David Michelson's monograph provides an appealing introduction to the theology of a major non-Chalcedonian Syriac Christian churchman, Philoxenos (d. 523), the Miaphysite bishop of Mabbug (modern Manbij in northeastern Syria). For reasons both historical and present-day, this study is significant. From the historical perspective, Nicene and Chalcedonian Greek theologians, such as Athanasius and Cyril of Alexandria, have been persuasively claimed as forerunners of Miaphysite theological tradition. Further, major post-Chalcedonian theologians, such as Leontius of Byzantium and Maximus the Confessor, engaged implicitly in dialogue and competition with this tradition. Finally, the christology and spirituality hammered out and propagated by these churchmen of the sixth century constituted a major strand of the religious context into which the first Muslims entered, and within which the essential traditions of Islam were formulated.

From the perspective of the present, the contemporary communion that descends from this Miaphysite patristic tradition, the Syrian Orthodox Church, has been an active partner in ecumenical conversations for decades. Further, current conditions in the Middle East have led many Syriac-tradition Christians to emigrate to Europe as well as to Canada, the United States, Australia and other parts of the world; increasingly, these Christians have become our next-door neighbours. Finally, the theology and piety of sixth-century Syriac Christianity have intrinsic interest and appeal. Michelson directly addresses only two of these points: Philoxenos’ rooting in a broad theological tradition, and the coherence and attractiveness of his theological stance. Yet the larger framework is also relevant to his potential readership.

André de Halleux established Philoxenos’ biographical context and the essential features of his theology in his masterful study, Philoxéne de Mabbog: Sa vie, ses écrits, sa théologie (Louvain, 1963). Michelson builds upon this foundation with a thorough study both of the primary and secondary literature. As he notes, both de Halleux and Tanios Bou Mansour have emphasised the ‘intuitive’ character of Philoxenos’ theology, its unity and ‘the interrelation of foundational ideas concerning Christology, soteriology, and epistemology’ (p. 17). Michelson expands upon this insight to argue that the remarkable consistency and integration of Philoxenos’ theological principles are grounded in an epistemological paradox: the unknowable God becomes accessible to humans through the incarnation. To avail oneself of that access to God is the calling of all Christians. As bishop, Philoxenos must keep before himself and before all who rely on his guidance that ‘the Word became flesh and dwelt in us’ (John 1:14; see p. 172 and passim). The incarnation implies an ongoing sanctification of humanity through ascetic struggle. This is the ‘practice’ that inspires the phrase ‘practical Christology’ in Michelson's title.

Anti-Eunomian ‘anti-speculative’ arguments adopted and adapted from Ephrem the Syrian and the Cappadocians, especially Basil of Caesarea, provide the foundation of Philoxenos’ epistemology. The believer is reduced to silence, but this is a contemplative silence that leads to theosis, incorporation into the life of God. Baptism and, above all, the eucharistic liturgy provide opportunities for spiritual transformation. This opportunity is not offered to all, however, but only to those who profess a Miaphysite christology. Philoxenos’ polemics were meant ‘to demonstrate how the logic of Chalcedonian doctrine cuts off access to the incarnate Christ’ (p. 39). Florilegia bolster his insistence that correct doctrine is not only the best, but the only way. It is ‘the royal way’ that leads from apostolic teaching through Nicene doctrine to the Miaphysite creed, an accurate and life-giving understanding of God who became flesh, suffered and died for us. Scripture, too, is best approached through contemplation on the incarnation rather than through learned, analytical commentary.

Monastic communities constituted Philoxenos’ most important audience, and their unending spiritual pursuit of the knowledge of God through ascetic struggle is also seen through an incarnational lens. Philoxenos integrates into his spiritual theology a broad swath of Syriac and Greek traditions: from Ephrem and the Cappadocians, the Alexandrians, the Syriac Book of Steps and the Syriac adaptation of Evagrian mysticism. Again, theology and practice come together in a powerful bilingual and diachronic theological synthesis.

In this book Michelson challenges those who would divide Philoxenos’ ‘theological legacy . . . into two opposing (and non-overlapping) poles: virulent polemicist and ecumenically accessible ascetic teacher’ (p. 208). He presents instead a portrait of a passionate and single-minded theologian. It is a timely and intriguing glimpse not only into an earlier time and another place, but also into a significant theological formulation worthy of consideration today.