Euthymius of Tarnovo

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Saint Euthymius of Tarnovo (also Evtimiy;

Early years

Born around 1325 (between 1320 and 1330) and possibly an offspring of the eminent Tsamblak family of the capital

Euthymius then consecutively joined the

In 1375, following the death of Patriarch Joanicius, Euthymius was elected to become his successor. A supporter of asceticism, Euthymius aimed to persecute heresies and moral decay. Euthymius became a prominent figure in the Orthodox world and a number of metropolitans and hegumens addressed him to interpret theological matters.

There are 15 known works by Euthymius, including

During the time of patriarch Theodosius of Tarnovo Euthymius founded and ran the Tarnovo literary school, which was to quickly become an important cultural center of the Slavic Christian world.

Euthymius initiated a language reform in Old Bulgarian that was widely influential to the standardized literary languages of Serbia, Walachia, Moldova, and the Russian principalities. Gregory Tsamblak describes Euthymius' language reform in the following manner.^[1]

When he [Euthymius] had destroyed all the old [books], this second lawgiver, descending from the top of the spiritual mountain and carrying in his hands [the books] (similar to the Tablets written by God) at which he had labored, delivered to the Church in truth a heavenly treasure – all new, all true, in accord with the Gospel, unshakable in the force of the dogmas, like the water of life for the souls of the pious, like a knife for the tongues of the heretics, like fire for their [heretics’] faces. And he cried out with Paul: ‘The old has passed away. Behold! Everything has become new’ [2 Cor. 5:17].

Works

Partial list of works:

• Hagiographies
  • "Hagiography of St.
    Ivan of Rila
    "
  • "Hagiography of St. Ilarion Maglenski"
  • "Hagiography of St. Philothea Temnishka"
  • "Hagiography of St. Petka of Tarnovo"
• Praises
  • "Praise for Mikhail Warrior"
  • "Praise for Ioan Polivotski"
  • "Praise for St. Nedelya"
  • "Praise for St.
    Helena
    "
• Letters
  • "Letter to
    Cyprian
    "
  • "Letter to metropolitan Arsenius"
  • "Letter to Nikodim – monk of Tismana"

Fall of Tarnovo and its consequences

In the spring of 1393 the son of

St. Evtimiy Crag on Livingston Island in the South Shetland Islands, Antarctica is named after Patriarch Euthymius of Bulgaria.

References