An Investigation of the Change in Position of George Scholarios from Pro-Union of the Western and Eastern Churches to Anti-Union
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
AN INVESTIGATION OF THE CHANGE IN POSITION OF GEORGE SCHOLARIOS FROM PRO-UNION OF THE WESTERN AND EASTERN CHURCHES TO ANTI-UNION A DISSERTATION SUBMITTED TO THE ANGLIA RUSKIN UNIVERSITY IN CANDICY FOR THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF PHILOSOPHY BY VICTOR HENRI ANTOINE PENEL 2014 This thesis is based upon original work by the author and a study of the relevant published works as indicated and acknowledged in the text. Signed:…………………………………………… (Author’s signature) Date:……………………………………………… ii CONTENTS CONTENTS ............................................................................................................................ iii ABSTRACT ............................................................................................................................. v CHAPTER ONE - INTRODUCTION: CRITICAL SURVEY OF THE LITERATURE ........................................................................................................................ 1 CHAPTER TWO - RESEARCH QUESTION AND METHODOLOGY - INTRODUCTION TO THE CRITICAL QUESTION TO BE ADDRESSED IN THE THESIS ......................................................................................................................... 38 CHAPTER THREE – SCHOLARIOS AS A PHILOSOPHER ....................................... 55 3.1 Philosophical Studies .................................................................................................... 55 3.2 Power of Rhetoric ......................................................................................................... 64 3.3 Imperial Propaganda ..................................................................................................... 73 3.4 Adaptation of Aristotle’s and Aquinas’ Works ............................................................. 81 3.5 Philosophical Significance ........................................................................................... 85 3.6 Scholarios as a Philosopher ........................................................................................... 93 CHAPTER FOUR – SCHOLARIOS AS A THEOLOGIAN ........................................... 99 4.1 Theological Studies ....................................................................................................... 99 4.2 Application of Thomistic Theology in Scholarios’ Works ......................................... 101 4.3Aristotelianism versus Hesychasm .............................................................................. 104 4.4 Misuse of Words: Summarizing, Correcting or Re-Translating? ............................... 122 4.5 Cogency as a Theologian ............................................................................................ 127 4.5 Theology as Apologia ................................................................................................. 132 4.6 Περὶ Ψυχῆς -De anima ................................................................................................ 135 4.7 Τοῦ Θωμᾶ, Περ Διαφορᾶς ας κα τοῦ εἶναι -De ente et essentia....................... 140 4.8 The Two Summae: ‘Summa contra gentiles’ and ‘Summa theologiae’ ...................... 145 4.9 Latin Theological Influences ....................................................................................... 149 CHAPTER FIVE – RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN PLETHON AND SCHOLARIOS .................................................................................................................... 158 5.1 Aspirations and Endeavours ........................................................................................ 161 5.2 Sources of Political Vision .......................................................................................... 169 5.3 Plethon’s Hellenic Conception .................................................................................... 173 5.4 Inference in the Texts of‘De Differentiis’ and ‘Nomoi’. ............................................. 179 5.5 Contentious Assertions................................................................................................ 183 5.6 Defence of the Byzantine Identity ............................................................................... 188 5.7 State and Oikonomia ................................................................................................... 193 iii CHAPTER SIX –SCHOLARIOS AND THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN EAST AND WEST ......................................................................................................................... 201 6.1 Economic and Military Dependency ........................................................................... 201 6.2 Scholarios’ Relationship with Latin Ecclesiastical Institutions .................................. 207 6.3 Procuring Positions: Papal and Latin connections ...................................................... 210 6.4 Political Past Events and Scholarios’ Correspondence ............................................... 219 6.5 Relationship between Respective Cultures ................................................................. 225 6.6 Latin Language and Literature .................................................................................... 229 CHAPTER SEVEN – SCHOLARIOS’ CHANGE IN POSITION FROM PRO- UNION TO ANTI-UNION AT THE COUNCIL OF FLORENCE ............................... 236 7.1 Dialectic Political Manoeuvrings ................................................................................ 240 7.2 Arrival of Ambassadors .............................................................................................. 245 7.3 Political Implication of the Letters .............................................................................. 248 7.4 The Council and the “Economy” View of Union ....................................................... 252 7.5 Scholarios’ Direction to Union: Defence of the Patria ............................................... 255 7.6 Critique of the Departure ............................................................................................ 259 7.7 Anti-Union Decision ................................................................................................... 263 CHAPTER EIGHT - CONCLUSION ............................................................................... 275 Summary of the thesis findings: How does each chapter contribute to the conclusion? . 277 BIBLIOGRAPHY ............................................................................................................... 280 Primary Sources ................................................................................................................ 280 Secondary Sources ............................................................................................................ 287 Articles .............................................................................................................................. 304 iv ABSTRACT This thesis presents an examination of the change in position of George (Gennadios) Scholarios on the question of the Union of the Roman and Eastern churches. The question I will address concerns the reason for Scholarios’ dramatic change of position from pro-Union to anti-Union, within a few years of the Council of Florence 1438-1439, where the Union of churches had been agreed. I will argue that Scholarios’ changed position on Union is best explained by political factors that influenced his decision, and was not simply governed by the theological questions debated at the Council of Florence. In Chapter One, the Introduction, I will introduce a critical analysis of the existing field of research, to set the thesis in the context of Scholarios scholarship that has previously been undertaken. In Chapter Two, Research Questions and Methodology, I will outline the scope of this thesis, discussing the crucial questions that need to be addressed and the method I will use to develop my arguments. In Chapter Three I examine the key cultural role that the philosophy of Aristotle and Aquinas played in the fifteenth century, and the extent to which Scholarios’ views were formed and shaped by this philosophical context. This chapter will argue that these philosophical influences provided the initial motivation that moved Scholarios towards Union. As the implications of such political aspirations warrant further investigation; I go on to examine Scholarios’ writings, not only on philosophy, but also on theology. I will explore whether the political guidance offered in taking up the study of philosophy was also to be discerned in the study of theology. In Chapter Four, I will examine how Aristotelian philosophy was deployed as an explanatory tool in interpretations of polemics, debates, and panegyric and rhetoric works of the period. I will suggest that Byzantine preambles, poems, sermons and theological panegyrics were also subject to general imperial legislation. In Chapter Five, I will argue that Scholarios’ study of Aristotelian philosophy allowed him to form a view of how the political future of the Empire might to be developed. I explore Scholarios’ visionary ideas of reform and contrast these with Plethon’s political perspective. I suggest that the acrimonious relationship v between Scholarios and Plethon was due to their political and philosophical differences, which defined the way they viewed the future of the Empire. In Chapter Six, I argue that the primary key to comprehending the relationship between East and West lies in understanding the vested commercial interests. I argue the Byzantine state had deteriorated owing to foreign