Fulgentius Ruspensis

Examining the "mystical allegory" interpretation asserted by the critics of the Heavenly & Earthly Witnesses. Porson's assertions tested. Critics claims concerning "omission" of verse 7. Transposition demonstrated. Refutation of the supposed Leo's Tome as the "strongest argument" against the existence of the comma as Scripture among the Fathers.

This is the fifth paper of the series. This essay has selections from my paper “The Witness of God is Greater.” In this essay, my goal is to highlight some of the amazing evidence that I have discovered in collating sources for my paper. I give some comments in order to direct my readers through these points. Fulgentius of Ruspe (462-533 AD); Debates with King Thrasamund; Cyprian of Carthage; Heavenly Witnesses; Debate with Educated Arians; Greek & Latin; North African Bishop;

This book written in Russian is a first historical-theological study of the whole process of the formation of Trinitarian doctrine in Latin Patristics from the 2nd to the 8th century A.D. The author views it as a unified tradition and focuses on the influence of the Greek Fathers and Classical Greek and Roman philosophy on this process. For the first time in the history of Patristic scholarship, the present work provides a conceptual analysis of the Trinitarian doctrines of all eminent Latin Christian thinkers of the Patristic era. The author provides an original reconstruction of the whole process of the formation of Latin Trinitarianism, identifying its characteristic features and demonstrating the influence of Ancient philosophy at all stages of the process. The author scrutinizes the issues of the interconnection and continuity of the Trinitarian doctrines of the Latin Church Fathers and studies the influence of the Greek Fathers on the Latin Christian thinkers. The present work identifies the features of Western, or Latin, Trinitarianism in comparison with the Ancient philosophical tradition as well as Eastern, or Greek, Trinitarian theology. The book could be used both in theoretical and practical study to get a deeper understanding of the history of Late Antique philosophy, as well as Patristic and early Medieval philosophy and theology, of Church dogmatics and Church history. It may be used as a handbook or additional literature for courses in theology, history, philosophy, cultural and religious studies.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Preface.

Introduction. History of modern studies in Latin Patristic Trinitarianism and its significance for contemporary Patristic studies.

Chapter I. The Origins of Trinitarian doctrine: Bible, Hellenistic Judaism, and early Christian thought.
1. Biblical doctrine of God in the Old Testament.
2. The doctrine of the Divine Wisdom and Logos in Hellenistic Judaism (3rd cent BC. – 1st cent AD.).
2.1. Alexandrian Jewish religious philosophy.
2.2. Philo of Alexandria and his doctrine of God.
2.3. Philo’s doctrine of the Logos.
3. The doctrine of the Trinity in the New Testament.
4. Trinitarian doctrine of the Apostolic Fathers and the Greek Apologists.
4.1. The Apostolic Fathers.
4.2. The Greek Apologists.
4.3. St Irenaeus of Lyons.

Chapter II. The beginning of the formation of Trinitarian doctrine in pre-Nicene Latin Patristics (150–325 AD.).
1. The Trinitarian doctrine of Tertullian.
1.1. Introduction.
1.2. The genetic approach: the origins of the persons of the Trinity and their specific properties.
1.3. The ontological approach: the “one substance and three persons” formula.
1.3.1. The categorical approach.
1.3.2. The doctrine of the divine monarchy.
1.4. Conclusions.
2. Relations between the Trinitarian doctrines of Tertullian and Hippolytus of Rome.
3. Roman Trinitarian doctrine in the 3rd century: Roman presbyter Novatian.
3.1. Monarchist trends in the Roman theology of the 3rd century.
3.2. The Trinitarian doctrine of Novatian.
3.2.1. God the Father, the divine substance and its attributes.
3.2.2. The Son of God and His relation to the Father.
3.2.3. The Holy Spirit.
3.2.4. Conclusions.
4. The Trinitarian dispute between Dionysius of Rome and Dionysius of Alexandria.
5. The Trinitarian doctrine of the Latin apologists: Arnobius and Lactantius.
5.1. Arnobius and his hierarchy of divine beings.
5.2. Lactantius and his binitarian doctrine.
5.2.1. The genetic approach: God, Logos, and angels.
5.2.2. The ontological approach: the unity of the Father and the Son.
5.2.3. The question of the Holy Spirit. Binitarianism.
6. General conclusions.

Chapter III. The development of Trinitarian doctrine in the “Golden age” of Latin Patristics: the doctrine of homoousios and the “Greek Trinitarian model” in the West (325–397 AD.).
1. The Arian controversy and the Council of Nicaea in 325 AD.
1.1. Arius and his doctrine of God.
1.2. The Council of Nicaea in 325 AD, and the doctrine of the homoousios.
1.3. The main doctrinal parties of the Arian disputes in 350–360 AD and their Trinitarian doctrines.
1.3.1. The Trinitarian doctrine of St Athanasius of Alexandria.
1.3.2. Marcellus of Ancyra’s doctrine of Logos.
1.3.3. The Symbol of the Council of Serdica in 343 AD.
1.3.4. The doctrine of the “homoiousians”.
1.3.5. The doctrine of the “homoeans” and “anhomoeans”.
2. The Trinitarian doctrine of the Western “Nicenes”.
2.1. General characteristics of the Western “Nicenes”.
2.2. Febadius of Agen and Potamius of Lisbon.
2.3. Gregory of Elvira.
2.4. Damasus of Rome.
2.5. Zeno of Verona.
2.6. Faustinus.
2.7. Jerome.
2.8. Conclusions.
3. The doctrine of the Great Cappadocians on the distinction between ousia and hypostasis.
4. The Trinitarian doctrine of St Hilary of Poitiers.
4.1. Sources of the Trinitarian doctrine of St Hilary and his attitude to the “homoiousians”.
4.2. The Trinitarian formula of St Hilary and his teaching on the difference between three persons of the Trinity.
4.2.1. God the Father and the Divine nature.
4.2.2. The Son.
4.2.3. The Holy Spirit.
4.3. The unity of persons of the Trinity.
5. The Trinitarian doctrine of St Ambrose of Milan.
5.1. St Ambrose and the Greek philosophical and theological tradition.
5.2. God the Father and the divine substance.
5.3. The doctrine of the Logos.
5.4. The generation of the Son, and the doctrine of the homoousios.
5.5. The Holy Spirit.
5.6. The Trinitarian formula and the unity of the Trinity.
6. General conclusions.

Chapter IV. The development of Trinitarian doctrine in the “Golden age” of Latin Patristics: the “Latin Trinitarian model” (355–430 AD.).
1. The emergence of the Latin Trinitarian model: Trinitarian doctrine of Marius Victorinus.
1.1. The Christian Platonism of Marius Victorinus and the sources of his Trinitarian doctrine.
1.2. The doctrine of the intelligible triad and its philosophical origins.
1.3. “Apophatic theology” and the first and second Trinitarian schemes of Victorinus.
1.4. The doctrine of the intelligible triad and the third Trinitarian scheme of Victorinus.
1.5. The first dyad: the Father and the Son.
1.6. The second dyad: The Son and the Holy Spirit.
1.7. Unity and distinction in the Trinity. Trinitarian terminology.
1.8. Conclusions.
2. The final establishment of the Latin Trinitarian model: the doctrine of St Augustine.
2.1. The Christian Platonism of St Augustine and the sources of his Trinitarian doctrine.
2.2. The early form of the Trinitarian doctrine of St Augustine: Neoplatonism, philosophical anagoge and Trinitarian ontology.
2.3. The mature form of Augustine’s Trinitarian doctrine: the Trinitarian cogito and psychological theory of the Trinity.
2.3.1. The Trinitarian cogito and the theory of the intelligible triad.
2.3.2. The Psychological trinitarian model and its various forms.
2.3.2.1. To be – to know – to will (esse – nosse – velle).
2.3.2.2. To be – to know – to love (esse – nosse – amare).
2.3.2.3. Mind – knowledge – love (mens – notitia – amor).
2.3.2.4. Memory – Intelligence – Volition (memoria – intellectus – voluntas).
2.3.2.5. The quasi-psychological Trinitarian models.
2.4. Unity and distinction in the Trinity. Trinitarian terminology.
2.5. The doctrine of the Holy Spirit. The Filioque and its philosophical foundations.
2.6. Conclusions.

Chapter V. Trinitarian doctrine in the post-Augustinian period of Latin Patristics ( 430–735 AD.).
1. The influence of Augustine’s Trinitarian doctrine on the Latin theologians of the 5-7th centuries.
1.1. Introduction. Quodvultdeus and Fulgentius as the direct successors of Augustine’s Trinitarian doctrine.
1.2. Vincent of Lerins, Faustus of Regium and Gennadius of Marseille.
1.3. Claudianus Mamertus, Arnobius the Junior, St Leo the Great, Caesarius of Arles, and the Symbol Quicunque.
2. The logical formalization of the Latin Trinitarian model: the Trinitarian doctrine of Boethius.
2.1. The Christian Aristotelianism of Boethius and his Opuscula sacra.
2.2. The division of philosophy and the natural theology of Boethius.
2.3. The Trinitarian doctrine of Boethius.
3. The last period of Latin Patristics: Trinitarian doctrine in the West during the second half of the 6th through the first half of the 8th century.
3.1. Cassiodorus as a Christian writer.
3.2. Cassiodorus’ Trinitarian doctrine.
3.3. The Trinitarian doctrine of St Gregory the Great.
3.4. Isidore of Seville, the Councils of Toledo and the doctrine of the Filioque.
3.5. Bede the Venerable and the end of Latin Patristics.
3.6. Conclusion.

General Conclusion.
Appendix. General table of the Trinitarian analogies, models and formulas of St Augustine.
List of abbreviations.
Bibliography.
Summary.

Эта книга посвящена исследованию процесса формирования тринитарной доктрины в латинской патристике II–VIII вв. как единой традиции и влиянию греческой патристики и античной философии на этот процесс. Впервые в мировой науке дается концептуальный анализ тринитарных доктрин основных латинских христианских мыслителей эпохи патристики и проводится оригинальная авторская реконструкция всего процесса формирования латинского тринитаризма; выделяются его характерные особенности и демонстрируется влияние античной философской мысли на всех этапах этого процесса; изучается вопрос о взаимосвязях и преемственности развития тринитарных доктрин основных представителей латинской патристики, а также о влиянии на них со стороны греческой патристики; выясняются характерные особенности западно-христианского (латинского) тринитаризма в сравнении как с античной философской традицией, так и с восточно-христианской (греческой) тринитарной теологией. Книга может быть использована в научно-теоретической и учебно-практической деятельности для углубления знаний по истории позднеантичной, раннехристианской и средневековой философии, патристике и догматическому богословию, а также при подготовке студентов теологических, историко-философских, исторических, культурологических и религиоведческих специальностей.

Le epistole di Ferrando di Cartagine: materiali per una nuova edizione,
in: A. Piras (a cura di), Lingua et ingenium. Studi su Fulgenzio di Ruspe e il suo contesto, Sandhi, Ortacesus 2011, 29-70.

Nella prospettiva di una nuova edizione critica, le epistole di Ferrando di Cartagine, discepolo di Fulgenzio, vengono presentate dal punto di vista della tradizione manoscritta e delle vicende della pubblicazione a stampa, con cenni alle probabili linee direttrici della loro fortuna. La tradizione, non unitaria e di entità disomogenea, disegna le alterne vicende di un epistolario composito, in cui a temi teologici tipici della temperie dei primi decenni del secolo VI (questione teopaschita; controversia dei Tre Capitoli) si affiancano spunti di varia dottrina e di spiritualità quotidiana, a testimonianza della poliedrica fisionomia di Ferrando, monaco e diacono.

Tra i sermoni attribuiti con certezza a Fulgenzio di Ruspe (467-533), due sono relativi alla festa liturgica dell’Epifania: il IV (De Epiphania deque innocentum nece et muneribus Magorum) e il VI (De Epiphania Domini). Il sermo IV verte direttamente sul giorno dell’Epifania, mentre il VI si collega alla precedente solennità del Natale. Il saggio propone un esame generale e alcune considerazioni sul sermo IV. Testo evangelico di riferimento è Mt 2,1-12 (la storia dei Magi), principale lettura liturgica della festa, che viene declinata secondo uno specifico percorso esegetico e dottrinale. Alle spalle di Fulgenzio si intravedono innanzitutto le opere di Agostino, in particolare i discorsi sull’Epifania, ma nuclei tematici e spunti esegetici agostiniani sono da lui attinti e ricomposti secondo una ratio propria, su misura degli interessi principali del suo tempo: il tema trinitario di impegno anti-ariano, riplasmato però dalle interferenze delle grandi controversie cristologiche del V secolo, e il tema soteriologico (dottrina della grazia e libero arbitrio), che si era riproposto nella discussione con i cosiddetti semi-pelagiani. Profondamente riplasmato rispetto ad Agostino, inoltre, è senz’altro lo stile: Fulgenzio abbonda nell’ornamentazione retorica del discorso, ama i parallelismi e le antitesi, le anafore e i collegamenti a catena, specchio del suo pensiero brillante ma rigoroso, abituato alle puntualizzazioni e alle definizioni tipiche delle controversie dottrinali, spesso sottili e giocate sul filo delle parole.