alexander kazhdan a history of byzantine literature

NATIONAL HELLENIC RESEARCH FOUNDATION
INSTITUTE FOR BYZANTINE RESEARCH
RESEARCH SERIES 4
ALEXANDER KAZHDAN
A HISTORY OF BYZANTINE
LITERATURE
(850 - 1000)
EDITED BY
CHRISTINE ANGELID1
ATHENS 2006

ΕΘΝΙΚΟ Ι∆ΡΥΜΑ ΕΡΕΥΝΩΝ
ΙΝΣΤΙΤΟYΤΟ ΒΥΖΑΝΤΙΝΩΝ ΕΡΕΥΝΩΝ
ΕΡΕΥΝΗΤΙΚΗ ΒΙΒΛΙΟΘΗΚΗ 4
ΑΛΕΞΑΝ∆ΡΟΥ ΚΑΖΝΤΑΝ
ΙΣΤΟΡΙΑ ΤΗΣ ΒΥΖΑΝΤΙΝΗΣ
ΛΟΓΟΤΕΧΝΙΑΣ
(850 -1000)
ΕΠΙΜΕΛΕΙΑ
ΧΡΙΣΤΙΝΑ ΑΓΓΕΛΙ∆Η
ΑΘΗΝΑ 2006

TABLE OF CONTENTS
Foreword ix
Abbreviations xi
Part Three: The time of order and encyclopedism (850-1000)
Introduction 1
I Photios and the classical heritage 7
A. Biography - B. Myriobiblion or Bibliotheca the theory of style - C. Literary practice:
letters and sermons D . Photians
II George the Monk: a commonplace Chronicle 43
III Eloquence around 900: the "school" of Photios 53
A. Leo VI the Wise or Philosopher- B. Nicholas Mystikos, Patriarch of Constantinople
C. Arelhas of Caesarea: the art of self-defense - D. Some more writers around 900
IV Niketas-David Paphlagon: reinvention of the pamphlet 91
A. Biography: nostalgia for the heroic past – Β. The Vita of Ignatius or the pamphlet of
Photios (BHG 817)
V The gentle patriarch and the emperor in tears: the Vita of the patriarch 103
Euthymios
VI Provincial literati ca. 900 113
A. Peter of Argos: a Conslantinopolitan in the Peloponnese B. Several provincial
hagiographical discourses C. The tale about the capture of Thessalonike in 904
VII At the court of Constantine VII Porphyrogennetos 133
A. Biography of Basil I – B. Continuation of Theophanes and the Book of Kings - C.
Eloquence in prose and verse - D. Anti-Macedonian chronography – E. Other
contemporaries of Constantine VI

νiii Table of contents
VIII Three Constantinopolitan Vitae of the mid-tenth century 185
A. The Vita of Basil the Younger written by his spiritual son Gregory (BHG 263 264f)-
B. The Vita of Andrew the Fool in Christ written by the priest Nikcphoros (BHG 115z-
117k) C. The anonymous Vita of Niphon (BHG 1371 z). - D. Some similar (and
disssimilar) Constantinopolitan hagiographical discourses
IX Paul of Latros and some other provincial saints 211
A. Saintly escapism: the Vita of Paul the Younger of Latros - B. Identical and different:
the Vita of Demetrianos of Chytri - C. A wandering saint: the Vita of Blasios of Amorion
- D. Minor hagiographical form: Paul of Monembasia
X Great reader and collector: Symcon Metaphrastes 231
A. Predecessors and contemporaries – B. Biography - C Menologion
XI John Geometres and "political" poetry 249
A. Instead of a biography - B. Political poetry - C The withering homileties - D. Joking
rhetoric progymnasma
XII Chivalresque historiography: Leo the Deacon and his contemporaries
A. Noble Warriors in the late tenth-century chronography B.. Leo the Deacon: a
biography – C. The History in ten books - D.The legend of the murder of Nikephoros
Phokas - E. Some epistolographers of Basil II’s day
ΧIII "The Patriot" or the revival of Lucian of Samosata 295
A. Lucian in Byzantium - B. On the date of the Philopatris - C Anti-Christian, anti-
monastic or neutral dialogue.?
XIV Gabriel: between hymnography and hagiography 303
XV Literature of the age of encyclopedism 311
A. Education and book production B. Authors - C. Antiquity and the decline of
traditional genres – D. Character, composition and setting - Ε. The mocking literatus F.
Wording or "style"
Index 337