Theodoret of Cyrus (393-457) on Baptismal Regeneration and Paul's Epistles

  

1 Cor 15:15-17:

 

We are found to be giving false witness to God as well, because we testified of God that he raised Christ, whereas he did not raise him (v. 15): we are liable on the score of calumny for presuming to claim God raised Christ, whereas he did not raise him. Then in turn he reverses the same ideas, intent on strengthening faith in the resurrection with further arguments, saying, After all, if the dead are not raised, neither has Christ been raised. But if Christ had not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins (vv. 16-17): baptism is a type of the Lord’s death, but the type has no force if it does not involve the forgiveness of sins; so the burden of sins is still to be carried. He included this in view of the statement, Christ died for our sins, in keeping with the scriptures. (Theodoret of Cyrus, Commentary on the Letters of St. Paul, 2 vols. [Brookline, Mass.: Holy Cross Orthodox Press, 2001], 1:226)

 

 

Eph 2:8-9:

 

By grace, in fact, you are saved through faith (v. 8): the grace of God regaled us with these good things; we had only faith to offer, but divine grace worked with it. He went on in this vein: This is no doing of yours; it is the gift of God, not from works lest anyone boast (vv. 8-9): we have not believed of our own volition; rather, we made our approach when called, and when we did he did not require of us purity of life—instead, he accepted faith alone and granted us forgiveness of sins. In other words, we are of his making, created in Christ Jesus for good works for which God prepared us so that we should walk in him (v. 10). He used created there of the regeneration: he called us (he is saying) out of ins ineffable goodness; we responded, and by coming to faith we attained salvation. Before baptism, however, he did not require of us the practice of virtue, whereas after baptism he urges us to cling to it as well. This, in fact, is what he means by for good works so that we should walk in him. (Theodoret of Cyrus, Commentary on the Letters of St. Paul, 2 vols. [Brookline, Mass.: Holy Cross Orthodox Press, 2001], 2:39; on “faith alone” in the patristics, see this post)

 

The translator Robert Charles Hill offered this note:

 

In these vv. 8-10, where Paul is stressing the gratuity of the divine call, Theodoret is prepared to concede it, achieving his usual Antiochene balance by seeing faith as a personal response to the call in the first place, and then a virtuous life in consequence of reception of baptism and its forgiveness of sins. (Ibid., 1:59-60 n. 4)

 

 

Col 2:11-13:

 

In him also you were circumcised with a circumcision not done by human hand, by putting off the body of the sins of the flesh through the circumcision of Christ (v. 11). In other words, since under pressure they embraced the way of life of the Law, he brings out once again the difference in circumcision: it is not of the flesh (he is saying). But of the spirit, not done by human hand but divine, not a removal of a fragment of flesh but freedom from all corruption. IT is not the Law that is responsible for this but Christ the Lord, the giver of the Law; he says, note, in him also you were circumcised, and again, through the circumcision of Christ. By putting off the body of the sins of the flesh he referred to saving baptism: in it we put off the soiled garment of sin. In the life to come, on the other hand, the body, rendered incorruptible and immortal can no longer be affected by the stain of sin. Now, to the fact that this refers to baptism the sequel also testifies. Buried with him in baptism (v. 12). Since he called saving baptism a type of death (implying this in buried), he gives the good news of resurrection: in whom you were also raised. And since we still have a mortal nature, he went on, through faith in the power of God, who raised him from the dead: believing is the power of God we await the resurrection, having the resurrection of Christ the Lord as a pledge.

 

And you, dead as you were in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, he made alive with him, forgiving you all your trespasses (v. 13): sin destroyed us all, imposing on us the sentence of death. But the God of all made us sharers in the life of Christ the Lord, and bestowed on us forgiveness of sins. By uncircumcision of the flesh he referred to wickedness, explaining that whereas uncircumcision of the body causes no harm to those in that condition, uncircumcision of the body causes no harm to those in that condition, uncircumcision of the soul harms both body and soul. From this he shows that bodily circumcision is of no benefit to the circumcised; on the other hand, it is removal of wickedness that brings about true salvation. (Theodoret of Cyrus, Commentary on the Letters of St. Paul, 2 vols. [Brookline, Mass.: Holy Cross Orthodox Press, 2001], 2:93-94)

 

 

2 Tim 2:11-13:

 

Having thus brought out the reward for the hardships, he went on, The saying is trustworthy (v. 11), that is, true, indubitable, free of falsehood. If we died with him, we shall also live with him; if we endured with him, we shall also reign with him (vv. 11-12). The phrase, we died with him, he applied not only to those taken up for burial but also to the baptized: those who sincerely believe and give evidence of a life in keeping with their faith will share life with the Lord. If we deny him, he will also deny us. The Lord himself said as much in the sacred Gospels, “Whoever denies me before human beings I myself shall deny before my Father, who is in heaven.” Then he explains that the one denying him will not harm him but will bring harm on himself. If we are unfaithful, he remains unfaithful: he cannot deny himself (v. 13): those with faith do not render him God, nor do those without faith remove the divine nature from him; rather, whether we believe or not he is God. So it is we the believers who reap the benefit. (Theodoret of Cyrus, Commentary on the Letters of St. Paul, 2 vols. [Brookline, Mass.: Holy Cross Orthodox Press, 2001], 2:241)

 

The translator, Robert Charles Hill, offered the following comment on the above:

 

The bishop, we have seen, is always ready to recall the baptismal ritual in connection with death and rising. (Ibid., 2:250 n. 4)

 

 

Titus 3:4-7:

 

But when the goodness and lovingkindness of God our Savior, appeared be saved us, not through works of righteousness we had done but in his mercy through the washing of regeneration and through renewal of the Holy Spirit, which he poured out richly on us through Jesus Christ our Savior that we might be justified by his grace and become heirs in hope of eternal life (vv. 4-7). Exercising lovingkindness, he is saying, the Lord freed us from our former vices through the Only-begotten, according us forgiveness of our sins through saving baptism, creating us anew and renewing us, regaling us with the gift of the Spirit, and showing us the way of righteousness. To those traveling by this way he promised the kingdom of heaven. And since this way is not visible (hope which is seen, remember, is not hope), he was obliged to add, The saying is sure (v. 8), that is, true: let no one be in any doubt. I want you to harp on this so that those who believe in God may be sure to devote themselves to good works: for those devoid of good works faith is not sufficient for salvation. These things are good and of benefit to everyone: believing in God and living according to the laws. (Theodoret of Cyrus, Commentary on the Letters of St. Paul, 2 vols. [Brookline, Mass.: Holy Cross Orthodox Press, 2001], 2:257, emphasis in bold added)

 

 

Theodoret of Cyrus (393-457) on the Epistle of Philemon and Slavery

  

Phlm 1:21:

 

I have written to you in the knowledge that you will do even more than I ask (v. 21): I know your obedience of soul—hence my writing, trusting that you will provide more than I asked. (Theodoret of Cyrus, Commentary on the Letters of St. Paul, 2 vols. [Brookline, Mass.: Holy Cross Orthodox Press, 2001], 2:264)

 

The translator, Robert Charles Hill, offered this note:

 

A modern commentator, like Fitzmyer wonders if Paul is asking for the emancipation of the slave. Perhaps Theodoret in his time would prefer not to entertain the possibility of what “more” could involve (cf. his comment on v. 25). (Ibid., 2:265 n. 9)

 

Phlm 1:25:

 

The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit. Amen (v. 25). It behooves those who vouchsafed the divine teaching to follow these laws, and thus to teach the servants to give service to their masters, so that in every way Christ the Lord may be celebrated, to whom with the Father and the all-holy Spirit belong glory and magnificence, now and forever, for ages and ages. Amen. (Theodoret of Cyrus, Commentary on the Letters of St. Paul, 2 vols. [Brookline, Mass.: Holy Cross Orthodox Press, 2001], 2:264-65)

 

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Theodoret of Cyrus (393-457) on 1 Thessalonians 2:15 and 2 Thessalonians 2:13

1 Thess 2:15:

 

So then, brethren, stand firm, and hold fast to the traditions you have been taught, either in word or in our latter (v. 15): keep as the norm of doctrine the words offered you by us, which we preached to you when present and wrote when absent. (Theodoret of Cyrus, Commentary on the Letters of St. Paul, 2 vols. [Brookline, Mass.: Holy Cross Orthodox Press, 2001], 2:130)

 

 

2 Thess 2:13:

 

We also give thanks unceasingly to God for this, that you received the word of God you heard from us and accepted it, not as a word of human beings, but as it really is, word of God, which is also at work in you believers (v. 13). Since he had instilled fear into them with his adjuration, he comforted them with commendation, saying, You accepted not as human words but as divine words what was offered by us. Actual experience also shows them to be like that: in receipt of the charism of inspiration, they themselves prophesied, spoke in tongues and performed remarkable wonders. The text hinted not only at that but also at the perils brought upon them by the adversaries; the sequel indicates as much, In fact, you became imitators, brethren, of the churches of God in Christ Jesus that are in Judea in suffering the same things form your own compatriots as they did from the Jews, who killed the Lord Jesus and their own prophets, and drove us out. They are not pleasing to God, and are hostile to everyone (vv. 14-15). (Theodoret of Cyrus, Commentary on the Letters of St. Paul, 2 vols. [Brookline, Mass.: Holy Cross Orthodox Press, 2001], 2:111, emphasis in bold added)

 

Theodoret of Cyrus (393-457) on 2 Corinthians 5:18-21

  

Now, all this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Jesus Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation (v. 18). He indicated God’s ineffable lovingkindness: who was not reconciled to us (he is saying), although he it was who was insulted by the Fall; rather, he reconciled us to himself, not employing a human being as mediator, but making the only-begotten Son a mediator of peace. To us he also entrusted the good news of reconciliation. Namely, God it was. A break must be observed here. In Christ reconciling the world to himself (v. 19): the God of all it was who by means of Christ achieved reconciliation with human beings. Now, what is the manner of this reconciliation? Not reckoning their falls against them, and assigning to us the preaching of reconciliation: he granted the forgiveness of sins, and commissioned us as ministers of peace.

 

We act, therefore, as ambassadors of Christ (v. 20). Since he claimed to have appointed minister of reconciliation, he was obliged to set the ambassadorship; and to show its trustworthiness he went on, since God’s exhortation comes through us. Now, what is the message he brings as ambassador? We beg you in Christ’s name, be reconciled to God. The words are sufficient to make even the most unfeeling be ashamed: he said first that with the execution of Christ he not only did not bear resentment but sent us as ambassadors to win all people over, respect his longsuffering, be ashamed at the murder of Christ, and be reconciled to the Creator, God and Lord. He goes on to add to the aforesaid the dishonor of the passion. After all, the one who did not know sin he made sin for our sake so that in him we might become the righteousness of God (v. 21): though free of sin he underwent the death of sinners in order to undo people’s sins, and bearing the name that we have he gave us the name of what he himself is—that is, he regaled us with the riches of righteousness. (Theodoret of Cyrus, Commentary on the Letters of St. Paul, 2 vols. [Brookline, Mass.: Holy Cross Orthodox Press, 2001], 1:273-74)

 

Theodoret of Cyrus (393-457) on Romans 5:12

  

From this point on he reveals the mystery of the Incarnation, and brings out the reason for becoming man. Hence, just as through one human being sin entered the world, and through sin death, and thus death spread to all human beings for the reason that all sinned (v. 12). On creating Adam and dignifying him with the gift of reason, the Lord God gave the single commandment of exercising his reason; it was impossible that, sharing in reason and enjoying the discernment of good and its opposite, he should live his life apart from any law. He was deceived and broke the law; and from the beginning the lawgiver linked the threat of punishment to the commandment. Becoming subject to the rule of death, then, Adam begot Cain, Seth and the others. All of them, therefore, on the grounds of their lineage from his man, had a nature subject to death; such a nature is in need of many things—food and drink, clothing and habitation, and diverse skills. Use of these things, however, often stimulates the passions to intemperance, and intemperance generates sin. Consequently, the divine apostle means that, since Adam had sinned and death had occurred through sin, both spread to the race: death spread to all human beings for the reason that all sinned. In other words, it is not because of the sin of the first parent but because of their own that each person is liable to death. (Theodoret of Cyrus, Commentary on the Letters of St. Paul, 2 vols. [Brookline, Mass.: Holy Cross Orthodox Press, 2001], 1:72)

 

The translator Robert Charles Hill noted that:

 

Theodoret, like all the Greek Fathers before John Damascene, reads εφ’ ω in this verse and renders it “for the reason that”; he is well aware that Paul is referring to the etiological story of the Fall in Gen 3 but does not see Adam as an antecedent to the pronoun (as likewise in commenting on Ps 51.5). Adam’s sin is beyond question for him, and—without explaining how—he sees both sin and death spreading to the whole race; but he is insistent that each person’s sin and not Adam’s is responsible for each one’s liability to death. As always, he avoids the heavy moralizing tone of preachers like Chrysostom in commenting on the Fall, as well as their tendency to transfer guilt to the woman. (Ibid., 1:146 n. 7)

 

Theodoret of Cyrus (393-457) Teaching Baptismal Regeneration in his Commentaries on Jeremiah and Ezekiel

  

Jer 31:34 (LXX: 38:34):

 

They will no longer teach one another, each one their neighbor and each one their brother, saying, Know the Lord, because all will know me, from the least to the greatest of them (v. 34). The future life achieves the fulfilment of these words: in it we shall no longer need instruction from one another, things being patently obvious, sufferings at an end, bodies incorrupt, souls immune to change. Now it is customary with the divine Scriptures to mix the prophecies together: it connects those about the recall with those about the captivity, and the Lord in the sacred Gospels cites at the one time the sayings about Jerusalem and those about the consummation. Because I shall be merciful to their iniquities, and shall no longer remember their sins. The grace of all-holy baptism grants this favor: after forgiveness, he does not remember the former sins. (Theodoret of Cyrus, Commentaries on the Prophets, 2 vols. [trans. Robert Charles Hill; Brookline, Mass.: Holy Cross Orthodox Press, 2006], 1:117-18, emphasis in bold added)

 

 

Ezek 36:25:

 

The blasphemy will be canceled though your being saved, which will demonstrate my power; learning how my name is great and sufficient for the assistance of my own, they will glorify and sing the praises of my lordship. He indicated as much, in fact, by saying, The nations will know that I am the Lord God when I am sanctified in you before their eyes. I shall take you from the nations, and gather you from all the races, and I shall bring you into your land (vv. 23-24).

 

While this applies to all who returned, since those wanting to return were granted the right of return, what follows applies not to everyone but only to those choosing to believe in the Gospel. He says, in fact, I shall sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be cleansed of all your uncleanness, and I shall cleanse you of all your idols (v. 25). By clean water he referred to the water of rebirth, in which we are baptized and receive the forgiveness of sins. (Theodoret of Cyrus, Commentaries on the Prophets, 2 vols. [trans. Robert Charles Hill; Brookline, Mass.: Holy Cross Orthodox Press, 2006], 2:242, emphasis in bold added)

 

As Robert Charles Hill, the translator, noted about Theodoret reading baptismal regeneration into various Old Testament texts:

 

The bishop can always find a baptismal reference in a text. (1:220 n. 15)

 

Theodoret is simply reflecting the unanimous consent of the earliest Christians on water baptismal regeneration.