Agnoetae
(agnoetai) from agnoeo, to be ignorant of).
The name given to those who denied the omniscience either of God or of Christ. The Theophronians, so named from their leader, Theophronius of Cappadocia (370), denied that God knew the past by memory or the future with certainty; and taught that even for a knowledge of the past He required study and reflection. The Arians, regarding the nature of Christ as inferior to that of His Father, claimed that He was ignorant of many things, as appears from His own statements about the day of judgment and by the fact that He frequently asked questions of His companions and of the Jews. The Apollinarists, denying that Christ had a human soul, or, at least, that He had an intellect, necessarily regarded Him as devoid of knowledge. The Nestorians generally, and the Adoptionists who renewed their error, believed that the knowledge of Christ was limited; that He grew in learning as He grew in age. The Monophysites logically believed that Christ knew all things, since, according to them, He had but one nature and that divine. But some of them, known as the Severian Monophysites, set limits to the knowledge of Christ. Luther attributed extraordinary knowledge, if not omniscience, to Christ, but many of the reformers, like Bucer, Calvin, Zwinglius, and others, denied His omniscience. Some Catholics during the last century have also questioned the omniscience of the human intellect of Christ, e.g. Klee, Gunther, Bougaud, and the controversy has again aroused some interest owing to the speculations of Abbé Loisy. See KNOWLEDGE OF CHRIST; MONOPHYSITISM.
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Transcribed by Paul T. Crowley Dedicated to the Sacred Heart
The Catholic Encyclopedia, Volume ICopyright © 1907 by Robert Appleton CompanyOnline Edition Copyright © 2003 by K. KnightNihil Obstat, March 1, 1907. Remy Lafort, S.T.D., CensorImprimatur. +John Cardinal Farley, Archbishop of New York
Fuente: Catholic Encyclopedia
Agnoetae
(from , to be ignorant of), a sect which appeared about A.D. 370, adopting the opinions of Theophronius of Cappadocia. They questioned the omniscience of God, alleging that He knew things past only by memory, and things future only by uncertain prescience. Ecclesiastical historians mention another sect, which in the sixth century followed Themistius, deacon of Alexandria. They maintained that Christ was ignorant of many things, and particularly of the day of judgment (see Colbe, Agnoetismus, Giess. 1654). Eulogius, patriarch of Alexandria. ascribes this opinion to certain solitaries in the neighborhood of Jerusalem, who cited, in vindication of their opinion, Mar 13:32 : Of that day and that hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels which are in heaven, neither the Son, but the Father.” Baronius, A.D. 535; Mosheim, Ch. Hist. cent. 6, pt. 2, ch, 5, 9; Walch, Hist. der Ketzereien, 8, 644. SEE THEMISTIANS.
Fuente: Cyclopedia of Biblical, Theological and Ecclesiastical Literature
Agnoetae
Agnotae (from , to be ignorant of), a name applied to two sects who denied the omniscience either of God the Father, or of God the Son in His state of humiliation.
I. The first were a sect of the Arians, and called from Eunomius and Theophronius “Eunomio-Theophronians” (Socr. H. E. v. 24). Their leader, Theophronius, of Cappadocia, who flourished about 370, maintained that God knew things past by memory and things future only by uncertain prescience. Sozomen (H. E. vii. 17) writes of him: “Having given some attention to the writings of Aristotle, he composed an appendix to them, entitled Exercises of the Mind. But he afterwards engaged in many unprofitable disputations, and soon ceased to confine himself to the doctrines of his master. [See Eunomius.] Under the assumption of being deeply versed in the terms of Scripture, he attempted to prove that though God is acquainted with the present, the past, and the future, his knowledge on these subjects is not the same in degree, and is subject to some kind of mutation. As this hypothesis appeared positively absurd to the Eunomians, they excommunicated him from their church; and he constituted himself the leader of a new sect, called after his own name, ‘Theophronians.'”
II. Better known are the Agnotae or Themistiani, in the Monophysite controversy in 6th cent. Themistius, deacon of Alexandria, representing a small branch of the Monophysite Severians, taught, after the death of Severus, that the human soul (not the Divine nature) of Christ was like us in all things, even in the limitation of knowledge, and was ignorant of many things, especially the day of judgment, which the Father alone knew (Mar 13:32, cf. Joh 11:34). Most Monophysites rejected this view, as inconsistent with their theory of one nature in Christ, which implied also a unity of knowledge, and they called the followers of Themistius Agnotae. The orthodox, who might from the Chalcedonian dogma of the two natures in Christ have inferred two kinds of knowledge, a perfect Divine and an imperfect human admitting of growth (Luk 2:52), nevertheless rejected the view of the Agnotae, as making too wide a rupture between the two natures, and generally understood the famous passage in Mark of the official ignorance only, inasmuch as Christ did not choose to reveal to His disciples the day of judgment, and thus appeared ignorant for a wise purpose ( ). His inquiry concerning Lazarus was explained from reference to the Jews and the intention to increase the effect of the miracle. Eulogius, Patriarch of Alexandria, wrote against the Agnotae a treatise on the absolute knowledge of Christ, of which Photius has preserved large extracts. Sophronius, patriarch of Jerusalem, anathematized Themistius. Agnotism was revived by the Adoptionists in the 8th cent. Felix of Urgel maintained the limitation of the knowledge of Christ according to His human nature, and appealed to Mar 13:32. Gallandi, Bibl. Patr. xii. p. 634; Mansi, Conc. xi. 502; Leont. Byz. de Sectis, Actio X. c. iii.; Photius, Cod. 230 (ed. Bekk. p. 284); Baronius, Annal. ad A.D. 535; Walch. Hist. der Ketzereien, viii. 644-684; Baur, Lehre v. der Dreieinigkeit, etc., ii. pp. 87 ff; Dorner, Entwicklungsgeschichte, etc., ii. pp. 172 f; cf. D. C. B. (4 vol. ed.) art. PERSON OF CHRIST.
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