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Hippolytus' Conception of Deification

Remarks on the Interpretation of Refutation X, 34

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 February 2009

Dietrich Ritschl
Affiliation:
Austin, Texas

Extract

It is true that the theology of Tertullian and Novatian has linfluenced later trinitarian conceptions much more than Hippolytus has. His ecclesiology and soteriology, however, are an important point of transition from Irenaeus' doctrine of the Church and of Union with Christ towards the later conceptions of a mystical sacramental understanding of Union with Christ. Hippolytus is in many ways responsible for the development of a doctrine of participation in Christ expressed as deification or mystical union. His theological interest is limited to a part of Trenaeus' doctrine of participation: to the καινòς ἂνθρωπος, and hence to the Church as the assembly of the saints, the baptised, the just, who possess the Holy Spirit, and are connected with the apostles through the hierarchical episcopate.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © Scottish Journal of Theology Ltd 1959

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References

page 388 note 1 Cf. his Chronicle (Die griech. christl. Schriftsteller, Vol. 46, Berlin 1955).

page 388 note 2 A very thorough analysis of Hippolytus' ecclesiology is given in Hamel's, A. book Kirche bei Hipp. von Rom, 1951Google Scholar. Torrance's, T. F. review in Scottish Journal of Theology Vol. 5, 1952, pp. 208ffCrossRefGoogle Scholar.

page 388 note 3 Cf. A. Hamel, op. cit. pp. 19, 36f, 81, 83f, 137, 140, 143, 164, 173, I78f, 203 n, 2O5ff, 213f. Different, however, pp. 81, IIg, I27f, 189.

page 388 note 4 Lampe, G. W. H., The Seal of the Spirit, 1951, pp. 143fGoogle Scholar; Edsman, C. M., A Typology of Baptism in Hippolytus, Studia Patristica II, 1957, pp. 35ffGoogle Scholar.

page 389 note 1 Cf. also Interim Report of the Special Commission on Baptism, Church of Scotland, May 1956, pp. 23–29, primarily concerning the Apostolic Tradition.

page 389 note 2 Comm. on Song of Songs, and gr. Fragm. 26 to Proverbs, and Comm. on Daniel I, 16 (Comm. sur Dan. ed. Maurice Lefèvre, Paris, 1947, p. 100), etc.

page 389 note 3 Similarly Origen, Athanasius and Ambrose.

page 389 note 4 Bless. Moses 15, 3 (Gebhardt-Harnack, T.u.U., Vol. 26, Ia, N. Bonwetsch, p. 66).

page 389 note 5 Comm. on Daniel I, 17 (Lefèvre, p. 1O3f).

page 389 note 6 This is a striking similarity to Ep. Diogn. chap. 12.

page 389 note 7 De Antichr. 61 with reference to the woman in Rev. 12 who is prefigured in the person of Susanna (Comm. on Daniel).

page 389 note 8 Grundriss der Dogmengeschichte, 1931, p. 135.

page 389 note 9 Lehrbuch der Dogmengeschichte, 4th ed. 1909, I, p. 614Google Scholar.

page 389 note 10 It has even been suggested that two authors are responsible for the works we ascribe to Hippolytus: Josippus as author of the Refutatio and some other works, and Hippolytus as author of the exegetical works, Apostl. Tradition, de Antichr., etc. (P. Nautin's theory, 1947).

page 390 note 1 Coram. on Daniel, I, 17.

page 390 note 2 Comm. on Daniel, I, 14.

page 390 note 3 Ref. Praef. 5, 6 and 7 (Migne PG 16, 3O2f).

page 390 note 4 Cf. Irenaeus, Advs. Haer. III, 4, 1. III, 11, 8. III, 24, 1. IV, 33, 7.

page 391 note 1 Comm. Song of Songs VIII, 2 (Bonwetsch, T.u.U., Vol. 23, 2c, p. 40 and 94, e.g.:‘… von alien schlimmen und sturmischen Versuchungen lebt sie also abseits’).

page 391 note 2 Bless. Moses 17, 3 (T.u.U., 26, la, p. 70:‘ … berufen durch das Evangelium, bereit auszugehen aus dieser Welt in eine andere Welt … die Ruhe der Seligkeit des unverweslichen ewigen Paradieses zu ererben’).

page 391 note 3 De Antichr. 59 (Migne, PG 1.0, 780).

page 391 note 4 Bless. Jacob 27, 5 (Text: N. Bonwetsch, T.u.U. 26, ia, p. 45).

page 391 note 5 Comm. on Daniel IV, 37 (Lefévre, p. 338).

page 391 note 6 Comm. on Daniel IV, 23, 5 (Lefévre, p. 306).

page 391 note 7 Comm. on Daniel IV, 10, 1, to Daniel 7, 17–18 (Lefévre, p. 280).

page 391 note 8 Ref. X, 12 (?) (Migne PG, 16, 3426).

page 392 note 1 Comm. on Daniel II, 37 (Lefévre, p. 188) and De Antichr. 59.

page 392 note 2 Martyrs (without laying on of hands) and confessors (after laying on of hands) are honoured as presbyters, in Apostl. Tradition, 10, 1 and 2.

page 393 note 1 Cf. the change from plural to singular in Gal. 4, 5, 6 and 7: ‘so that we might receive adoption as sons. And because you are sons … so you are (εi) no longer a slave but a son.’

page 394 note 1 Ref. X, 33 (Migne PG 16, 3451).

page 394 note 2 Cf. also Contra Noet 17, the whole chapter, ending thus: (Migne PG 10, 828).

page 394 note 3 Cf. also De Antichr. 5 (Mignc PG io, 733), etc.

page 394 note 4 Cf. Ref. IX, 31 (Migne PG 16, 3411).

page 395 note 1 e.g. Adv. Graecos II (Migne PG, 10, 800), etc.

page 397 note 1 Cf. Liddell, and Scott, , A Greek-English Lexicon, 1951, ad locGoogle Scholar.

page 397 note 2 It depends on the translation whether this passage excludes subordinationism (of which Hippolytus is accused), or whether Christ is understood as an ‘instrument’ used by God for the washing away of sins.

page 397 note 3 Cf. also holiness as condition for office-bearers, Ref. IX, 12 (Migne PG, 16, 3386), Comm. on Daniel I, 17, etc.

page 398 note 1 Cf. Liddell and Scott, p. 1550.