Theodore OF MOPSUESTIA, a great exegete of the early church, was born at Antioch about the middle of the 4th century. He was the friend of Chrysostom and the pupil of Libanius, but it was Diodorus of Tarsus from whom he imbibed his zeal for biblical studies. About the year 383 he became a presbyter in Antioch, and about 392 he was chosen Bishop of Mopsuestia in Cilicia. He died at peace with all men in 428 or 429. Theodore wrote commentaries on almost all the books of Scripture, of which only remain, in the Greek, that on the Minor Prophets; in Latin translations, those on the lesser epistles of Paul, besides many fragments, especially on the epistle to the Romans. As an exegete he eschews the allegorical method, adopting the literal meaning, and he takes into consideration also the historical circumstances of the composition, and assumes varying degrees of inspiration. When the Nestorian controversy broke out his polemical writings, which seem to have offended by a characteristically sober tone, were attacked, and after a century of fanatical agitation were formally condemned by Justinian in the Tria Capitula (544). The fifth œcumenical council—that of Constantinople in 553—confirmed the emperor's condemnation, and Theodore's name vanished from the list of orthodox writers.
The Greek fragments of his New Testament commentaries were collected by Fritzsche (1847). The Pauline commentaries were edited by Swete, with admirable prolegomena (Camb. 1880-82). The commentary on the Minor Prophets was edited by Wegner (1834) and Mai (1832, 1854), the Syriac remains by Sachau (1869). See Kihn, Theodore von Mopsuestia u. Junilius Afric., als Exegeten (Freib. 1880).