Didymus and the School of Alexandria
OBJECTIVE
The objective of the church history module for Grade 5 is to understand the beginning of Christian literature and the establishment of our theology. This lesson will focus on the scholar Didymus the Blind and his contributions to the School of Alexandria.
INTRODUCTION & HOOK - 5 Minutes
Please review the previous week's lesson. (5 minutes)
Recap of the School of Alexandria:
HOLY SCRIPTURE - 5 Minutes
"But if evil had the power to push the human free choice toward something else, something alien, the Goodwill has the power to call it back to its original condition."
Didymus the Blind from his commentary on the Psalms
CONTENT (KEY POINTS) - 25 Minutes
Last week we learned about the School of Alexandria. The importance of this school is that it gave rise to many of the theologians and scholars that we reference today to defend our Faith. These scholars, such as Didymus the Blind, studied intensely at the School of Alexandria and, through its courses, became extremely knowledgeable and influential teachers, not only to the next generation of Orthodox scholars but to all theologians who read their writings.
Didymus the Blind was born in the fourth century in Alexandria, Egypt. He was an Eastern church theologian, which means he studied God and our religion. He became blind when he was four years old but still grew up to be a revered bishop and historian. He studied under Origen and quickly gained his own following of many famous scholars - among whom were St. Jerome, Palladius, and St. Antony of the Desert. St. Athanasius the Great chose Didymus the Blind to be the Dean of the School of Alexandria, and as a teacher there he attracted students from all across the Roman Empire.
Under his leadership, the school was open for blind students to study through a system in which reading letters were engraved into the surface of the wood. (At this point, review what they learned about the School of Alexandria last week).
Despite his popularity during his life, after death, a lot of his writing was condemned due to some of his commentary mirroring Origen's heretical beliefs. Didymus was greatly influenced by Origen, being one of his students, and some of their shared beliefs included the pre-existence of souls, the transmigration of souls, and the reconciliation of all things. Because of this condemnation, St. Jerome distanced himself from Didymus and most of his writings were destroyed and censored into just fragments of his original commentaries. Until, however, the Tura papyri were found.
The Tura papyri is an ancient manuscript made of papyrus found in an abandoned mine in Egypt that was once used to quarry limestone to make the pyramids. (For more information, Click Here It contained many writings of the church fathers but primarily consisted of the teachings of Didymus and Origen.
Didymus is not commonly used by later theologians as a source because most of his writings since he was a teacher, rely heavily on past theologians. As a result, many scholars viewed him as unoriginal and unnecessary as a source - they would instead reference older theologians that Didymus himself also relied upon. Also, Didymus is often shadowed by Origen and St. Athanasius, two great theologians with similar viewpoints to Didymus. As more scholars read his writings from the Tura Papyri, ignorance of Didymus might change - the blind scholar contributed greatly to fighting the Arian heresy (the belief that Christ was not Divine) by explaining the nature of the Holy Trinity in detail.
Didymus shifted the beliefs of many theologians in his time toward a perspective in which no single Person of the Trinity is identified as our Creator; instead, all Three share a single Divine nature and all three Created together at the beginning, an integral belief in our theology. God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit were all existent before the Creation we read in the Book of Genesis. His book, On the Holy Spirit, explains in detail the nature of the Holy Spirit within the Trinity. The tone of his writings is always well balanced and calculated to win over his opponent rather than to defeat them. He attacked heresies with the truth but never attacked the heretic himself. Thus, he had friends amongst many different sects of Christians.
DISCUSSION (Challenge) - 5 Minutes
When/Where was Didymus born?
When did he become blind?
Which theologian influenced Didymus the most?
What is the Tura Papyri? Whose writings did it contain?
Why do a lot of scholars not use Didymus in their writings?
What is one belief of Didymus? (Ask multiple students)
LIFE APPLICATION - 5 Minutes
Didymus the Blind was able to overcome great obstacles (especially for his time - Braille had not been created) to become one of the greatest theologians and scholars of his time. When we are faced with obstacles, let us remind ourselves that all obstacles are temporary in the face of God. And we should all seek to learn about our religion - we were blessed with eyes and ears and brains so let us learn, love, and experience God.
ACTIVITY - 15 Minutes
Blindfolded Obstacle Course
Materials needed:
- Blindfolds (bandanas or anything to cover the eyes) for about half the students
- Obstacles (Can use chairs, tables, balls, cones, hula hoops, anything you have on hand)
Servants set up an "obstacle course" in a large room or outside. The obstacle course should have enough lanes for every set of two students. If there are too many students, the pairs can take turns going on the course.
Students get into pairs. One of the students in the pair puts on the blindfold. The second pair positions them in front of the obstacle course and then stands to the side and does not touch them for the rest of the activity. At this time, all pairs should be lined up at each lane in the course. When the servant says "Go', all blindfolded students have to listen to their partner as their partner orally guides them through the course. If they touch an obstacle, they have to go back to the start. The first pair to finish gets some sort of reward if possible.
SERVANT RESOURCES
Didymus the Blind and His Circle in Late-antique Alexandria
Page of the Tura Papyri