Theodore vs. the “Arians” and the Parable of Humanity’s Creation: A Syriac Fragment of Theodore of Mopsuestia’s Commentary on Genesis 1.26

For many historians and theologians, there are primarily two things that come to mind at the mention of Theodore of Mopsuestia: his relationship to the christological controversy of the fifth century and his aversion to allegorical interpretation. A fragment from a Syriac version of his Commentary on Genesis contains evidence that contributes to a broader perspective. In this paper I present the first translation of a portion of this fragment in a modern language. I then offer an interpretive analysis. The results of the analysis call attention to Theodore’s concern not only with exploring the realm of Christology, but also with promoting Nicene theology. They also bring to light one instance in which Theodore found non-literal—and possibly even allegorical—interpretation acceptable.