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The Byzantine Empire: from the Crusades to the Fall of Constantinople

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The Byzantine Empire: from the Crusades to the Fall of Constantinople The Byzantine Empire: from the Crusades to the fall of Constantinople 2000 Years of Christ’s Power: Volume 2: The Middle Ages: Ch.9 Contents 1. Political and military history 2. Theology and Philosophy in Byzantium 3. Gregory Palamas and the hesychastic controversy 4. East and West: Attempts at healing the schism of 1054 5. Other great Orthodox figures in this period Extracts Further reading 1. Political and military history p.365-68 • 976-1025 golden age under Emperor Basil II • 1071 Manzikert (Armenia), defeated by Seljuk Turks; Bari (Italy), defeated by Catholic Normans • Involvement of Catholic West • 1096-99 Crusader States • 1176 Myriocephalum (S Asia Minor), army destroyed, allegiances renounced • 1204 French and Venetians besiege and capture Constantinople (4th Crusade), appointed Catholic patriarch • 1261 Constantinople reconquered from Catholics , Orthodox Byzantine Empire recreated • 1274 Union of Lyons – submission to papacy • 1354 Ottoman Turks rule Asia Minor • 1400 Turks take Balkans • 1439 Union of Florence • 1453 Constantinople captured by Ottoman Turks, Emperor killed in battle • Byzantine Empire – lasted 1200 years 2. Theology and Philosophy in Byzantium p.368-70 • Michael Psellus (1018-78) – head of philosophy, Constantinople University, genius, more Platonic than Christian • John Italus – pupil and Psellus’s successor – forced Orthodox church to reject fusion between philosophy and theology • Study of systematic theology • East – used Church Fathers, in the monastery • West – used Aristotelian philosophy (scholasticism), in the university 3. Gregory Palamas and the hesychastic controversy p.370-82 • Hesychasm (from Greek hesychia - quietness, peace) • Influence of Simeon the New Theologian (949-1022) about prayer • 2 techniques used: • Recitation of the Jesus prayer • Inhaling and exhaling as the Jesus prayer is recited • Gregory of Sinai (d.1346) – centre at Paroria monastery (Bulgaria) • Theodosius of Trnovo (d.1363) – centre at Kilifarevo monastery (Bulgaria) • Gregory of Palamas (1296-1328) – centre at Mt Athos • Barlaam of Calabria (d.1350) v Catholic scholasticism & Eastern monastic piety • Superstition of hesychasm practices • God is Spirit, and can only be known indirectly through created things • Gregory Palamas’s teaching upheld and vindicated • Essence and energies of God distinction central to the debate 4. East and West: Attempts at healing the schism of 1054 p.382-89 • Michael VIII Palaeologus 1259-82 – Union of Lyons (1274) – failure • Union of Florence (1439) – Eugenius & Bessarion v Mark of Ephesus - failure • 1453 - Constantine fell to Turks • 1472 – Union of Florence officially rejected by Eastern bishops 5. Other great Orthodox figures in this period p.389-93 • Theophylact of Ochrid, Bulgaria (1050-1109) – NT commentary • Euthymius Zigabenus (active 1081-1118) – Dogmatic Panoply, commentaries • Eustathius of Thessalonica (d.1194) – sermons, social justice, History • Michael Acominatus of Athens (d.1222) – pleadings with citizens • Nicetas Acominatus (d.1216) – Treasury of Orthodoxy, History of Byzantium • Nicholas Cabasilas (c.1322-c.1387) – Commentary on the Divine Liturgy - The Life in Christ Extracts p.394-402 • Theophylact of Ochrid, Commentary on Matthew’s Gospel: Sexual Morality • Theoleptus of Philadelphia, Letter 3: The hardship and the glory of becoming a monk • Meletius the Confessor, The Alphabetalphabetos: Calling on Christ in prayer • Gregory Palamas, Triads in Defence of the Holy Hesychasts: Knowing God • Nicholas Cabasilas, The Life in Christ: Christ’s atoning death Do not be afraid to turn to God • Dorotheus of Mytilene, reported in History of the Council of Florence: Catholics and Orthodox dispute about purgatory.
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