Noet

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Noët von Smyrna also Noëtus , ancient Greek Νοητός was a church scholar who worked in Asia Minor around the end of the 2nd century and probably came from Smyrna in what is now Turkey ( Izmir ). He was an advocate of the unity of God (that is, he was against the talk of three divine persons ( doctrine of the Trinity )); he can be considered the founder of modalist monarchianism ( patripassianism ) and was excommunicated .

No texts have survived from himself, but we owe fragments of his theological conception to the opponents.

Teaching

In connection with the disputes about Christology and the Trinity - it should be noted that a fully formulated doctrine of the Trinity was only available in 381 - Noët von Smyrna should also be mentioned on the question of God's ability to suffer. His views included:

  • Christ is the one, full mode of appearance of the one God (mode of appearance, Latin modus, hence the term modalism ).
  • The father himself suffers in the form of the son on the cross (patripassianism).

This view aims at the preservation of the unity of God, the Greek monarchia (hence also monarchianism). Another modalist is Praxeas .

In the west ( Rome ), modalism or patripassianism was first contested by Tertullian , especially in his writing “Adversus Praxeam” (pamphlet against Praxeas), written around 212. The views of Noët were later taken up and continued by Sabellius . The date of Noët's death is unknown. The question is explosive because the Ignatius letters presumably u. a. react to Noët's views and therefore the dating of the tenure of Ignatius of Antioch depends on it.

literature

personal data
SURNAME Noet
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Noët of Smyrna; Noëtus; Νοητός; Noētós
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Church scholar; Founder of modalist monarchianism (patripassianism)
DATE OF BIRTH 2nd century
PLACE OF BIRTH uncertain: Smyrna (now Turkey)
DATE OF DEATH 2nd century or 3rd century