John Kyparissiotes
Encyclopedia
John Kyparissiotes or Cyparissiotes , called “the Wise” by his contemporaries, was a Byzantine
theologian and the leading Anti-Palamite
writer in the period that followed the deaths of Nikephoros Gregoras (c. 1360) and of Palamas himself (14 September 1359). Of all the fourteenth-century opponents of Gregory Palamas
, he was the most systematic theologian, and perhaps the ablest. Most of his works remain in original manuscripts, unedited; none has ever appeared in translation in a modern language. Although editions of some of his works have been made since the 1950s, most of them, published in small printings in Greece, are nearly as difficult to come by in the West as the original manuscripts themselves.
, a town on the southwest coast of the Peloponnesus; whether John Kyparissiotes was born there, however, or at Constantinople
, or at some other location, remains uncertain. The level of sophistication of his writings suggests that, wherever he was born, he was educated in the Byzantine capital. By 1342 at the latest he had sided with the opponents of Palamas in the religious controversy over Hesychasm
that was then dividing Byzantine society and exacerbating a civil war
. He may have belonged to the circle of scholars who frequented the house of Nikephoros Gregoras; he speaks of him with great respect, and is our sole source for the information that, after Gregoras’s death, the Palamites dragged his dead body through the streets. Other acquaintances included Demetrios Kydones
, the prime minister to John VI Kantakouzenos
and John V Palaiologos
and translator of Aquinas
.
In the renewed persecution of Antipalamites that followed the condemnation of Demetrios Kydones’ brother, the monk Prochoros
, in 1368, Kyparissiotes found it necessary to flee the country. In 1371 he was living in Cyprus
, as is testified by a letter from Demetrios Kydones (ep. 35). From there, he headed further west; records indicate that he travelled with the court of Pope Gregory XI
during the latter’s journey from Avignon
to Rome (9 November 1376 - 12 December 1377), and received from him a monthly pension. By then, he must have become a Roman Catholic. It is possible, though not certain, that Kyparissiotes is the “good John” of whom Kydones, in another letter (ep. 130), speaks as having returned to Constantinople (1378/79). If so, that would be the last piece of information we have about him.
, PG 152, 664-737, which reprints the 1672 edition of Combefis). Part five of the larger work is a detailed refutation of the Concise Treatise of Nilos Kabasilas
, and consists of five books. Kyparissiotes' point in this work, as elsewhere, is to defend divine simplicity
; he argues that there is no middle term between the uncreated and the created, and that whatever is uncreated must be really identical with the one divine nature. The text of this work was edited by Dr. Stavros Maragoudaki and published in Athens in 1985.
As for the Decades — or, to give it its proper title, the Elementary Exposition of Theological Texts — it is a less overtly polemical work, although it too is ultimately concerned with refuting the Palamite theology. It is organized into ten parts, each part being further divided into ten chapters (hence the alternative title). Albert Ehrhard characterized this work as “the first [Byzantine] attempt at a systematic Dogmatics in the manner of Western scholasticism
.” He goes on to speak of it in the following way:
Migne reprints the Latin translation of this work, made by Francisco Torres in the late sixteenth century (PG 152, 741-992). More recently, an edition of the Greek text is reported to have appeared, although so far it is not to be found in most Western libraries.
Other works by John Kyparissiotes include nine Hymns addressed to the Word of God and a short work on the question whether the personal properties in the Trinity
really differ from the divine essence. (Kyparissiotes’ answer is No.)
Byzantine Empire
The Byzantine Empire was the Eastern Roman Empire during the periods of Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, centred on the capital of Constantinople. Known simply as the Roman Empire or Romania to its inhabitants and neighbours, the Empire was the direct continuation of the Ancient Roman State...
theologian and the leading Anti-Palamite
Gregory Palamas
Gregory Palamas was a monk of Mount Athos in Greece and later the Archbishop of Thessaloniki known as a preeminent theologian of Hesychasm. The teachings embodied in his writings defending Hesychasm against the attack of Barlaam are sometimes referred to as Palamism, his followers as Palamites...
writer in the period that followed the deaths of Nikephoros Gregoras (c. 1360) and of Palamas himself (14 September 1359). Of all the fourteenth-century opponents of Gregory Palamas
Gregory Palamas
Gregory Palamas was a monk of Mount Athos in Greece and later the Archbishop of Thessaloniki known as a preeminent theologian of Hesychasm. The teachings embodied in his writings defending Hesychasm against the attack of Barlaam are sometimes referred to as Palamism, his followers as Palamites...
, he was the most systematic theologian, and perhaps the ablest. Most of his works remain in original manuscripts, unedited; none has ever appeared in translation in a modern language. Although editions of some of his works have been made since the 1950s, most of them, published in small printings in Greece, are nearly as difficult to come by in the West as the original manuscripts themselves.
Life
Few facts about Kyparissiotes’ life are known. The Kyparissiotes family name appears in Byzantine records occasionally from the tenth century onwards. It points to a family origin in KyparissiaKyparissia
Kyparissia is a town and a former municipality in Messenia, Peloponnese, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Trifylia, of which it is the seat and a municipal unit. The town proper has around 5,708 inhabitants. The town is located on Greek National Road 9,...
, a town on the southwest coast of the Peloponnesus; whether John Kyparissiotes was born there, however, or at Constantinople
Constantinople
Constantinople was the capital of the Roman, Eastern Roman, Byzantine, Latin, and Ottoman Empires. Throughout most of the Middle Ages, Constantinople was Europe's largest and wealthiest city.-Names:...
, or at some other location, remains uncertain. The level of sophistication of his writings suggests that, wherever he was born, he was educated in the Byzantine capital. By 1342 at the latest he had sided with the opponents of Palamas in the religious controversy over Hesychasm
Hesychasm
Hesychasm is an eremitic tradition of prayer in the Eastern Orthodox Church, and some of the Eastern Catholic Churches, such as the Byzantine Rite, practised by the Hesychast Hesychasm is an eremitic tradition of prayer in the Eastern Orthodox Church, and some of the Eastern Catholic Churches,...
that was then dividing Byzantine society and exacerbating a civil war
Byzantine civil war of 1341–1347
The Byzantine civil war of 1341–1347 was a conflict between supporters of designated regent John VI Kantakouzenos and guardians acting for John V Palaiologos, Emperor Andronikos III's nine-year-old son, in the persons of the Empress-dowager Anna of Savoy, the Patriarch of Constantinople John XIV...
. He may have belonged to the circle of scholars who frequented the house of Nikephoros Gregoras; he speaks of him with great respect, and is our sole source for the information that, after Gregoras’s death, the Palamites dragged his dead body through the streets. Other acquaintances included Demetrios Kydones
Demetrius Cydones
Demetrios Kydones, latinized as Demetrius Cydones or Demetrius Cydonius , was a Byzantine theologian, translator, writer and influential statesman, who served an unprecedented three terms as Mesazon of the Byzantine Empire under three successive emperors: John VI Kantakouzenos, John V Palaiologos...
, the prime minister to John VI Kantakouzenos
John VI Kantakouzenos
John VI Kantakouzenos or Cantacuzenus was the Byzantine emperor from 1347 to 1354.-Early life:Born in Constantinople, John Kantakouzenos was the son of a Michael Kantakouzenos, governor of the Morea. Through his mother Theodora Palaiologina Angelina, he was a descendant of the reigning house of...
and John V Palaiologos
John V Palaiologos
John V Palaiologos was a Byzantine emperor, who succeeded his father in 1341, at age nine.-Biography:...
and translator of Aquinas
Thomas Aquinas
Thomas Aquinas, O.P. , also Thomas of Aquin or Aquino, was an Italian Dominican priest of the Catholic Church, and an immensely influential philosopher and theologian in the tradition of scholasticism, known as Doctor Angelicus, Doctor Communis, or Doctor Universalis...
.
In the renewed persecution of Antipalamites that followed the condemnation of Demetrios Kydones’ brother, the monk Prochoros
Prochorus Cydones
Prochorus Cydones, also spelled Prochoros Kydones or Prochorus Cydonius was an Eastern Orthodox monk, theologian, and linguist...
, in 1368, Kyparissiotes found it necessary to flee the country. In 1371 he was living in Cyprus
Cyprus
Cyprus , officially the Republic of Cyprus , is a Eurasian island country, member of the European Union, in the Eastern Mediterranean, east of Greece, south of Turkey, west of Syria and north of Egypt. It is the third largest island in the Mediterranean Sea.The earliest known human activity on the...
, as is testified by a letter from Demetrios Kydones (ep. 35). From there, he headed further west; records indicate that he travelled with the court of Pope Gregory XI
Pope Gregory XI
Gregory XI was pope from 1370 until his death.-Biography:He was born Pierre Roger de Beaufort, in Maumont, in the modern commune of Rosiers-d'Égletons, Limousin around 1336. He succeeded Pope Urban V in 1370, and was pope until 1378...
during the latter’s journey from Avignon
Avignon
Avignon is a French commune in southeastern France in the départment of the Vaucluse bordered by the left bank of the Rhône river. Of the 94,787 inhabitants of the city on 1 January 2010, 12 000 live in the ancient town centre surrounded by its medieval ramparts.Often referred to as the...
to Rome (9 November 1376 - 12 December 1377), and received from him a monthly pension. By then, he must have become a Roman Catholic. It is possible, though not certain, that Kyparissiotes is the “good John” of whom Kydones, in another letter (ep. 130), speaks as having returned to Constantinople (1378/79). If so, that would be the last piece of information we have about him.
Writings
We possess from Kyparissiotes’ pen two major writings, and a number of minor ones. His two most important works are the Decades, on the one hand, and Against the Heresy of the Palamites, on the other. The latter work is a gigantic polemical treatise in five parts, most of which still remains unedited. Of its first part, titled On the Crimes of the Palamites, books 1 and 4 have been published (MigneMigné
Migné is a commune in the Indre department in central France.-References:*...
, PG 152, 664-737, which reprints the 1672 edition of Combefis). Part five of the larger work is a detailed refutation of the Concise Treatise of Nilos Kabasilas
Nilus Cabasilas
Nilus Cabasilas was a fourteenth century bishop of Thessalonika, uncle of notable Palamite theologian Nicholas Cabasilas, and teacher of Demetrius Cydones...
, and consists of five books. Kyparissiotes' point in this work, as elsewhere, is to defend divine simplicity
Divine simplicity
In theology, the doctrine of divine simplicity says that God is without parts. The general idea of divine simplicity can be stated in this way: the being of God is identical to the "attributes" of God. In other words, such characteristics as omnipresence, goodness, truth, eternity, etc...
; he argues that there is no middle term between the uncreated and the created, and that whatever is uncreated must be really identical with the one divine nature. The text of this work was edited by Dr. Stavros Maragoudaki and published in Athens in 1985.
As for the Decades — or, to give it its proper title, the Elementary Exposition of Theological Texts — it is a less overtly polemical work, although it too is ultimately concerned with refuting the Palamite theology. It is organized into ten parts, each part being further divided into ten chapters (hence the alternative title). Albert Ehrhard characterized this work as “the first [Byzantine] attempt at a systematic Dogmatics in the manner of Western scholasticism
Scholasticism
Scholasticism is a method of critical thought which dominated teaching by the academics of medieval universities in Europe from about 1100–1500, and a program of employing that method in articulating and defending orthodoxy in an increasingly pluralistic context...
.” He goes on to speak of it in the following way:
“Like the Scholastics, John begins with a setting forth of axioms, definitions, and classifications of theology (in the sense of the Doctrine of God). He distinguishes between a mysticalMystical theologyMystical theology is a branch of theology which treats of acts and experiences or states of the soul which cannot be produced by human effort.-Catholic tradition:...
and a demonstrative theology; demonstrative theology is further divided into affirmative and negative. Affirmative theology deals with the divine emanations and names, negative theology with God’s infinity, both in creatures and in himself, and, finally, with divine simplicityDivine simplicityIn theology, the doctrine of divine simplicity says that God is without parts. The general idea of divine simplicity can be stated in this way: the being of God is identical to the "attributes" of God. In other words, such characteristics as omnipresence, goodness, truth, eternity, etc...
. By means of further subdivisions, John obtains ten Decades, each of them containing further chapters. The imitation of the Scholastics is, nevertheless, limited to these resemblances; in terms of its content, this Byzantine Summa de Deo consists purely of passages from the fathers, organized under the specific points under consideration. The chief authority is Dionysius the Pseudo-Areopagite; after him, Athanasius, the three CappadociansCappadocian FathersThe Cappadocian Fathers are Basil the Great , who was bishop of Caesarea; Basil's brother Gregory of Nyssa , who was bishop of Nyssa; and a close friend, Gregory of Nazianzus , who became Patriarch of Constantinople...
, ChrysostomJohn ChrysostomJohn Chrysostom , Archbishop of Constantinople, was an important Early Church Father. He is known for his eloquence in preaching and public speaking, his denunciation of abuse of authority by both ecclesiastical and political leaders, the Divine Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom, and his ascetic...
, Cyril of AlexandriaCyril of AlexandriaCyril of Alexandria was the Patriarch of Alexandria from 412 to 444. He came to power when the city was at its height of influence and power within the Roman Empire. Cyril wrote extensively and was a leading protagonist in the Christological controversies of the later 4th and 5th centuries...
, and John of DamascusJohn of DamascusSaint John of Damascus was a Syrian monk and priest...
reappear most frequently.”
Migne reprints the Latin translation of this work, made by Francisco Torres in the late sixteenth century (PG 152, 741-992). More recently, an edition of the Greek text is reported to have appeared, although so far it is not to be found in most Western libraries.
Other works by John Kyparissiotes include nine Hymns addressed to the Word of God and a short work on the question whether the personal properties in the Trinity
Trinity
The Christian doctrine of the Trinity defines God as three divine persons : the Father, the Son , and the Holy Spirit. The three persons are distinct yet coexist in unity, and are co-equal, co-eternal and consubstantial . Put another way, the three persons of the Trinity are of one being...
really differ from the divine essence. (Kyparissiotes’ answer is No.)