Yesterday, Crosspoint’s preaching schedule placed us in the second half of Acts 11 as we continue to see Christ’s work in the early expansion of his Kingdom. In the text, we encounter the city of Antioch and the beginnings of a missions-sending epicenter (check out our “Acts” content here).
Much of my academic research has revolved around 4th-century Antioch and a specific theological movement originating from the city called “The School of Antioch.” I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to speak more about these ideas.
Now, for what it’s worth, today’s post necessitates a “Nerd Alert.”
In this post, I’ve recaptured some of the introduction material from my dissertation. Some of you will welcome the historical dipping-of-the-toe to follow. For all you others, thank you for your patience (Teaser: next week will be a fun post!).
Let’s dive in.
The Legacy of Antioch
We find the first mention of the city of Antioch within the Bible in Acts 11:19. Antioch served as one of the original sites to which the gospel spread to the Gentiles by the scattered disciples amidst persecution. Preaching the gospel in a Hellenist context, it was at Antioch where the disciples were first called Christians.[1] Presumably, under the ministry of Paul and Barnabas, the church at Antioch was strengthened as people converted and new leaders answered the call. Very quickly, Antioch became not only a destination for the gospel but also served as an early support center for the growing church in 1st century Asia Minor.[2] Antioch would serve as a frequent stop for the traveling apostles as they worked to repeatedly encourage the saints and continue preaching the good news to the Gentiles of the city.[3]
Having been founded under the Seleucid kingdom in 300 B.C.—an offshoot of Alexander the Great’s legacy—Antioch was an ancient melting pot of cultures as Greeks had flooded into the region, taking up their residence alongside native Syrians. In 64 B.C., the city came under the rule of the Roman Empire and became the capital of Roman-controlled Syria.[4] Over the next few hundred years, Antioch would enjoy a thriving economy as a regional center for business, trade, art, and entertainment, being connected to the Mediterranean Sea by means of the Orontes River. Greek was the predominant language within the city, while commoners living along the countryside spoke Syriac and Aramaic country.[5] By the 4th century, Antioch had become one of the four most prominent cities of the world, joined with Rome, Alexandria, and Constantinople.
What is the “School of Antioch?”
A hub for early academia, Antioch was perhaps most well-known for “holding the torch of oratory for Asia.”[6] The “School of Antioch” can sometimes refer to the theological asketerion (Greek: a seminary or quasi-monastery) designed to train young men for ecclesiastical ministry and office. However, the most basic sense of the term should first be associated with the city’s center for classical education.[7]
One such figure, Libanius, served as the official sophist (think of an ancient teacher like Plato and Socrates) in Antioch from 354 to 393. All higher education within the city was an extension of his leadership and teaching.[8] As Raffaella Cribiore suggests, “... it is essential to keep in mind that in antiquity, the traditions of a school had limited value when they did not support a personality of equivalent stature. A school was a certain teacher and ceased to be or fell into decline when he disappeared.”[9] Male students from all over the world were sent by their parents to Antioch, having already learned the rudimentary grammars, to learn rhetoric under Libanius’ teaching in preparation for public office or careers in academia. Christians also sent their sons to learn from this renowned philosopher.
Basil the Great was a student under Libanius, and his Cappadocian comrade Gregory of Nazianzus is rumored to have also studied under Libanius. It is more likely, however, that Gregory studied at the rival school in Alexandria.[10] Theodore of Mopsuestia (c. 350–428) and John Chrysostom (c. 347–407), the two most prominent figures of the School of Antioch, each studied under Libanius as young men.[11] John impressed Libanius such that the teacher saw him as his “ideal successor.” John would later scorn the pagan Libanius over irreconcilable worldview differences and Libanius’ attacks on the church.[12] Theodore and John would go on to lead segments of the budding church in Asia Minor, becoming revered with the respective nicknames “The Interpreter” and “Golden-Mouth.”
Similar to the classical “School of Antioch,” an informal institution for young men to receive Christian training as exegetes and pastors existed in the city. Diodore of Tarsus (c. 330), a contemporary of Libanius and likely fellow student of philosophy and rhetoric with Libanius in Athens, served as the head of the theological School of Antioch during the educational years of Theodore of Mopsuestia and John Chrysostom. Some credited Diodore as the official founder of the “distinctive exegetical and hermeneutical method subsequently associated with Antioch.”[13] This is the School of Antioch about which I am most fascinated.
Antioch was an early ground for Christian missions but eventually became a hub for theological discourse. For example, Arianism may have been more prominent in Alexandria, yet tradition holds that the heresy finds its genesis in Antioch. Upon Arius’ condemnation at the Council of Nicaea in 325, the Christians at Antioch fractured into four theological factions: the Arians, the Semi-Arians, the Old Nicene Party, and the New Nicene Party—each with their own ecclesial leaders giving respective oversight. Given the ecclesial unrest at this time and the continued foothold of Arianism in the city, the New Nicene Party had been forced to gather and, presumably, to train the next generation on the outskirts of the city and even, at times, in nearby caves at night. This was the environment in which Theodore of Mopsuestia and John Chrysostom, raised in the New Nicene Party, experienced their coming-of-age.[14]
As mentioned earlier, a “school” in the ancient world represents the gathered body of students under the leadership of one teacher or headmaster. Therefore, a “school” is defined or exists as an embodiment of the instructor’s teaching. Concerning the theological School of Antioch, it would seem the pastoral training center existed for multiple generations as successive teachers would take up the responsibility handed down to them. It is unclear when the theological School of Antioch began or when it may have dissolved. However, some figures cultivated a distinctive tradition in the 4th century. The School of Antioch was the small group of theologian-pastors who were trained and then sent broadly to make disciples of all people for God’s glory.[15]
What’s the Bottom Line?
In the world of Christian academia, there are mixed reviews on the so-called School of Antioch. As all humans are, these leaders were flawed. History is murky concerning some aspects of their doctrine, but the evidence we have suggests that we should not adopt their theology wholesale. However, when sifting through the sand, we can still find undeniable jewels. In particular, the Antiochenes demonstrated an early way of reading the Bible, which still stands as a “best practice.” In my estimation, they serve as an incredible example of how to read the Bible in a balanced way—keeping both the divine author and the human author fully in view.
More on this in a future post.
[1] Acts 11:26.
[2] Acts 27–30.
[3] Acts 14:19–15:35.
[4] Dimitri Z. Zaharopoulos, Theodore of Mopsuestia on the Bible: A Study on His Old Testament Exegesis (Mahwah, NJ: Paulist Press, 1989).
[5] Raffaella Cribiore, The School of Libanius in Late Antique Antioch (Princeton: Princeton University Press, 2007), 26–27.
[6] Cribiore, The School of Libanius in Late Antique Antioch, 29.
[7] Didaskaleion may serve as a helpful and distinguishing alternative to asketerion when describing the pagan classical school.
[8] Zaharopoulos, Theodore of Mopsuestia on the Bible, 193.
[9] Cribiore, The School of Libanius in Late Antique Antioch, 84.
[10] Cribiore, The School of Libanius in Late Antique Antioch, 100.
[11] Zaharopoulos, Theodore of Mopsuestia on the Bible, 193.
[12] Robert C. Hill, Reading the Old Testament in Antioch (Atlanta: Society of Biblical Literature, 2005), 6.
[13] Hill, Reading the Old Testament in Antioch, 6.
[14] Zaharopoulos, Theodore of Mopsuestia on the Bible, 201–2.
[15] Some argue the school’s beginning is with Lucian of Antioch in the third century following the theological leading of Eustathius of Antioch. Others add that the tradition coming out of the school lasted into the 5th century through the ministry of Theodoret of Cyrus, though Theodoret formally studied at Apamea and Alexandria. See Zaharopoulos, Theodore of Mopsuestia on the Bible, 201, and Hill, Reading the Old Testament in Antioch, 6–7.