John Kyparissiotes
John Kyparissiotes or Cyparissiotes (
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
In the renewed persecution of Antipalamites that followed the condemnation of Demetrios Kydones’ brother, the monk
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 (
As for the Decades — or, to give it its proper title, the Elementary Exposition of Theological Texts (Τῶν θεολογικῶν ῥήσεων στοιχειώδης ἔκθεσις) — 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.”[5] 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
Athanasius, the three Cappadocians, Chrysostom, Cyril of Alexandria, and John of Damascus reappear most frequently.”[5]
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.[6]
Other works by John Kyparissiotes include nine Hymns addressed to the Word of God[7] and a short work on the question whether the personal properties in the Trinity really differ from the divine essence.[8] (Kyparissiotes’ answer is No.)
Notes
- ^ See Kyparissiotes, Palamitarum transgressionum (On the Crimes of the Palamites), IV.10 (PG 152, 733D-736A).
- ^ See Angelo Mercati, "Giovanni Ciparissiota alla corte di Gregorio XI," Byzantinische Zeitschrift 30 (1929/30), 496-501.
- ^ Text edited by Manuel Candal, “La «Regla teológica» de Nilo Cabásilas,” Orientalia Christiana Periodica 23 (1957), 240-256.
- ^ Stavros Th. Maragoudaki, Ἰωάννου τοῦ Κυπαρισσιώτου Κατὰ Νείλου Καβάσιλα Λόγοι πέντε ἀντιρρητικοί, νῦν τὸ πρῶτον ἐκδιδόμενοι (Editio princeps) [John Kyparissiotes’ Five antirrhetic treatises against Nilos Kabasilas, now first appearing in print (Editio princeps)]. Second edition (Athens, 1985).
- ^ a b A. Ehrhard, “Theologie,” in Karl Krumbacher, Geschichte der byzantinischen Litteratur, 2nd ed. (Munich 1897), p. 107.
- ^ Vasileios L. Dentakes, ed., Ἰωάννου τοῦ Κυπαρισσιώτου, τῶν Θεολογικῶν ῾Ρήσεων Στοιχειώδης Ἔκθεσις. Τὸ κείμενον (μετὰ τῆς λατινικῆς μεταφράσεως τοῦ Franciscus Turrianus) νῦν τὸ πρῶτον ἐκδιδόμενον (Editio princeps). [John Kyparissiotes’ Elementary Exposition of Theological Texts. The text, together with the Latin translation of Francisco Torres, now first appearing in print (Editio princeps).] Athens, 1982. The book is the fifth volume in the series Ἠσυχαστικαὶ καὶ Φιλοσοφικαὶ Μελέται [Hesychastic and Philosophical Studies].
- ^ Vasileios L. Dentakes, ed., Οἱ εἰς τὸν Ἰωάννην Κυπαρισσιώτην ἀποδιδόμενοι Ἐννέα Ὕμνοι εἰς τὸν τοῦ Θεοῦ Λόγου, νῦν τὸ πρῶτον ἐκδιδόμενοι (Editio princeps) [The nine Hymns to the Word of God, attributed to John Kyparissiotes, now first appearing in print (Editio princeps)] (Athens, 1964).
- ^ Manuel Candal, S.J., “Juan Ciparisiota y el problema trinitario palamítico,” Orientalia Christiana Periodica 25 (1959), 127-164.
References
- Jugie, Martin, article “Palamite, Controverse,” in A. Vacant et al., eds., Dictionniare de Théologie Catholique, vol. 11 (Paris, 1931), cols. 1777–1818, esp. 1806 f.
- Kotter, B., article "Johannes Kyparissiotes," in: Lexikon für Theologie und Kirche, Bd. 5 (Freiburg 1960), 1054–55.
- Maragoudaki, Stavros Th. Ἰωάννου τοῦ Κυπαρισσιώτου Κατὰ Νείλου Καβάσιλα Λόγοι πέντε ἀντιρρητικοί, νῦν τὸ πρῶτον ἐκδιδόμενοι (Editio princeps). Second edition (Athens, 1985).
- Prosopographisches Lexikon der Palaiologenzeit, vol. VI, no. 13900.
- Talbot, A. M., article “Kyparissiotes, John,” in Alexander P. Kazhdan, editor-in-chief, The Oxford Dictionary of Byzantium, vol. 2 (New York, 1991), p. 1162.
External links
- Franz Tinnefeld (1992). "Kyparissiotes, Johannes". In Bautz, Traugott (ed.). Biographisch-Bibliographisches Kirchenlexikon (BBKL) (in German). Vol. 4. Herzberg: Bautz. cols. 868–869. ISBN 3-88309-038-7.