The heads of the Catechetical School in Alexandria

Willem H Oliver

doi:10.4102/ve.v36i1.1386

Abstract

This is the second of two articles, the first article being concerned with general questions regarding the Didaskaleion in Alexandria. The account of the founding of the Didaskaleion in Alexandria is based on information provided by Eusebius of Caesarea (263�339), a Roman historian, exegete and Christian polemicist, in his well-known Historia Ecclesiastica, which he wrote during the first half of the 4th century. The heads of the Didaskaleion are, however, not indicated by Eusebius in an exhaustive order, as he referred to only some of them. The only ancient writer who attempted to assemble a list of heads at the Didaskaleion was Philip Sidetes (ca 380�440), also called Philip of Side (Side being a city in ancient Pamphylia, now Turkey), also a historian, of whom only a few fragments are extant. He provided a list of 13 heads (�teachers�), ending with Rhodon who allegedly was his teacher. This article will list and discuss all the scholars being referred to as heads of the Didaskaleion during her existence, which could date back to the second half of the 1st century CE and ended somewhere near the end of the 4th century.Intradisciplinary and/or interdisciplinary implications: Research about Africa done by Africans (inhabitants of Africa) needs to increase, because in many ways Africa is silent or silenced about her past. The fundamental question is: �Can anything good come out of Africa?� My answer is, �Yes! Come and see.� Therefore these two articles attempt to indicate the significance of Africa which was actually the place where Christian Theology was founded. This has intradisciplinary as well as interdisciplinary implications; in this case the investigation is done from a theological perspective.

Highlights

There is a huge ‘vagueness’ about the heads of the Didaskaleion in Alexandria
The number of heads, as well as the sequence in which they were given, differs between the two historians. In his Historia Ecclesiastica, Eusebius referred to only eight heads
When Dionysius died, being the bishop of Alexandria, the Delta City was in such high regard as the ‘centre and bulwark of Christian scholarship’ that it was referred to as a ‘second Jerusalem’ (El Masri 1982:55)

Summary

Introduction

There is a huge ‘vagueness’ about the heads of the Didaskaleion in Alexandria. The first part of the ‘vagueness’ relates to the (non)existence of the Didaskaleion, which has already been alluded to in the previous article. El Masri Athenagoras Justus Eumanius Marianus Pantaenus Clement Origen Heraclas Dionysius Theognostus Pierius Peter the Martyr Achillas Didymus (the blind) El Masri (1982:14) mentioned that Mark, in his last days, appointed Justus as the new head of the School.

Results

Conclusion