School of Antiochcondemned
Who he was
- Apollinaris’ father (of the same name) was a native of Alexandria. As a priest and rhetor, Apollinaris the Elder taught grammar in Beirut before settling down in Laodicea (in Syria). His son, born in Laodicea, became a lector in his local church.
- Because of Apollinaris and his father’s friendship with St. Athanasius, they were excommunicated in 342 by George, the Arian bishop. In 346, they welcomed in their home St. Athanasius, on his return from exile in the western part of the Roman Empire, and about 361 Apollinaris, the son, became bishop of the Nicene community of Laodicea.
- He was a very successful teacher who combined classical erudition with rhetorical ability, so that even St. Jerome was among his pupils at Antioch in 374 (cf.Ep. 84,3).
- St. Gregory of Nyssa wrote his “Antirrheticus” in 385 against him. His Doctrines
- He believes that in Christ were to be found the human body and the irrational soul, but he had not the spirit or mondo as the rational soul and the controlling and determining principal. It was replaced by the Divine Logos. Thus, He possessed perfect Godhead but not complete manhood. He gave for this two reasons: (1) The metaphysical reason is that two beings already perfect, God and man, cannot produce unity, but only a hybrid nature; (2) The psychological reason is that the rational soul constitutes the seat and center of the power of self-determination for good or evil, which would attribute the possibility of sin to
Christ. But the Savior must be without sin, if redemption is to be accomplished.
- Although St. Athanasius refuted his heresy without mentioning his name, some Antiochians accused him and St. Cyril of Apollinarianism. In fact, Apollinaris defends the Alexandrian term of mia-physis, but he had no knowledge of the Alexandrian theology. He was not learned in the School of Alexandria.
What he wrote
1. Exegetical Works
- Innumerable volumes on Scripture. 2. Apologetic Works
- The Truth: The two Apollinarii reacted against Julian. The father composed poems inspired by the Old Testament; and the son wrote gospel dialogues in a style proper to contemporary rhetors.
- 30 books Against Porphyry. 3. Polemic Works
- Against the Arian Eunomius of Cyzicus.
- Against Marcellus of Ancyra (accused him of Sabelllianism).
- Against Diodore and Flavian defending the unity of Godhood and manhood in Christ.
- Against Origen and Didymius. 4. Dogmatic Works
- Proof of the Incarnation of God According to the Image of Man.
- Detailed Confession of Faith.
- Recapitulatio.
- 3 works detected under the name of Julius I bishop of Rome.
5. Poetry
- Together with his father he rewrote much of the biblical materials in comedies, tragedies and epics. 6. Letters to St. Basil the Great
- About his condemnation, see p. 207.