The Letter to Theodore: A Monastic Mystery

The discovery of the Letter to Theodore by Morton Smith in 1958 at the Mar Saba monastery has long been a subject of intrigue and controversy. Central to this debate is whether the letter was part of the monastery’s collection before Smith’s arrival or if it was a modern forgery. Evidence from Greek monks who were at Mar Saba during this period provides crucial insights into this mystery.

Father Kallistos Dourvas

Father Kallistos Dourvas, the librarian of the Greek Patriarchate of Jerusalem from the 1970s to 2010, played a significant role in this debate. Kallistos believed that the manuscript and the book containing the Letter to Theodore were part of the Mar Saba library long before Morton Smith’s arrival. According to Kallistos, the handwriting of the letter resembled 18th-century scripts found in other Mar Saba manuscripts, suggesting its longstanding presence in the library.

Kallistos’s perspective is supported by Quentin Quesnell’s diary notes, which record conversations with Kallistos. These notes indicate that Kallistos thought the manuscript’s handwriting was authentically 18th-century and reflective of the historical presence of heretical texts at Mar Saba. This testimony suggests that Kallistos believed the letter was not a modern forgery but an older document that had been part of the monastery’s collection for a significant period.

Father Seraphim

Father Seraphim, another key figure, joined the Lavra of Saint Sabbas in 1939, nearly two decades before Morton Smith’s discovery. Seraphim’s long tenure at the monastery provided him with extensive knowledge of its collection. His involvement in disputes over the manuscript’s ownership further supports the claim that the letter was considered part of the Mar Saba library before Smith’s arrival.

David Flusser’s account of the events in 1976, when a group of scholars attempted to retrieve the manuscript, reveals Seraphim’s strong attachment to the manuscript. Flusser noted that Seraphim raised significant objections when the scholars tried to take the manuscript, insisting it belonged to the monastery. This behavior indicates Seraphim’s belief that the letter was a long-standing part of the Mar Saba collection.

Implications and Controversies

While Agamemnon Tselikas, a handwriting expert, later suggested that the handwriting of the letter could be a modern imitation of 18th-century script, the testimonies of Kallistos and Seraphim present a compelling case for the letter’s earlier presence in the monastery. Their belief in the letter’s authenticity and their efforts to retain it within the monastery suggest that they viewed it as a genuine historical document.

The debate over the Letter to Theodore is further complicated by the lack of explicit evidence of its existence at Mar Saba before 1958. However, the consistent belief of these monastic figures in the letter’s authenticity and their actions to protect it provide important context for understanding the manuscript’s provenance.

Conclusion

The testimonies of Father Kallistos Dourvas and Father Seraphim, both of whom had extensive knowledge of the Mar Saba monastery’s collection, suggest that the Letter to Theodore was considered an authentic part of the library before Morton Smith’s discovery. While modern analysis raises questions about the letter’s authenticity, the monks’ beliefs and actions provide valuable insights into this enduring scholarly mystery. Whether the letter is ultimately proven to be genuine or a modern forgery, the evidence from these monastic figures underscores the complexity and intrigue surrounding one of early Christian history’s most debated documents.