This week we’ll mark the 1,600th anniversary of the death of St. John Chrysostom. Isn’t it time, then, for a historical reconsideration of one of his archnemeses?

Indeed it is! Bryn Mawr Classical Review sizes up Norman Russell’s new study of Theophilus of Alexandria in Routledge’s Early Church Fathers series. Theophilus was, by all accounts, the man who presided at the travesty of justice called the Synod of the Oak.

Theophilus of Alexandria by Norman Russell (hereafter R.) is a valuable addition to The Early Church Fathers series published by Routledge. Each volume in this series focuses on a specific church father, combining a biographical sketch with a sampling of representative texts in translation, and R.’s book offers a useful introduction to an important but neglected figure in patristic studies. Bishop Theophilus is perhaps best known for his association with the destruction of the Serapeum in Alexandria, his involvement in the Origenist Controversy of the late fourth century, and his role in the deposition of John Chrysostom at the Synod of the Oak in 403. In general, the primary sources have not been kind to him, and they have created a lasting impression, even to this day, of a manipulative, temperamental, and ruthless man. R. challenges this characterization, and from the onset he aspires ‘to be fairer to Theophilus’ (3). While overcoming centuries of negative press might ultimately prove impossible, R. does succeed at least in presenting the more revered side of Theophilus, particularly through his translations of letters and sermons (some of which were previously unavailable in English).

Following the general structure of the series, the book has two main parts. The first is a detailed reconstruction of Theophilus’ biography through a critical reassessment of the sources (pp. 3-41), and the second is a collection of translations divided into four sections, each preceded by a brief introduction (pp. 45-174). The book is by no means long, but it demonstrates excellent scholarship and style.

At the end of this month, I’ll be celebrating Theophilus’s success in speeding St. John on his way to heaven. My dear friends in the Society of St. John Chrysostom will mark the day with two speakers, Rev. Hiermonk Dr. Calinic (Berger) and Yours Truly. God willing, I’ll speak on St. John’s “Mystagogy of Marriage.” The celebration begins with Vespers on Saturday, September 29, 6 p.m. at Holy Trinity Romanian Orthodox Church, Wick Ave in Youngstown, Ohio. I’m told that advance tickets are required. Hope to see you there. (Last one there is a scheming Alexandrian.)