thēŏdˈərĕt, c.393–c.458, Syrian churchman and theologian. He was a monk of Apamaea and a lifelong friend of Nestorius. In 423 he went unwillingly to be bishop of Cyrus, Syria, where he furthered the work of the church in a difficult see. At the time of the controversy over Nestorianism, Theodoret felt that Nestorius was misunderstood. As a result, he had a bitter controversy with St. Cyril of Alexandria. At the Council of Ephesus (431), Theodoret voted to depose Cyril. In 449 the Robber Synod of Ephesus led by Eutyches declared Theodoret deposed, but Pope Leo I invalidated this decree. At the Council of Chalcedon (451), Theodoret reluctantly joined in the condemnation of Nestorianism, still holding that it misrepresented his friend. His writings against St. Cyril were condemned in Justinian's Three Chapters (see Monophysitism), but the church has never condemned him. A theologian of the Antiochene school, he was much less extreme than his tutor, Theodore of Mopsuestia.

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