The Origins of Latin Christianity: A History of Early Christian Doctrine Before the Council of Nicea

264 Pages·1960·202.657 MB·English

by  Jean Danielou

A HISTORY OF EARLY CHRISTIAN DOCTRINE
BEFORE THE COUNCIL OF NICAEA
VOLUME THREE
THE· ORIGINS
OF
LATIN CHRISTIANITY
JEAN DANIELOU
Translated by
DAVID SMITH and JOHN AUSTIN BAKER
Edited and with a Postscript by
JOHN AUSTIN BAKER
LONDON PHILADELPHIA
DARTON, LONGMAN & TODD THE WESTMINSTER PRESS
07646q
Darton, Longman & Todd Ltd
85 Gloucester Road London SW7 4SU
CONTENTS
The Westminster Press
Witherspoon Building Philadelphia Pennyslvania 19107
List of Abbreviations
IX
First published 1977
Acknowledgments
Xl
znd impression 1980
General Introduction
XUI
©1977, Darton, Longman & Todd Ltd
ISBN (Great Britain) 0 232 48197 0 PART 1 LATIN JUDAEO-CHRISTIANITY
Introduction 3
Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data
1. THE TRANSLATIONS 5
Danielou, Jean. The Latin Bible 5
The origins of Latin Christianity.
Translations of Judaeo-Christian Writings 8
(A History of early Christian doctrine before the Council of
.The Muratorian Fragment 13
Nicaea, v. 3)
Translation of Les origines du christianisme latin. 2. LATINjUDAEO-CHRISTIANITY: ANTI-JEWISH POLEMICS 17
Includes bibliographical references and index. V Esdras 17
1. Theology, Doctrinal - History - Early church, The Adversus Judaeos 31
ca.30-600. I. Title. II. Series. The De Montibus Sina et Sion 39
BT25.D2713. 230'.1'2 76-44380 3. LATINjUDAEO-CHRISTIANITY: THE CONFRONTATION
WITH PAGANISM 59
ISBN (U.S.A.) 0-664-21064-3
The Passio Perpetuae 59
The De centesima, sexagesima, tricesima 63
The Sermon De aleatoribus 93
4. THE SURVIVAL OFjUDAEO-CHRISTIANITY INTHE
THIRD CENTURY 99
Commodian's Theology 99
The De Pascha computus 126
The De Fabrica mundi
130
PART II CHRISTIANITY AND LATIN CULTURE
Text set in 12/13 pt Photon Bembo Introduction
137
Printed in Great Britain by The Anchor Press Ltd and bound by
Wm Brendon & Son Ltd, both of Tiptree, Essex 5. TERTULLIAN ANDjUDAEO-CHRISTIANITY 139
Darton, Longman & Todd Ltd
85 Gloucester Road London SW7 4SU
CONTENTS
The Westminster Press
Witherspoon Building Philadelphia Pennyslvania 19107
List of Abbreviations IX
First published 1977
Acknowledgments Xl
,2nd impression I980
General Introduction X1l1
©1977, Darton, Longman & Todd Ltd
PART 1 LATIN JUDAEO-CHRISTIANITY
ISBN (Great Britain) 0 232 48197 0
Introduction 3
Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data 1. THE TRANSLATIONS 5
Danielou, Jean. The Latin Bible 5
The origins of Latin Christianity. Translations of Judaeo-Christian Writings 8
(A History of early Christian doctrine before the Council of .The Muratorian Fragment 13
Nicaea, v. 3)
Translation of Les origines du christianisme latin. 2. LATINJUDAEO-CHRISTIANITY: ANTI-JEWISH POLEMICS 17
V Esdras 17
Includes bibliographical references and index.
The Adversus Judaeos 31
1. Theology, Doctrinal - History - Early church,
The De Montibus Sina et Sion 39
ca.30--600. I. Title. II. Series.
BT25.D2713. 230'.1'2 7&-44380 3. LATINJUDAEO-CHRISTIANITY: THE CONFRONTATION
59
WITH PAGANISM
ISBN (U.S.A.) 0-664-21064-3 The Passio Perpetuae 59
The De centesima sexagesima tricesima 63
J J
The Sermon De aleatoribus 93
4. THE SURVIVAL OFJUDAEO-CHRISTIANITY INTHE
THIRD CENTURY 99
Commodian's Theology 99
The De Pascha computus 126
The De Fabrica mundi 130
PART II CHRISTIANITY AND LATIN CULTURE
Text set in I2/13 pt Photon Bembo Introduction 137
Printed in Great Britain by The Anchor Press Ltd and bound by
Wm Brendon & Son Ltd, both of Tiptree, Essex 5. TERTULLIAN ANDJUDAEO-CHRISTIANITY 139
Tertullian's Reaction against Judaeo-Christianity 140 13. NOVATIAN AND THE THEOPHANIES 329
Tertullian and the Jewish Apocrypha 161
1. I Enoch 162
PART IV LATIN THEOLOGY
2. The Book of Adam 167
3. The Sibylline Oracles III 173 Introduction 341
Tertullian and Tradition 176 14. TERTULLIAN AND HISMETHOD 343
Substantia 345
6. MINUCIUS FELIXAND HISSOURCES 189
The Theology of the Octavius 189 Census 348
The Wodd and Man 198 Status 352
Gradus 356
7. TERTULLIAN AND STOICISM 209
Tertullian and Philosophy 209 15. TERTULLIAN'S SYSTEM 361
Tertullian's Stoicism 214 The Trinity 361
Tertulliari's Criticism of Platonism 223 The Creation of the World 366
The Soul of Man 371
8. NOVATIANAND THE COSMIC RELIGION 233 The Flesh of Christ 383
The Beauty of the Wodd 233 The Intermediate State 390
The Harmony of Opposites 238 The Resurrection of the Dead 395
The Cosmic Chariot 240
Freedom 245 16. THE TWO CITIES 405
Idolatry and Demonology 405
9. CYPRIAN AND THE AGEOFTHE WORLD 251 Pompa diaboli 412
The Empire as the Persecutor of Christians 419
PART III THE LATIN FATHERS AND THE BIBLE 17. CYPRIAN'S ECCLESIOLOGY 429
Introduction 261 The Essence of Christianity 429
10. THE TESTIMONIA 263 The Christian Society 432
Tertullian's Adversus Judaeos 263 Vigor Ecclesiae 440
Commodian's Testimonia 273 Militia Christi 448
Cyprian's Ad Quirinum 288 Unanimitas concordiae 453
II. TYPOLOGY 297
Conclusion
The Types of Christ 298 464
Types of the Church 306
Types of the Sacraments 312 Postscript by John Austin Baker 469
Bibliography 478
12. THE EXEMPLA 321 Textual Indexes
Daniel and the Three Young Men 321 a. Old Testament 487
Job 324 b. Apocrypha (Biblical) 489
Tobit 327 c. New Testament 489
d. Jewish Writings 490
e. Jewish Christian Writings 491
f. Gnostic Writings 494 LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS
g. Fathers of the Church 494
h. Miscellaneous Writings 503
BIFAO Bulletin de l'Institut Prancais d'Archeologie Orien-
General Index 505 tale, Cairo
CA Cahiers Archeologiques
CCL Corpus Christianorum, series Latina, Turnhout-Paris
CLCP Graecitas et Latinatis Christianorum primaeva,
Nijmegen
EVV English Versions
GNO Gregorii Nyssae Opera
JAC Jahrbuch ftir Antike und Christentum, Munster
JTS Journal of Theological Studies, London
NKZ Neue Kirchliche Zeitschrift, Leipzig
NRT Nouvelle Revue Theologique, Tournai
NTS New Testament Studies, London
PG Patrologiae Graecae cursus completus, ed. Migne
PL Patrologiae Latinae cursus completus, ed. Migne
PO Patrologiae Orientalis, ed. Graffin-Nau, Paris
RAC Reallexikon ftir Antike und Christentum, Stuttgart
RB Revue Biblique, Paris
RHPR Revue d'Histoire et de Philosophie Religieuses, Paris
RSLR Rivista di Storia e Letteratura Religiosa, Florence
RSR Recherches de Science Religieuse, Paris
SP Studia Patristica
SPL Supplementum, Patrologiae cursus completus, senes
Latina (Migne), ed. Hamman, Paris
SVF Stoicorum veterum fragmenta, Leipzig
Th. Rv. Theologische Revue
TU Text und Untersuchungen zur Geschichte der
altchristlichen Literatur, ed. Gebhardt-Har-
nack-Schmidt, Leipzig-Berlin
VC Vigiliae Christianae, Amsterdam
ZNW Zeitschrift ftir die neutestamentlichen Wissenschaft
und die Kunde der :ilteren Kirche, Berlin
ZTK Zeitschrift ftir Theologie und Kirche, Tiibingen
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
PUBLISHERS' NOTE
Extracts from the following copyright English translations of an-
The Publishers regret that, because of the Author's death before a
cient texts are used by permission of the copyright holders named
full revision of his work could be completed for the English
after them, to whom grateful acknowledgement is made:
language edition, it has in some casesproved quite impossible to
trace and include the appropriate detailed references to the work
of scholars whose opinions are mentioned. With aview to asub-
Early Latin Theology by S. R. Greenslade: S.C.M. Press Ltd,
sequent edition, the Publishers would welcome information
London, and The Westminster Press, Philadelphia.
whereby such deficiencies can be remedied.
The Loeb Classical Library: Minucius Felix and Tertullian:
Harvard University Press and William Heinemann Ltd.
The Early Christian Fathers ed. and trans. H. Bettenson: e Oxford
University Press 1969.
Cyprian: De Lapsis and De Ecclesiae Catholicae Unitate ed. M.
Bevenot: e Oxford University Press 1971.
GENERAL INTRODUCTION
THIS is the third and last volume of my history of the
cultural forms in which early Christianity found expres-
sion. In the first volume, The Theology ofJewish Christianity,
I dealt with its expression within the framework of Jewish
apocalyptic ideas. In the second volume, Gospel Message and
Hellenistic Culture, Iconsidered the encounter between Christiani-
ty and Hellenism. In the present volume, I am concerned with
the meeting between the Christian message and the Latin world.
As in the case of the first two books, I confme myself here too to
the first three centuries.
The undertaking was, of course, fraught with difficulties and I
would not wish to disguise the hypothetical nature of some of my
findings. On the contrary, I would prefer to state this a little
more clearly. Most histories of Latin Christianity begin with Ter-
tullian, but Tertullian's work seems to have been strongly mark-
ed by what had gone before. Certainly it was Greek Christian
thought, both orthodox and heterodox, which was Tertullian's
primary antecedent. He knew Greek perfectly; he was deeply in-
fluenced byJustin and Irenaeus, was familiar with the writings of
Melito and reacted against those of Valentinus and Hermogenes,
Marcion and Praxeas.
One question that has preoccupied me, however, was whether
Tertullian's thought was not also connected with Christianity
originating in a Latin environment, especially since, in my
research, Icame across several anonymous works - spuria - which
prompted me to ask three-basic questions. First, were these spuria
originally Latin works or had they been translated from Greek
originals? Secondly, what was the precise environment with
which they were connected? Thirdly, were they written before
the time of Tertullian?
These are clearly controversial questions, but I think that it is
GENERAL INTRODUCTION xv
xiv GENERAL INTRODUCTION
tullian. Commodian can, as Thraede has shown, be placed
possible to answer them positively and this is what I hope to do
between Tertullian and Cyprian, and the De Pascha computus can
in the first part of this volume. First, were these works originally
be dated at A.D. 340/341.
Latin? It iswell known that certain Judaeo-Christian works were
The other aspect of our study in this volume, that of the ~n-
translated at the end ofthe second century from Greek into Latm.
unter between Christianity and Latin culture, presents us with
These include, for example, the Epistle of Clement and the
~~ lessserious difficulties. Tertullian knew both Latin and Gre~k
Shepherd of Hermas. I believe, however, that we are justified m
perfectly and, whereas it is easy to d~monstrat~ the ~atm
claiming that the works that are to be discussed in this book were
haracter of his secular sources from the Iiterary pomt of VIew,
originally written in Latin. There is now general agreement that
~atters are more complicated as regards their philosophical
the Passio Perpetuae, for example, was originally a Latin text and,
aspect. Both the early and the contemporary authors quoted in
according to van Damme, this would seem also to have been so
his works are, for the most part, Greek - for example, Plato,
in the case of the Adversus [udaeos. Everything points in the direc-
Chrysippus, Albinus and Soranus. Is it possible to ~n~, i~ the
tion of Latin too in the case of V Esdras. The De montibus Sina et
philosophical influ~nce~in Tertullian's writing, that.dIstmc~Ivel!
Sion and the sermon De centesima were also clearly Latin.
Latin character which IS,after all, what we are lookmg for. ThIs
Secondly, did these works come from aLatinJudaeo-Christian
may, however, be the wrong question to ask. The.problem with
environment? This is a perfectly reasonable question, since it is
regard to Tertullian is basically similar to that in the case of
well known that there were many Jews both in Rome and in
Cicero, namely that these Latin authors were concerned to leave
Carthage, and the gospel was first proclaimed everywhere
their own mark on material which was mainly Greek.
among Jews. Judaeo-Christian communities therefore certamly
This does not, however, mean that the first Latin authors were
existed in a Latin environment. The question is, then, whether
not acquainted with the Latin philosophical works that had been
these communities left any literary records. My study of a
written before their time. Tertullian, for example, frequently
number of texts has convinced me that they did. This is un-
quotes Cicero and Seneca. The dependenc~ of. less original
doubtedly so in the case of the Passio Perpetuae, V Esdras, the
writers, such as Minucius Felix and Novatian, ISeven more
Adversus [udaeos, the De montibus Sina et Sion and the De centesimo,
marked, the former being influenced by Cicero and the latter by
sexagesirna et tricesima. My reasons for claiming this will emerge
Apuleius. This brings us to the thorny q~estion .of .the
from the detailed examination of these texts in the first part of
relationship between Minucius Felix and Tertullian. Tak~ng mto
this book.
account the work of Quispel and the fact that everything that
To have established this, however, does not ofitself resolve the
specifically characterises Tertullian's writin~s isabsent fr~m those
problem of chronology. The two questions mus~be kept distinct.
of Minucius, Iam inclined to conclude that It was Tertullian who
What I think Ihave shown is that we can identify the particular
depended on the Octavius of Minucius.. ..
Judaeo-Christian works against which Tertullian reacted so
Having placed these early Latin authors m their dIf~erent co~-
strongly; but this does not mean that the whole of this literature
texts, it is necessary to show what is specifically Latm m their
antedates him. It is well known that Tertullian was an isolated
work. This is to be found first of all in their biblical theology.
figure in the early Church, and that Latin Judaeo-Christianity
On the one hand, the Greek authors of the School of Alexandria
persisted after his time. There are still problems, therefo.re, In
were preoccupied with an allegorical form of exegesis, while
dating some of these Judaeo-Christian works. My own VIew IS
those of the School of Antioch followed a literal approach to the
that the Passio Perpetuae, the Adversus Judaeos, the De aleatoribus
Bible. On the other hand, however, the Latin Christians preserv-
and V Esdras were written before Tertullian and that the De
ed and elaborated the typology of primitive Christianity which
centesima and the De montibus were of the same period as Ter-
XV! GENERAL INTRODUCTION
had been kept alive by Justin and Irenaeus, and the theology of
history which formed its context. In this, their achievement was
beyond price.
At the level of systematic theology, we are faced with an un-
typical situation. Tertullian, using distinctively Latin methods,
created a remarkably coherent theological synthesis. He was
above all at pains to emphasise the difference between the various
orders of reality, the census, and to classify each of these orders in
all of its aspects, the suggestus. Tertullian was more sensitive to PART ONE
distinctions than to connections, being in intellectual type akin to
Pascal, to whom he displays some astonishing similarities. In this
LATIN JUDAEO-CHRISTIANITY
extraordinary enterprise he had no successors. But his work
remained as a model, and was to prove sufficient on its own to
establish the greatness of early Latin theology.
Finally, the Latin authors were more concerned than the
Greeks with institutions of society, and closer to the heart of the
Empire and the Church. They were therefore led to tackle the
problems of ecclesiology, both in the concrete issuesraised by the
actualities of Church life and in the Church's historical confron-
tation with the ideology of the Empire. In this area the work of
Cyprian displayed an originality and relevance of permanent
value He succeeded in disentangling both the true structure and
the fundamental mystery of the Church from the controversies
within it which divided the Christian West and from the con-
frontations between the Church and pagan society.
These flfStexpressions of Latin theology setthe pattern for the
future. The great theologians of the period that followed in the
fourth century were less typical. As Latin authors, they were
conscious of the need to remain constantly in dialogue with
Greek culture and were strongly influenced, even fascinated by
neo-Platonism. Despite the fascination that Greek Platonism has
from time to time exercised over Western Christianity, however,
there have been equally regular demonstrations of certain reser-
vations in this respect, especially in the thought of Luther, Pascal,
Kierkegaard, Newman and Barth. In tracing how the three great
cultural expressions of early Christianity came to be juxtaposed,
we have thus at the same time brought out the inter-relation of
three permanent components of Western thought.
INTRODUCTION TO PART ONE
THERE can be no doubt that the gospel was first preached
in the Latin world in Greek by Greek-speaking mis-
sionaries. Paul wrote to the Romans in Greek, Clement
used Greek in his letter to the Corinthians, and the author of the
Shepherd of Hermas expressed himself in Greek in his exhortation
to his brethren in Rome. The official language of the Church in
Rome continued to be Greek until the middle of the second cen-
tury, although Latin was to be used earlier in the liturgy at
Carthage. These are indisputable facts, but they should not blind
us to the further fact that, at a very early stage, there were
Christians both in Rome and in Carthage who spoke nothing but
Latin. Alongside the official language, Greek, which persisted for
a long time, there was also a popular form of Christianity using
Latin.
Traces of this popular Latin form of Christianity are to be
found in a Greek work like the Shepherd of Hermas. Christine
Mohrmann has pointed out that there are several Graecised Latin
Christian terms in this text such asAEV1:'l.OV, OUUlVEAl.OV
and O1:'a1:'t,WV • There is therefore a hint in the Shepherd that a
Christian spoken Latin was in existence from the beginning of
the second century. No doubt it took time for this to emerge in
written works, but it isnot improbable that this could have taken
place from the second century onwards, both in Rome and in
Carthage. What is certain is that work so developed from the
literary point of view as that written by Tertullian presupposes
an advanced state of Latin used among Christians.