The theological anthropology of Eustathius of Antioch

This authoritative study explores Eustathius of Antioch's theological anthropology, offering insight into one of the most important thinkers of the early Arian controversy. Sophie Cartwright situates Eustathius' thought in relation to the early 'Arian' controversy, the Constaninian Revolution, the theological legacies of Irenaeus and Origen, and the philosophical commentary tradition. She also locates Eustathius within his historical context and provides a detailed overview of the sources for his complex and fragmented corpus. Eustathius' anthropology is indebted to a tradition shaped by the theology of Irenaeus, that had already come into conversation with Origen. Dr Cartwright suggests that Origen's own thought was indebted to Irenaeus but that he had a radically different cosmology; this shaped subsequent engagement with both thinkers. Eustathius' theology of embodiment draws on Irenaeus, in opposition to what he perceives as the Origenist and Platonist anthropology which, in his anti-Arian works, he associates with Eusebius of Caesarea. However, he is deeply indebted to Origen for his doctrine of Christ's human soul and, consequently, his wider psychology.