Journal: Southern Baptist Journal of Theology
Volume: SBJT 27:2 (Summer 2023)
Article: “The Chief Affair Of Human Life:” Asterius Of Amasea’s Homily "On Divorce"
Author: Aaron Matherly

“The Chief Affair Of Human Life:” Asterius Of Amasea’s Homily On Divorce

Aaron Matherly

Aaron Matherly earned his PhD in church history at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, Louisville, Kentucky. He has written a number of articles published in the Founders Journal, Evangelical Quarterly, Puritan Reformed Journal, and The Churchman. He was also a contributor with Michael Haykin, Patrick of Ireland: His Life and Impact (Christian Focus Publications, 2014). Dr. Matherly attends Immanuel Baptist Church, Danville, Kentucky, with his wife, Heather, and his daughter, Lucy Rose.

It would be difficult to overestimate the contributions of the three Cappadocians—Basil of Caesarea (d. 379), his brother Gregory of Nyssa (d. 395), and Gregory of Nazianzus (d. 389)—during the crucial fourth century of the church. Their voluminous output of treatises and sermons in the calamitous period leading up to the Council of Constantinople in 381 helped to stem the tide of Arianism and ultimately led to the establishment of Nicene orthodoxy. While one can hardly mention the fourth-century church history without reference to the Cappadocian Fathers, other figures from the same period have received very little recognition in comparison. This reality may be unsurprising given the importance of the Cappadocians, and to be sure, the wealth of scholarship on these figures is warranted. Nevertheless, one can acknowledge the due consideration given to Basil and the two Gregorys while still regretting the reality that some of their contemporaries have often relegated to the footnotes of this pivotal period. Studying these lesser-known writers reveals an important reminder: despite the influence of the Cappadocians during the fourth century, they were not the final say on all spiritual matters in the fourth century among the orthodox.

SBJT 27:2 (Summer 2023) 83

Asterius of Amasea (c. 330–425), from whom a handful of homilies have survived into the present, provides one such example. After providing a brief overview Asterius’ life and works, this essay will contrast Gregory of Nyssa’s treatise On Virginity with Asterius’ homily On Divorce in order to demonstrate that, although the bishop of Amasea often exhibited the Nyssa’s influence in his homilies,1 their assessments of marriage differed in significant ways.

Asterius’ Life And Works

Whereas it has been said that, with the exception of Cicero and Augustine, we know more about Basil of Caesarea than any other ancient writer,2 beyond conjecture few details of Asterius’ life are definitively known. Cornelis Datema provides the most exhaustive account of ...