Theodoret of Cyrrhus

As Bishop of Cyrrhus in Syria, Theodoret was actively involved in church politics and especially in the theological debates of the early 5th century. His major work Religious History is a collection of Lives of ordinary Syrian holymen and women, but which also reveals much about the author himself and the relationship between ascetics and the church at this time. Theresa Urbainczyk presents the historical and literary background to the work and examines it for hidden meaning, focusing especially on Theodoret's disparaging remarks about some of his subjects, many of whom were known to him. She also reveals how, through his portrayal of his subject and their social status and activities, he himself comes up smelling of roses. The final part of the book explores changes within the early church and how and why ascetics acted against them.