Didymus the blind

Didymus (Latin; Greek Didymos , * 310 or 313 in Alexandria ; † around 398 ibid), called the blind , was an ancient Christian writer.

Although Didymus became blind at the age of four before he had learned to read , he acquired all the knowledge of his time. When he entered the service of the Church, he was appointed teacher in the Alexandria Catechism School , where he lived and worked well into old age. Hieronymus and Rufinus were among his students .

Didymus was a loyal follower of Origen , but also fought resolutely against the views of the Arians and the Manicheans .

His surviving writings show a comprehensive knowledge of the Bible and a high theological level. These include the titles De Trinitate , De Spiritu Sancto (translated into Latin by Hieronymus), Adversus Manichaeos , as well as comments and interpretations on various biblical books, especially the Psalms and the Catholic Letters .

literature

• Bärbel Kramer : Didymos the blind . Commentary on the Ecclesiastes ( Tura Papyrus). Part 4: Commentary on Ecclesiastes Chapters 7–8.8 , Cologne 1972
• Bärbel Kramer: Didymus of Alexandria . In: Theologische Realenzyklopädie 8 (1981), pp. 741-746
• Friedrich Wilhelm Bautz :  DIDYMUS the blind. In: Biographisch-Bibliographisches Kirchenlexikon (BBKL). Volume 1, Bautz, Hamm 1975. 2nd, unchanged edition Hamm 1990, ISBN 3-88309-013-1 , Sp. 1283-1284.
• Alexios G. Savvides, Benjamin Hendrickx (Eds.): Encyclopaedic Prosopographical Lexicon of Byzantine History and Civilization . Vol. 2: Baanes-Eznik of Kolb . Brepols Publishers, Turnhout 2008, ISBN 978-2-503-52377-4 , pp. 341-342.