Gennadius of Massilia (died c. 496), also known as Gennadius Scholasticus or Gennadius Massiliensis, was a 5th-century
Christian
Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words '' Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρ ...
priest
A priest is a religious leader authorized to perform the sacred rituals of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and one or more deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in particu ...
and
historian
A historian is a person who studies and writes about the past and is regarded as an authority on it. Historians are concerned with the continuous, methodical narrative and research of past events as relating to the human race; as well as the st ...
.
His best-known work is ''De Viris Illustribus'' ("Of Famous Men"), a biography of over 90 contemporary significant Christians, which continued a work of the same name by
Jerome
Jerome (; la, Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus; grc-gre, Εὐσέβιος Σωφρόνιος Ἱερώνυμος; – 30 September 420), also known as Jerome of Stridon, was a Christian priest, confessor, theologian, and historian; he is co ...
.
Life
Gennadius was a priest of
Massilia (now
Marseille
Marseille ( , , ; also spelled in English as Marseilles; oc, Marselha ) is the prefecture of the French department of Bouches-du-Rhône and capital of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region. Situated in the camargue region of southern Fran ...
) and a contemporary of
Pope Gelasius I
Pope Gelasius I was the bishop of Rome from 1 March 492 to his death on 19 November 496. Gelasius was a prolific author whose style placed him on the cusp between Late Antiquity and the Early Middle Ages.The title of his biography by Walter Ullma ...
.
Nothing is known of his life, save what he tells us himself in the last of the biographies he wrote: "I, Gennadius, presbyter of Massilia, wrote eight books against all heresies, five books against Nestorius, ten books against Eutyches, three books against Pelagius, a treatise on the thousand years of the Apocalypse of John, this work, and a letter about my faith sent to blessed Gelasius, bishop of the city of Rome".
Gelasius reigned from 492 to 496, so Gennadius must have lived at the end of the 5th century.
Writings
Gennadius knew Greek well and was well read in Eastern and Western, orthodox and heretical Christian literature. He was a diligent compiler and a competent critic.
De Viris Illustribus
''De Viris Illustribus'', in its most commonly accepted form was probably published c. 495 and contains, in some ten folio pages, short biographies of ecclesiastics between the years 392 and 495. It is a very important source and in part the only source of our acquaintance with the over ninety authors treated therein.
It is a continuation of St. Jerome's ''
De Viris Illustribus''. In that work Jerome had for the first time drawn up a series of 135 short biographies of famous Christians, with lists of their chief writings. It was the first patrology and dictionary of Christian biography. This book of reference was so useful that it naturally became popular, and many people wrote continuations after the same method. We hear of such a continuation by one Paterius, a disciple of Jerome, and of a Greek translation by
Sophronius.
It was Gennadius's continuation that became most popular and was accepted everywhere as a second part of Jerome's work, and was always written (eventually printed) together with his. Gennadius's part contains about one hundred lives, modelled closely after those of Jerome. Various edits and reprints do not number them consistently; by Bernoulli, i to xcvii, with some marked as xciib, etc., originally cxxxvi-ccxxxii).
The series is arranged more or less in chronological order, but there are frequent exceptions.
In xc, 92, he says (in one version) that Theodore of Coelesyria (Theodulus) "died three years ago, in the reign of Zeno". From this Czapla deduces that Gennadius wrote between 491 and 494.
The present form of the text indicates a repeated revision of the entire work. Other people have modified it and added to it without noting the fact—as is usual among medieval writers. Some scholars including Richardson and Czapla consider that chapters xxx (
Bishop John II of Jerusalem
John II (c. 356 – 10 January 417) was bishop of Jerusalem from AD 387 to AD 417. John II succeeded to the episcopal throne of Jerusalem on the death of Cyril in 386 (or 387). He was the author, according to an increasing number of modern ...
), lxxxvii (
Victorinus
Marcus Piavonius VictorinusSome of the inscriptions record his name as M. Piavvonius Victorinus, as does the first release of coins from the Colonia mint. A mosaic from Augusta Treverorum (Trier) lists him as Piaonius. was emperor in the Gallic ...
), xciii (
Caerealis of Africa.), and all the end portion (xcv-ci), are not authentic. There is doubt about parts of the others.
Other writings
Gennadius states that he composed a number of other works, most of which are not extant:
*''Adversus omnes hæreses libri viii.'', "Against all heresies" in 8 volumes
*Five books against
Nestorius
Nestorius (; in grc, Νεστόριος; 386 – 451) was the Archbishop of Constantinople from 10 April 428 to August 431. A Christian theologian, several of his teachings in the fields of Christology and Mariology were seen as contro ...
*Ten books against
Eutyches
Eutyches ( grc, Εὐτυχής; c. 380c. 456) or Eutyches of Constantinople[Pelagius
Pelagius (; c. 354–418) was a British theologian known for promoting a system of doctrines (termed Pelagianism by his opponents) which emphasized human choice in salvation and denied original sin. Pelagius and his followers abhorred the moral ...]
*''Tractatus de millennio et de apocalypsi beati Johannis'', "Treatise on the thousand years and on the Apocalypse of St. John"
*''Epistola de fide'', a "letter of faith" which he sent to Pope Gelasius.
*Works of
Evagrius Ponticus and of
Timothy Ælurus
Pope Timothy II of Alexandria (died 477), also known as Timothy Ailuros (from Greek Αἴλουρος, "cat," because of his small build or in this case probably "weasel"), succeeded twice in supplanting the Chalcedonian patriarch of Alexandria.
...
, translated and restored to their authentic form. These translations are also lost.
De Ecclesiasticis Dogmatibus
There is a treatise called ''De Ecclesiasticis Dogmatibus'' ("Of Church Doctrine") which was originally attributed to
Augustine of Hippo
Augustine of Hippo ( , ; la, Aurelius Augustinus Hipponensis; 13 November 354 – 28 August 430), also known as Saint Augustine, was a theologian and philosopher of Berber origin and the bishop of Hippo Regius in Numidia, Roman North A ...
but is now universally attributed to Gennadius. The work was long included among those of St. Augustine.
Some scholars (
Carl Paul Caspari,
Otto Bardenhewer
Bertram Otto Bardenhewer (Mönchengladbach, 16 March 1851 – Munich, 23 March 1935) was a German Catholic patrologist. His ''Geschichte der altkirchlichen Literatur'' is a standard work, re-issued in 2008. For Bardenhewer, a patrologist was n ...
,
Bruno Czapla
Bruno may refer to:
People and fictional characters
* Bruno (name), including lists of people and fictional characters with either the given name or surname
* Bruno, Duke of Saxony (died 880)
* Bruno the Great (925–965), Archbishop of Cologn ...
) think that it is probably a fragment of Gennadius's eight books "against all heresies", apparently the last part, in which, having confuted the heretics, he builds up a positive system.
Publication
The ''De Viris Illustribus'' was edited and published by J. Andreas (Rome, 1468), by J. A. Fabricius in ''Bibliotheca ecclesiastica'' (Hamburg, 1718), and by E. C. Richardson in ''Texte und Untersuchungen'', xiv. (Leipsig, 1896). It also appears with many editions of the works of Jerome.
An English translation by Richardson was produced in the
Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, 2nd ser, iii. 385–402.
A critical edition of the ''Liber de Ecclesiasticis Dogmatibus'' under the title ''Liber Ecclesiasticorum Dogmatum'' was published by C. H. Turner in the ''Journal of Theological Studies'' vii. (1905), pp. 78–99 at pp. 89–99. Turner's introduction reviews a number of previous editions and also provides a survey of manuscript copies that were known to him, including several that he used for the edition.
Attitude and views
There are many indications that the author was a
Semipelagian in "De Viris Illustribus". Semipelagians are warmly praised (
Fastidiosus, lvi, p. 80;
Cassian, lxi, 81;
Faustus of Riez
Saint Faustus of Riez was an early Bishop of Riez (Rhegium) in Southern Gaul (Provence), the best known and most distinguished defender of Semipelagianism.
Biography
Faustus was born between 400 and 410, and his contemporaries, Avitus of Vienn ...
, lxxxv, 89); full Pelagians (
Pelagius
Pelagius (; c. 354–418) was a British theologian known for promoting a system of doctrines (termed Pelagianism by his opponents) which emphasized human choice in salvation and denied original sin. Pelagius and his followers abhorred the moral ...
himself, xlii, 77;
Julian of Eclanum, xlv, 77) are heretics;
Catholics
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...
are treated shabbily (
Augustine of Hippo
Augustine of Hippo ( , ; la, Aurelius Augustinus Hipponensis; 13 November 354 – 28 August 430), also known as Saint Augustine, was a theologian and philosopher of Berber origin and the bishop of Hippo Regius in Numidia, Roman North A ...
, xxxviii, 75;
Prosper of Aquitaine, lxxxiv, 89); even popes are called heretics (Julius I, in i, 61).
The same tendency is confirmed by the treatise "De eccles. dogmatibus", which is full of Semipelagianism, either open or implied (original sin carefully evaded, great insistence on free will and denial of predestination, grace as an adjutorium in the mildest form, etc.).
Gennadius considers (like later writers, e.g.
Thomas Aquinas
Thomas Aquinas, OP (; it, Tommaso d'Aquino, lit=Thomas of Aquino; 1225 – 7 March 1274) was an Italian Dominican friar and priest who was an influential philosopher, theologian and jurist in the tradition of scholasticism; he is known wi ...
) that all men, even those alive at the
Second Coming
The Second Coming (sometimes called the Second Advent or the Parousia) is a Christian (as well as Islamic and Baha'i) belief that Jesus will return again after his ascension to heaven about two thousand years ago. The idea is based on messi ...
, will have to die. But this conviction, though derived from a widespread patristic tradition, is, he admits, rejected by equally catholic and learned Fathers.
Of the theories concerning the soul of man subsequently known as the creationist and the traducianist views, he espouses the creationist. He will not allow the existence of the spirit as a third element in man besides the body and the soul, but regards it as only another name for the soul.
In ''De Ecclesiasticis Dogmatibus'', his views include the following points.
Heretical baptism is not to be repeated, unless it has been administered by heretics who would have declined to employ the invocation of the Holy Trinity.
He recommends weekly reception of the Eucharist by all not under the burden of mortal sin. Such as are should have recourse to public penitence.
He will not deny that private penance may suffice; but even here outward manifestation, such as change of dress, is desirable.
Daily reception of holy communion he will neither praise nor blame.
Evil was invented by Satan.
Though celibacy is rated above matrimony, to condemn marriage is
Manichean.
A twice-married Christian should not be ordained.
Churches should be called after martyrs, and the relics of martyrs honoured.
None but the baptized attain eternal life; not even catechumens, unless they suffer martyrdom.
Penitence thoroughly avails to Christians even at their latest breath.
The Creator alone knows our secret thoughts. Satan can learn them only by our motions and manifestations.
Marvels might be wrought in the Lord's name even by bad men. Men can become holy without such marks.
The freedom of man's will is strongly asserted, but the commencement of all goodness is assigned to divine grace.
The language of Gennadius is here not quite Augustinian; but neither is it Pelagian.
References
;Attribution
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External links
Opera Omnia by Migne Patrologia Latina with analytical indexesat th
Christian Classics Ethereal Library
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gennadius Of Massilia
5th-century Christian clergy
5th-century Gallo-Roman people
History of Marseille
Writers from Marseille
5th-century Latin writers
5th-century historians
Clergy from Marseille
Ancient Massaliotes