The Christology of saint Epiphanius of Cyprus according to his work Angyrotos

Abstract

This thesis attempts to produce a systematic exposition of Epiphanius' Christology on the basis of a close analysis of his major systematic work Angyrotos (Ancoratus) - a task which has not been previously undertaken by any scholar. It starts with a brief account of Epiphanius' life and works and an overview of the contents of the Ancoratus. It then, offers an account of the dogmatic sitz im Leben of Epiphanius, which includes: a) the connection between Christology and Triadology in the 4th century and the Arian challenge, and b) the post Nicene trends and heresies relating to the formulation of the Christological dogma until the time of Epiphanius, making special reference to the doctrines of Atlianasius and Apollinaris. This first part is followed by a very close analysis of the Christological doctrine of the Ancoratus on the basis of its contents which are extensively utilised under three major headings: a) The Divine Logos who is confessed to be God's true and natural Son against the background of the teaching of Arius; b) The Logos' incarnation or inliomuiation which includes sections on Epiphanius' use of key terms like "flesh" and "man", as well as his use of the phrase "Kyriakos anthropos" as an anti-docetic and anti- apollinarian device; and c) The One Christ, which expounds Epiphanius' understanding of the union of the two natures, the divine and the human, united in the one person of Christ and the consequences that follow from it, including such topics as "exchange of properties and names", the "Theotokos" as a dogmatic description of the Virgin Mary, the worship of Christ incarnate and man's salvation and glorification. What emerges from this analysis is that Epiphanius Christology is not only in line with that of the major orthodox fathers of the period, but is able to speak with greater clarity on several points relating to the Christological dogma which are of crucial importance. These include his clarifications concerning the heretical Christologies of Docetism, Arianism and Apollinarism and the orthodox understanding of the union of the divine and the human in the one Christ, the "communicatio idiomatum" especially in the context of the suffering of Christ, and generally the soteriological consequences of orthodox Christology. Thus it is established that Epiphanius' theological exposition places him among the great orthodox fathers of the fourth century who influenced decisively the development of the Cliristological dogma.