Joseph the Hymnographer
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Feast | Orthodox: April 3/4 Catholic: June 14 |
Joseph the Hymnographer (
As a poet he is often confused with Joseph, the Archbishop of Thessalonica and brother of Theodore the Studite, who were one generation older than he was, so that in many cases, attribution of specific hymns to him is uncertain.
Life
He was born around 816 AD in
Iconodule mission to Rome
With the resurgence of
Monastic foundations
According to the temporal reconstruction of the early vitae by Daniel Stiernon, Joseph founded a monastery dedicated to his deceased mentor, Gregory of Dekapolis, in 855. Joseph started with an inclosure together with his and Gregory's disciple John at St. Antipas. After the latter's death in 850, he spent some years in a kind of sanctuary dedicated to St.
Exile and recognition as an anachorete and saint
In 858, he was exiled to the theme of Cherson after denouncing Caesar Bardas, brother of the Empress Theodora, for illicit cohabitation. Joseph returned again to Constantinople in 867, after Bardas had been assassinated.[g]
Through the favour of the Patriarch
He reportedly possessed the "
Hymnography
Since Joseph's contribution to the Studites reform is often confused with the works of Joseph of Thessalonica, Theodore's brother, the exact attribution of poems "by Joseph" is still a controversial issue. Tomadakes (1971) has attributed 385
This attribution regards Joseph more or less as the author or even inventor of the Parakletike, but earlier sources which had been recently discovered, do not confirm this view, it rather reframes the question, how the repertoire was changed and re-ordered by Joseph's initiative.Hagiography and veneration
Joseph the Hymnographer appears as well in Latin as in Greek hagiography.
Godfrey Henschen's edition of the synaxarion was reprinted at Patrologia Graeca.[6] A younger Vita was written by Theodore Pediasimos during the early Palaiologan period (early 14th century).[7]
The
See also
- Byzantine Music
- Gregory of Decapolis
- Heirmologion
- Octoechos and Parakletike
- Stoudios Monastery
- Sabas of Stoudios
- Sticherarion
- Theodore the Studite
References
Notes
- ^ The exact year of birth is not known, but it can be roughly assumed between 812 and 818, most probably soon after 816.
- ^ The exact place of origin varied among different hagiographers. He was likely from the Val Demone of Sicily, where most of the Orthodox communities were located. Tomadakes 1971 dates his family's departure from Sicily to 831, from the port of Palermo which he also regards as his birth town. Theodore Pediasimos on the other hand regarded Syracuse as his port and birth town.
- ^ Later hagiographic legends, probably influenced by the inventions of Theodore Pediasimos, tent to prolong his stay as a prisoner to six years. The vision of Nicholas of Myra which is directly connected with Theophilos' death, ends with a direct exit from the prison's gates to Constantinople. They also regard the "Saracene" pirates as hired by the iconoclastic emperor. Berbers often acted as slave traders on their own behalf and they were particular interested in educated Greeks due to their high value on Mediterranean slave markets. According to hagiographic conventions, Joseph's adventurous journey to Rome was treated as a via purgativa.
- ^ According to Tomadakes' interpretation of Theophanes' Vita Joseph was liberated after 28 January 842, and arrived at Constantinople by February 843, before the feast of Orthodoxy on March 11.(Stiernon 1973, p. 252)
- ^ The earliest hagiographic sources are not clear to which saint the relics do really belong. Gregory, Bartholomew, and John (in Georgian versions) are mentioned, but they probably do not refer to Joseph's circle, but to Joseph's own hagiographic synaxaries dedicated to Bartholomew the Apostle and John of Egypt.(Stiernon 1973, p. 260)
- ^ Stiernon 1973, pp. 252f proposed the following datation: the enclosure with his disciple John at the hermitage St. Antipas (843-850), John's death (850), Joseph's stay at a sanctuary (σῆκος) of St. John Chrysostom (850-855), and the foundation of his monastery (855).
- Photius(858-867).
- ^ About the hagiographic sources in Anon. 1909, p. 131 and their interpretation, see Stiernon 1973, pp. 245–248
Citations
- ^ Mioni 1948.
- ^ Tomadakes 1971.
- ^ Stiernon 1973, p. 244.
- ^ Papadopulos-Kerameus 1901.
- ^ Stiernon 1973, p. 248.
- ^ Ioannes o Diakonos 1862, pp. 939–976.
- ^ Treu 1899.
Sources
- Anon. (1909). Bibliotheca Hagiographica Graeca. Brussels: Société des Bollandistes.
- Ioannes o Diakonos (1862). "Λόγος εἰς τὸν βιὸν τοῦ ἐν ἁγίοις πατρός ἡμῶν Ἰωσὴφ τοῦ ὑμνογράφου". Patrologia Graeca. 105: cc. 939–976.
- Mioni, Elpidio (1948). "I kontakia inediti di Giuseppe Innografo: studio introduttivo e testi". Bollettino della Badia Greca di Grottaferrata. 2: 87–88, 177–193.
- Papadopulos-Kerameus, Athanasios, ed. (1901). "Vie de saint Joseph l'Hymnographe par Théophane". Monumenta Graeca et Latina Ad Historiam Photii Patriarchae Pertinentia. 2: 1–14.
- Treu, Maximilian, ed. (1899). "Θεοδώρου τοῦ Πεδιασίμου λόγος ἐγκωμιαστικὸς εἰς τὸν ὄσιον Ἰωσὴφ τὸν ὑμνογράφον". Programm des Victoria-Gymnasiums zu Potsdam. 84: 1–14.
- Stiernon, Daniel (1973). "La vie et l'œuvre de S. Joseph l'Hymnographe. À propos d'une publication récente". Revue des études byzantines. 31: 243–266. .
- Tomadakes, Evtychios I. (1971). "Ἰωσὴφ ὁ Ὑμνογράφος. Βίος καὶ ἔργον". Ἀθηνά, σύγγραμμα περιοδικὸν τῆς ἐν Ἀθήναις Ἐπιστημονικῆς Ἐταιρεῖας, Σειρά διατριβῶν καὶ μελετημάτων. 11. Athens: Academy of Athens.
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Further reading
- Follieri, Enrica (1961). "Un canone di Giuseppe Innografo, per S. Fantino " il vecchio " di Tauriana". Revue des études byzantines. 19: 130–151. .
- Hillier, Richard (1985). "Joseph the Hymnographer and Mary the Gate". The Journal of Theological Studies. 36 (2): 311–320. JSTOR 23962461.
External links
- Venerable Joseph the Hymnographer Icon and Synaxarion.
- Hymn to St. Joseph the Hymnographer. Icon and chant.
- Max Treu article from German Wikipedia.