An eleventh-century liturgical homiliary : the Evergetis Katechetikon

Thesis

The Katechetikon, a liturgical homiliary composed by Paul (†1054) higoumenos and founder, in 1048-49, of the monastery of the Theotokos Evergetis near Constantinople, is an unpublished collection of monastic catecheses dating to the middle of the eleventh century.

The collection is divided in two tomes. The first part is extant in two manuscripts, Marcianus graecus App. II. 40 and Atheniensis graecus 215, probably dating around the end of the eleventh or the beginning of the twelfth century. The second part is extant in codex Athos, Esphigmenou 45, dated by its colophon to 1108 and used at the monastery of Christ Philanthropos in Constantinople. Single catecheses are also preserved in the fragments of Athos, Vatopedi 1216, and among the catecheses of Theodore Studite in Atheniensis graecus 295, Serdicensis graecus Dujcev 222 and in Sinaiticus graecus 482. Codex Oxford, Bodleian Library, MS. Cromwell 22, signed by the hieromonachos Mark and dated 1315, bears the only explicit attribution of the catecheses to Paul of Evergetis. In it, the catecheses are adapted for a feminine audience.

The Katechetikon provides liturgical readings for the morning office for each day of the year and functions according to the movable cycle of the liturgical year dependent on Easter, just as a Gospel Lectionary. Texts are selected from the following authors: Theodore Studite, Maximos Confessor, Pseudo-Makarios, Dorotheos of Gaza, Ephrem, Mark the Monk and Pseudo-Mark (Marcian), Neilos/Evagrios, John of Karpathos, Diadochos of Photike. The sources are edited with varying degrees of alteration. The Apophthegmata Patrum and passages from John Klimakos' Ladder are also quoted. In addition, the sources of forty-two texts remain unidentified.

The purpose of the catecheses is to exhort the monks to virtue and assist them through difficulties in their monastic experience, thereby revealing the monastic ideals of the Evergetis founder.

Authors: Crostini, B

• DOI: 10.5287/ora-erdovmjk7
• Type of award: DPhil
• Level of award: Doctoral
• Awarding institution: University of Oxford
• Language: English
• Keywords: 11th-century; Evergetis Katechetikon; eleventh century; homiliary; liturgical; Paul of Evergetis; eleventh-century; 11th century; Paul, of Evergetis
• Subjects: Paul, of Evergetis, active 11th century. Katechetikon