Adopting a Saint: Athanasius of Laura and His Hagiographer Athanasius ‛of Panagios’

Athanasius, the author of Vita A of Athanasius the Athonite, included into his text several passages in which he explains why he took up the pen. These passages are not only exceptionally long but also unusually well crafted. The present article offers an in-depth analysis of the argument. It demonstrates that Athanasius, a member of the Byzantine elite, was an egocentric who believed that he was the sole heir of the monastic tradition that had been created by the saint

'Nobody has ever seen God': the denial of the possibility of mystical experiences in eighth- and eleventh-century Byzantium

In scholarly treatments of Byzantine mysticism the eighth, ninth and tenth centuries are given short shrift. Authors deal at length with the seventh-century authors John Climacus, Maximus the Confessor and Thalassius the Libyan and then immediately proceed to a discussion of the oeuvre of Symeon the New Theologian who flourished in the late tenth and early eleventh century. There is, of course, a simple reason for this approach. In the intervening years no mystical literature was produced in Byzantium. This raises the question: how can we account for this yawning gap? Two explanations are possible: either there was no interest in mysticism, or mysticism was actively rejected. This article argues that the latter explanation is correct. It analyses texts that rule out the possibility of mystical experiences and implicitly accuse mystics of heresy

Praising Mary's girdle: The Encomium BHG 1146M attributed to Michael the Monk and Synkellos

The girdle of the Virgin, which was kept in the Chalkoprateia church, was one of the most prominent relics in Constantinople. It was praised in encomia by Patriarch Germanus and the synkellos and later patriarch Euthymius. This article focuses on a third text, which dates to the early tenth century and is attributed to the synkellos Michael. It offers an analysis of the content, the Greek text and an English translation

Translation and Evolution: Byzantine Monastic Studies since ca. 1990

While monks were integral parts of the long‐lasting Byzantine world, Byzantine monasticism and its study can be relatively obscure to nonspecialists, given the diversity of monastic forms practiced in the empire. This piece presents a brief primer on Byzantine monastic studies and evaluates key scholarship in this increasingly vigorous field. In particular, it assesses the major impact of critical editions and primary‐source translation projects since the 1990s and 2000s, including both archival materials and hagiography. Furthermore, it evaluates the current state of the field and outlines several opportunities and directions for further research

The Encomium of the Constantinopolitan Monk Dios (BHG 2105): Text and Translation

This article contains, prefixed by a brief introduction, an edition of the Encomium of the Constantinopolitan Monk Dios (BHG 2105), based on the Codex unicus, Athous Dionysiou 145, fol. 423r-447v

Properties Participating in Substance: the Trinitarian Theology of Severus of Antioch and Damian of Alexandria

This paper focuses on the Trinitarian theology of Severus of Antioch and Damian of Alexandria. It makes the case that in his polemic against the Chalcedonians Severus equates the hypostases with the hypostatic properties and further argues that the properties gain their substantial component through participation in a common substance that is located “above” the hypostases and thus different from them. It suggests that this understanding of the Trinity was later elaborated by the Monophysite patriarch Damian of Alexandria who engaged in a controversy with the Tritheists

The two lives of Dalmatus of Constantinople (BHG 481 & 482) - introduction, editions, and translations

The article for the first time publishes editions, with introductions and translations, of two Lives of the abbot Dalmatus of Constantinople. The Lives focus on Dalmatus' role in the run-up to the condemnation of the Constantinopolitan Patriarch Nestorius at the Council of Ephesus of 431 and are significant documents that throw light on the early reception of the Council

Banishing Reason from the Divine Image: Gregory Palamas' 150 Chapters

The purpose of this article is to explore possible reasons for Palamas’ use of Augustinian notions through detailed analysis of the argumentative structure of the chapters into which they are integrated. It will be argued that Palamas was primarily interested in Augustine not as a Trinitarian theologian but because he could find in the treatise On the Trinity conceptual frameworks that permitted him to rebut Barlaam’s attacks against the hesychastic way of life in a more effective way than in his earlier treatises

The Nestorian treatise preserved in Leontius of Jerusalem's Contra Nestorianos (CPG 6918): Introduction, edition and English translation

The Nestorian treatise preserved in Leontius of Jerusalem’s Contra Nestorianos (CPG 6918) is the only surviving Nestorian Christological text in the Greek language that was written after the condemnation of Nestorius. It consists of self-contained arguments, mostly in the form of syllogisms, which are organised in eight books. The content can be easily reconstructed since Leontius of Jerusalem quotes each argument in full before refuting it. Only the last book is missing, either because Leontius did not get round to tackling it or because the manuscript containing Leontius’ work was mutilated. This article will present an introduction, critical edition and English translation of the Treatise with annotations