Cosmas the Priest

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Not to be confused with Cosmas of Prague.
A single page from an old Cyrillic manuscript written with red and black ink
A page from Cosmas the Priest's Sermon Against the Heretics

Cosmas the Priest (Bulgarian: Презвитер Козма, Prezviter Kozma), also known as Cosmas the Presbyter or Presbyter Cosmas, was a medieval Bulgarian priest and writer. Cosmas is most famous for his anti-Bogomil treatise Sermon Against the Heretics, which, despite not being conclusively dated, is generally ascribed to the 10th century. The treatise is a valuable source on the beginnings of the Bogomil heresy in Bulgaria, as well as on medieval Bulgarian society.

Life

The little that is known about Cosmas can be extracted from the few words that he writes about himself in Sermon Against the Heretics. As was customary to medieval priests and writers, Cosmas refers to himself as "unworthy". However, he was certainly of no low rank, as in his treatise he widely criticised the high

Preslav[2] and eastern Bulgaria in general, to Ohrid and the region of Macedonia, and even Veliko Tarnovo.[3] Though Cosmas is not known to have been canonised, he is commonly referred to as "blessed" or a "saint" in the copies of his treatise.[4]

The dating of Cosmas' activity and thus the writing of Sermon Against the Heretics is an extremely problematic issue. The general consensus among scholars is that Cosmas lived in the middle or the second half of the 10th century.

John Exarch. Cosmas insists that the heresy spread during the reign of Tsar Peter I (r. 927–969), yet according to historian Dimitri Obolensky he also claims Peter's rule was already over by the time of writing.[5]

Sermon Against the Heretics

Main article: Treatise Against the Bogomils

Cosmas the Priest's only known work, Sermon Against the Heretics, bears the full title Homily of the Unworthy Presbyter Cosmas Against the Newly-Appeared Bogomil Heresy or, in other manuscripts, Sermon of Saint Cosmas Presbyter Against the Heretics, A Discussion and an Instruction from the Books of God.[4] It has been preserved in 25 full copies, all from East Slavic sources, and 116 excerpts or compilations, some of which are of South Slavic origin.[6] The earliest of the extant copies was made in the 15th century.[7] As attested by the large number of copies, Cosmas' work was particularly popular in medieval Russia and Serbia. There, it was even used as a basis for writings against other heresies.[2]

The treatise is recognised as the earliest

dualistic doctrine. As Catharism originated from Bogomilism, Sermon Against the Heretics is valuable as an insight into Catharism's Balkan predecessor.[8] It is also an important source on life and society in 10th-century Bulgaria,[2] which is described as suffering a major crisis, the glorious days of Peter's father Simeon the Great (r. 893–927) long over.[9]

Sermon Against the Heretics is divided into two sections, which may be seen as separate works due to their somewhat different topics.

Apostle Paul to debunk the beliefs of Bogomils, he was very likely aware of the sect's ancestral ties to Paulicianism.[3]

The second part of the treatise contains Cosmas' criticism on contemporary Bulgarian society, with particular attention to the religious and social issues of the time. While Cosmas was a staunch supporter of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church's policies against Bogomilism, in the second section he spares no criticism to that religious body's other practices. Cosmas accuses the Bulgarian abbots and bishops of greed, gluttony and neglect towards the congregation.[4] He is also critical of hermits, whose popularity and influence at the time Cosmas saw as inappropriate.[12][13] Cosmas hints that the emergence of Bogomilism should be blamed at least partially on the contemporary state of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church.[2][14]

Legacy

Kozma Cove on Desolation Island of the South Shetland Islands in Antarctica was named in honour of Cosmas the Priest by the Antarctic Place-names Commission of Bulgaria.[15] The northeastern Bulgarian village of Kozma Prezviter in Omurtag Municipality, Targovishte Province, bears the name of the medieval writer. Until it was renamed in 1934, it was known under the Turkish appellation Kara Chufallar.[16] Streets in the major cities of Sofia, Plovdiv, Varna and Pernik have also been dedicated to Cosmas the Priest.[17]

References

  1. ^ Андреев, Лазаров & Павлов 1999, p. 209-210.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g Kazhdan 1991, p. 1153.
  3. ^ a b c d e f Андреев, Лазаров & Павлов 1999, p. 209.
  4. ^ a b c Андреев, Лазаров & Павлов 1999, p. 210.
  5. ^ a b Obolensky 2004, p. 268.
  6. ^ Sampimon & van Halsema 2005, p. 1.
  7. ^ a b c Eteriano et al. 2004, p. 35.
  8. ^ a b Peters 1980, p. 109.
  9. ^ Loos 1974, pp. 50–51.
  10. ^ Loos 1974, p. 50.
  11. ^ Curta 2006, p. 236.
  12. ^ Curta 2006, p. 234.
  13. ^ Loos 1974, p. 52.
  14. ^ Strayer 1992, p. 185.
  15. ^ Kozma Cove 2010.
  16. ^ История на с. 2010.
  17. ^ KartaBg.com 2010.

Sources

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