On This Day In Roman History, February 6
The Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople, Photios I of Constantinople, dies in exile on February 6, in 891 or 893 CE. Photios served as the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople twice, first from 858 to 867 and then from 877 to 886. An iconic man of his age and of the Byzantine Empire, Photios was incredibly well educated. His most notable work, titled Bibliotheca or Myriobiblon, dealt with the theological schisms that existed within Christianity at this time. This work contains several hundred pieces from other authors that had been lost to history, and would be lost to us today without this writing. Adrian Fortescue, a Roman Catholic priest and writer from the turn of the 20th century, called Photios "the most wonderful man of all the Middle Ages", also saying "had not given his name to the great schism, he would always be remembered as the greatest scholar of his time".
Did you know?
All though Photios had an excellent education, there is no record of where or how this education took place. The University of the Palace Hall of Magnaura lays claim to him having taught there, but most modern scholars discredit this as an after the fact attempt to claim some of his prestige. It is recorded he taught many students privately, and was a close friend of the famous Leo the Mathematician. It is possible Photios received some type of formal education in Baghdad while serving in an embassy to the Abbasids.
Pictured: Image of a fresco in Saint Sophia's Cathedral, Kiev, from the book "О значении для России константинопольского патриарха Фотия" ("The significance for Russia of the Patriarch of Constantinople Photius") by N. Leopard, 189. Via Wikimedia Commons.
Opinion
Welcome to my daily opinion! This point at the beginning of the Byzantine Dark Ages is pretty confusing. Theology, in terms of Christianity, is getting deeper and deeper into its schisms and divisions between the different churches. Photios was really tied up in deep, complex ecclesiastical conflicts. Many contemporary writings of him reflect this and bash him more than they probably should simply because they disagreed on minute theological differences. A more positive thing Photios accomplished, in my opinion, is the return of humanism being added to the understanding of Othodox Christianity, affecting the consciousness of contemporary Byzantines citizens.
Sources
Lemerle, P., Lindsay, H., & Moffatt, A. (1986). Byzantine humanism: the first phase. Canberra: Australian Association for Byzantine Studies.
Rautman, M. L. (2006). Daily life in the Byzantine Empire. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press.
White, D. S., & P. (1981). Patriarch Photios of Constantinople: his life, scholarly contributions, and correspondence together with a translation of fifty-two of his letters. Brookline, MA: Holy Cross Orthodox Press.
Further Reading:
Special Thanks: Michael Houghan
No comments:
Post a Comment