian theological position that holds that the original sin did not taint human nature and that humans by divine grace have free will to achieve human perfection. Pelagius ( – AD), an ascetic and philosopher from t ...

."Rufinus (fl. 399–401?)"
in F. L. Cross and E. A. Livingstone, eds., ''The Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church'', 3 rev. ed. (Oxford University Press, 2005 nline 2009. According to the anti-Pelagian writer

Marius Mercator Marius Mercator (born probably in Northern Africa about 390; died shortly after 451) was a Latin Christian ecclesiastical writer best known for his advocacy of Augustinian theology during the Pelagian controversy. In 417 or 418 he was in Rome whe ...

, Rufinus "of the Syrian nation" (''natione Syrus'') taught at

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus ( legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

during the episcopate of Anastasius I (399–401) and through this teaching was a bad influence on the theology of

Pelagius Pelagius (; c. 354–418) was a British theologian known for promoting a system of doctrines (termed Pelagianism by his opponents) which emphasized human choice in salvation and denied original sin. Pelagius and his followers abhorred the moral ...

and his followers. There is disagreement between scholars over the correct reading of the word preceding ''natione Syrus'': it is either ''quidam'' ("a nobody of Syrian race") or ''quondam'' ("at one time of the nation of Syria"). Walter Dunphy even argues that whole phrase is ultimately a copyist's error and that there was no Rufinus from Syria.Stuart Squires, ''The Pelagian Controversy: An Introduction to the Enemies of Grace and the Conspiracy of Lost Souls'' (Pickwick, 2019), pp. 61–67. There are a total of seven references to persons named Rufinus from around 400 and scholars are unsure how many individuals lie behind them. There are three other Rufinuses who are often identified with the Mercator's Syrian Rufinus. If "Syrian" was being used in its broad sense (i.e., of

Syria Palaestina Syria Palaestina (literally, "Palestinian Syria";Trevor Bryce, 2009, ''The Routledge Handbook of the Peoples and Places of Ancient Western Asia''Roland de Vaux, 1978, ''The Early History of Israel'', Page 2: "After the revolt of Bar Cochba in 135 ...

), then Mercator's Rufinus may be identical to the Rufinus who was a monk in

Bethlehem Bethlehem (; ar, بيت لحم ; he, בֵּית לֶחֶם '' '') is a city in the central West Bank, Palestine, about south of Jerusalem. Its population is approximately 25,000,Amara, 1999p. 18.Brynen, 2000p. 202. and it is the capital ...

and went on a mission to the West for

Jerome Jerome (; la, Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus; grc-gre, Εὐσέβιος Σωφρόνιος Ἱερώνυμος; – 30 September 420), also known as Jerome of Stridon, was a Christian priest, confessor, theologian, and historian; he is co ...

in early 399. The Syrian Rufinus is usually identified with the Rufinus who wrote the ''Liber de fide'' (Book of Faith), which survives in a single manuscript, now MS Q. v. 1. 6 in the Saint Petersburg Public Library. The manuscript describes the author as a priest from the province of Palestine. In this work Rufinus attacks

Arianism Arianism ( grc-x-koine, Ἀρειανισμός, ) is a Christological doctrine first attributed to Arius (), a Christian presbyter from Alexandria, Egypt. Arian theology holds that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, who was begotten by God ...

Origen Origen of Alexandria, ''Ōrigénēs''; Origen's Greek name ''Ōrigénēs'' () probably means "child of Horus" (from , "Horus", and , "born"). ( 185 – 253), also known as Origen Adamantius, was an early Christian scholar, ascetic, and the ...

ism and the doctrine of

original sin Original sin is the Christian doctrine that holds that humans, through the fact of birth, inherit a tainted nature in need of regeneration and a proclivity to sinful conduct. The biblical basis for the belief is generally found in Genesis 3 ...

. The work was for a long time ascribed erroneously to

Tyrannius Rufinus Tyrannius Rufinus, also called Rufinus of Aquileia (''Rufinus Aquileiensis'') or Rufinus of Concordia (344/345–411), anglicized as Tyrann Rufine, was a monk, historian, and theologian. He is best known as a translator of Greek patristic mat ...

. The latter, also called Rufinus of Aquileia, was definitely a different person. The Syrian Rufinus is usually also identified with the "holy priest" mentioned by

Caelestius Caelestius (or Celestius) was the major follower of the Christian teacher Pelagius and the Christian doctrine of Pelagianism, which was opposed to Augustine of Hippo and his doctrine in original sin, and was later declared to be heresy. Developme ...

at his trial in

Carthage Carthage was the capital city of Ancient Carthage, on the eastern side of the Lake of Tunis in what is now Tunisia. Carthage was one of the most important trading hubs of the Ancient Mediterranean and one of the most affluent cities of the classi ...

in 411. At that time the priest was already dead.

References

External links

A new translation of the ''Liber de Fide'' by Walter Dunphy
Syrian Christians 4th-century births 5th-century deaths 4th-century Christians 4th-century Latin writers Pelagians

References

Further reading

External links