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Works
Methodius had a comprehensive philosophical education, and was an important theologian
Theology is the study of religious belief from a religious perspective, with a focus on the nature of divinity. It is taught as an academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itself with the unique content of ...
as well as a prolific and polished author. Chronologically, his works can only be assigned in a general way to the end of the third and the beginning of the 4th century. He became of special importance in the history of theological literature, in that he combated various views of Origen's. He particularly attacked Origen's doctrine that man's body at the resurrection is not the same body as he had in life, as well as his idea of the world's eternity.
Like Origen, Methodius is strongly influenced by Plato
Plato ( ; Greek language, Greek: , ; born BC, died 348/347 BC) was an ancient Greek philosopher of the Classical Greece, Classical period who is considered a foundational thinker in Western philosophy and an innovator of the writte ...
's philosophy, and uses to a great extent the allegorical
As a literary device or artistic form, an allegory is a narrative or visual representation in which a character, place, or event can be interpreted to represent a meaning with moral or political significance. Authors have used allegory throughou ...
explanation of Scripture
Religious texts, including scripture, are texts which various religions consider to be of central importance to their religious tradition. They often feature a compilation or discussion of beliefs, ritual practices, moral commandments and ...
. Of his numerous works only one has come down to us complete in a Greek text: the dialogue on virginity, under the title ''Symposium, or on Virginity'' (''Symposion e peri hagneias''). In the dialogue, composed with reference to Plato's ''Symposium'', he depicts a festive meal of ten virgins in the garden of Arete
() is a concept in ancient Greek thought that refers to "excellence" of any kind—especially a person or thing's "full realization of potential or inherent function." The term may also refer to excellence in "Virtue, moral virtue."
The conce ...
, at which each of the participators extols Christian virginity and its sublime excellence. It concludes with a hymn on Jesus as the Bridegroom of the Church. Larger fragments are preserved of several other writings in Greek; old versions of other works survive in Slavonic, though some are abbreviated.
The following works are in the form of dialogue:
#''On Free Will'' (''peri tou autexousiou''), an important treatise attacking the Gnostic
Gnosticism (from Ancient Greek: , romanized: ''gnōstikós'', Koine Greek: nostiˈkos 'having knowledge') is a collection of religious ideas and systems that coalesced in the late 1st century AD among early Christian sects. These diverse g ...
view of the origin of evil and in proof of the freedom of the human will
# ''On the Resurrection'' (''Aglaophon e peri tes anastaseos''), in which the doctrine that the same body that man has in life will be awakened to incorruptibility at the resurrection is specially put forward in opposition to Origen.
While large portions of the original Greek text of both these writings are preserved, only Slavonic versions of the four following shorter treatises survive:
#''De vita'', on life and rational action, which exhorts in particular to contentedness in this life and to the hope of the life to come
# ''De cibis'', on the Jew
Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, religion, and community are highly inte ...
ish dietary laws, and on the young cow, which is mentioned in Leviticus, with allegorical explanation of the Old Testament food-legislation and the red cow ( Num., xix)
#''De lepra'', on leprosy
Leprosy, also known as Hansen's disease (HD), is a Chronic condition, long-term infection by the bacteria ''Mycobacterium leprae'' or ''Mycobacterium lepromatosis''. Infection can lead to damage of the Peripheral nervous system, nerves, respir ...
, to Sistelius, a dialogue between Eubulius (Methodius) and Sistelius on the mystic sense of the Old Testament references to lepers (Lev., xiii)
# ''De sanguisuga'', on the leech
Leeches are segmented parasitism, parasitic or Predation, predatory worms that comprise the Class (biology), subclass Hirudinea within the phylum Annelida. They are closely related to the Oligochaeta, oligochaetes, which include the earthwor ...
in Proverbs (Prov., xxx, 15 sq.) and on the text, "the heavens show forth the glory of God" (Ps. xviii, 2).
Of other writings, no longer extant, Jerome mentions (loc. cit.) a voluminous work against Porphyry, the Neoplatonist
Neoplatonism is a version of Platonic philosophy that emerged in the 3rd century AD against the background of Hellenistic philosophy and religion. The term does not encapsulate a set of ideas as much as a series of thinkers. Among the common id ...
who had published a book against Christianity; a treatise on the ''Pythonissa'' directed against Origen, commentaries on Genesis and the Canticle of Canticles. Other authors attributed a work ''On the Martyrs'', and a dialogue ''Xenon'' to Methodius; in the latter he opposes the doctrine of Origen on the eternity of the world. Gregory Abu'l Faraj attribute to Methodius some kind of work dealing with the patriarchs.
The 7th-century Apocalypse of Pseudo-Methodius is falsely attributed to him, as is the "Oration on Simeon and Anna".
Among the editions of his works are: P.G., XVIII; Jahn, ''S. Methodii opera et S. Methodius platonizans'' (Halle, 1865); Bonwetsch, ''Methodius von Olympus: I, Schriften'' (Leipzig, 1891).
The Byzantine encyclopedia Suda
The ''Suda'' or ''Souda'' (; ; ) is a large 10th-century Byzantine Empire, Byzantine encyclopedia of the History of the Mediterranean region, ancient Mediterranean world, formerly attributed to an author called Soudas () or Souidas (). It is an ...
write about his work:
Methodius is seen as an early inspiration of Master Eckhart and Johannes Tauler in William Ralph Inges Bampton Lectures on Christian Mysticism.
Doctrines
Virginity of Jesus Christ
Methodius taught that Jesus Christ remained virgin His whole life as an example of chastity for men:
"What then did the Lord, the Truth and the Light, accomplish on coming down to the world? He preserved His flesh incorrupt in virginity with which he had adorned it. And so let us too, if we are to come to the likeness of God, endeavor to aspire to the virginity of Christ." ( Symposium 1.5)
Purpose of Death
Methodius taught i
On the Resurrection
that it was to prevent sin from remaining forever that God caused man to become mortal:
"In order, then, that man might not be an undying or ever-living evil, as would have been the case if sin were dominant within him, as it had sprung up in an immortal body, and was provided with immortal sustenance, God for this cause pronounced him mortal, and clothed him with mortality. For this is what was meant by the coats of skins, in order that, by the dissolution of the body, sin might be altogether destroyed from the very roots, that there might not be left even the smallest particle of root from which new shoots of sin might again burst forth." (chapter 1 paragraph 4)
Renewal of Creation
Methodius taught i
On the Resurrection
that while the universe was to be subject to a universal conflagration this was for the renewal and not destruction of the universe:
"But it is not satisfactory to say that the universe will be utterly destroyed, and sea and air and sky will be no longer. For the whole world will be deluged with fire from heaven, and burnt for the purpose of purification and renewal; it will not, however, come to complete ruin and corruption. For if it were better for the world not to be than to be, why did God, in making the world, take the worse course? But God did not work in vain, or do that which was worst....The creation, then, after being restored to a better and more seemly state, remains, rejoicing and exulting over the children of God at the resurrection; for whose sake it now groans and travails, waiting itself also for our redemption from the corruption of the body, that, when we have risen and shaken off the mortality of the flesh, according to that which is written, " Shake off the dust, and arise, and sit down, O Jerusalem, " Isaiah 52:2 and have been set free from sin, it also shall be freed from corruption and be subject no longer to vanity, but to righteousness. Isaiah says, too, " For as the new heaven and the new earth which I make, remains before me, says the Lord, so shall your seed and your name be; " Isaiah 66:22 and again, " Thus says the Lord that created the heaven, it is He who prepared the earth and created it, He determined it; He created it not in vain, but formed it to be inhabited. " Isaiah 45:18 For in reality God did not establish the universe in vain, or to no purpose but destruction, as those weak-minded men say, but to exist, and be inhabited, and continue. Wherefore the earth and the heaven must exist again after the conflagration and shaking of all things." (chapter 1 paragraph 8 excerpt)
Virgin Mary
Methodius's "Oration on Simeon and Anna" is sometimes quoted as an example of early Christian veneration of Mary as the ever-virgin Mother of God. Unfortunately the work is not genuine, but belongs to the 5-6th century AD.[''Clavis Patrum Graecorum'', 1827.]
But some of this claims about marian veneration are not entirely accurate. In that same work, Methodius uses similar words referring to Sion, the city where the ministry of Christ was Consummated:
Ad Orientem
Consistent with apostolic tradition, Methodius suggested that Christians pray facing the East (" ad orientem").
Notes
References
*
Further reading
* Katharina Bracht (ed.), ''Methodius of Olympus: State of the Art and New Perspectives'', Berlin, Walter de Gruyter, 2017.
* Patterson, L. G. (Lloyd George), ''Methodius of Olympus: Divine Sovereignty, Human Freedom, and Life in Christ'' (Washington: Catholic University of America Press, 1997).
External links
The Writings of Methodius, Alexander of Lycopolis, Peter of Alexandria : and several fragments
1869 English translation
* At the Internet Archive
The Internet Archive is an American 501(c)(3) organization, non-profit organization founded in 1996 by Brewster Kahle that runs a digital library website, archive.org. It provides free access to collections of digitized media including web ...
.
*Roger Pearse
The works of Methodius
with bibliography of translations.
*Methodius of Olympus
On Life and Rational Action
– English translation.
*Methodius of Olympus
De Cibis
– English translation.
*Methodius of Olympus
De Sanguisuga (On the Leech)
– English translation.
*Methodius of Olympus
De Lepra
– English translation.
*
{{Authority control
Christian anti-Gnosticism
3rd-century births
3rd-century Christian theologians
4th-century bishops in Roman Anatolia
311 deaths
Saints from Roman Anatolia
4th-century Greek writers
4th-century Christian martyrs
Church Fathers