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Photius, Library 102.86a13-28

   https://caesarea-maritima.org/testimonia/401

Context

Photius I was ecumenical patriarch of Constantinople in 858-867 and 877-886, as well as an unparalleled intellectual luminary for his age. Apart from his distinguished ecclesiastical career, he engaged in polymathic teaching and research, supported by his vast personal library. Photius wrote an expansive compendium of classical writings in 280 volumes or codices, his Library (Βιβλιοθήκη) or Thousandsfold Book (Μυριόβιβλον), which included epitomes, excerpts, and commentaries mainly on historical, rhetorical, and theological works, many of which are otherwise lost. Several passages discuss the renowned leaders of the Church at Caesarea in Palestine. In this passage, after earlier discussing the authorship of other works under the name of Gelasius, bishop of Caesarea Palestinae (codd. 87, 88), Photius identifies a theological treatise by a different Gelasius, bishop of Caesarea Palestinae, and evaluates its prose style.

Text

Ἀνεγνώσθη ἐν μονοβίβλῳ Γελασίου ἐπισκόπου Καισαρείας τῆς Παλαιστίνης, κατὰ Ἀνομοίων. Ἔστι δὲ τὴν φράσιν ἀπέριττός τε καὶ σύντονος, καὶ ἐξηττικισμέναις λέξεσι κεχρημένος, καὶ ἀξιώμασιν ἀπηκριβωμένος, καὶ οὐδὲ τοῖς ἐπιχειρήμασιν ἄπορος, καὶ πάντα καλὸς εἰ μὴ ὅτι κατακόρως καὶ μειρακιωδῶς, ὡς ἄρτι παρακύπτων εἰς τοὺς διαλεκτικοὺς λόγους, τοῖς τῆς λογικῆς τέχνης καὶ κανόσι καὶ αὐταῖς ἀπεχρήσατο λέξεσιν, εἰ καὶ ἀπολογίαν τῆς τοιαύτης ἀκαιρολογίας ἐνυφαίνει τῷ συγγράμματι· ὅπερ γὰρ εἰς ἀπολογίαν αὐτὸν καθιστάνειν ἔγνω, οὐδὲ τὴν ἀρχὴν ἐχρῆν αὐτὸ μεταχειρίζεσθαι· καὶ ἡ τάξις δὲ τοῦ λόγου οὐκ ἀνεπίμωμος.Ἐμπεριείχετο δὲ τῇ δέλτῳ καὶ Διοδώρου Ταρσοῦ περὶ τοῦ ἁγίου πνεύματος διάφορα ἐπιχειρήματα, ἐν οἷς καὶ τὴν Νεστορίου νόσον αὐτὸς ἐπιδείκνυται προηρρωστηκώς.1

Textual Note

Ed. Bekker 1824-1825 with ref. Henry 1959

Translation

Read the treatise of Gelasius, bishop of Caesarea Palestinae, Against the Anomoeans, in one volume. His style of expression is free from superfluities and vigorous, he uses Atticizing diction, his principles are sharply elaborated, and he is not at a loss for arguments. In all respects he is a good writer, except that he excessively and childishly employs the rules and terms of logic, as though he were just now glancing at dialectical textbooks. He does weave an apology for this sort of ill-timed language into his treatise, but what he intended to excuse in his apology he ought not to have used in the first place. In addition, the arrangement of the work is not free from blame.The same little volume contained the various arguments by Diodorus of Tarsus concerning the Holy Spirit, in which he shows that he is already infected by the taint of the Nestorian heresy.2

Translation Note

Adapted from Freese 1920 with ref. to Henry 1959

Works Cited

  • 1 Photius, Photii Bibliotheca, ed. Immanuel Bekker, 2 vols. (Berlin: G. Reimer, 1824), bk: 102, p: 86a13-28.Link to Zotero Bibliographic RecordLink to HathiTrust Bibliographic record
  • 2 Photius, Photius: Bibliothèque, ed. René Henry and Jacques Schamp, 2nd printing, 9 vols., Collection Byzantine (Paris: Société d’édition «Les belles lettres», 1959), vol: 2, p: 70-71.Link to Zotero Bibliographic Record

Additional Bibliography

  • Photius, The Library of Photius, trans. John Henry Freese, Translations of Christian Literature 1 (London; New York: Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge ; Macmillan Company, 1920), p: 193.Link to Zotero Bibliographic RecordLink to Archive.org Bibliographic record
About This Text

 

How to Cite This Entry

Joseph L. Rife, “Photius, Library 102.86a13-28,” in Caesarea Maritima: A Collection of Testimonia, entry published June 30, 2023, https://caesarea-maritima.org/testimonia/401.

Bibliography:

Joseph L. Rife, “Photius, Library 102.86a13-28.” In Caesarea Maritima: A Collection of Testimonia, edited by Joseph L. Rife., edited by Joseph L. Rife. Caesarea City and Port Exploration Project, 2023. Entry published June 30, 2023. https://caesarea-maritima.org/testimonia/401.

About this Entry

Entry Title: Photius, Library 102.86a13-28

Authorial and Editorial Responsibility:

  • Joseph L. Rife, general editor, Vanderbilt University
  • Joseph L. Rife, editor, Caesarea Maritima: A Collection of Testimonia
  • David A. Michelson, Daniel L. Schwartz, and William L. Potter, technical editor, “Photius, Library 102.86a13-28”
  • Joseph L. Rife, entry contributor, “Photius, Library 102.86a13-28”

Additional Credit:

  • TEI encoding by Joseph L. Rife
  • URNs and other metadata added by Joseph L. Rife
  • Electronic text added by Joseph L. Rife
  • Testimonia identified by Joseph L. Rife
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