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An embattled charismatic: assertiveness and invective in Niketas Stethatos’ Spiritual Centuries

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  19 February 2020

Dirk Krausmüller
Dirk Krausmüller*
Affiliation:
University of [email protected]
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Abstract

The Stoudite monk Niketas Stethatos played an important role in the religious life of Constantinople. Of particular importance are his Spiritual Centuries. In-depth analysis of this text reveals that it not only contains teachings about various aspects of spirituality. Niketas also makes numerous statements about the role of the mystic within society, which have no precedent in earlier spiritual literature. These statements are surprisingly specific and reflect Niketas’ self-image as a charismatic, his attempts to establish himself as an authoritative teacher of the Constantinopolitan populace, and his bitter feuds with those who opposed his activities.

Keywords

Niketas StethatosSymeon the New TheologianmysticismSt Sophia
Type
Articles
Information
Byzantine and Modern Greek Studies , Volume 44 , Issue 1 , April 2020 , pp. 106 - 123
Copyright
Copyright © Centre for Byzantine, Ottoman and Modern Greek Studies, University of Birmingham 2020

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References

1 See Hinterberger, M., ‘Niketas Stethatos der “Beherzte”?’, Byzantinische Zeitschrift 103 (2010) 49–54Google Scholar. See now also Diamantopoulos, G., Die Hermeneutik des Niketas Stethatos (Diss. Ludwig-Maximilians-University Munich 2018)Google Scholar.

2 See Krausmüller, D., ‘Establishing Authority in the Constantinopolitan Religious Discourse of the Eleventh Century: Inspiration and Learning in the Writings of the Monk Niketas Stethatos,’ in Steckel, S., Gaul, N. and Grünbart, M. (eds.) Networks of Learning: Perspectives on Scholars in Byzantine East and Latin West, c. 1000–1200 (Berlin and Münster 2014) 107–124Google Scholar.

3 See Smith, M. H. III, And Taking Bread … Cerularius and the Azyme Controversy of 1054 (Paris 1978) 136–160Google Scholar; and Gemeinhardt, P., Die Filioque-Kontroverse zwischen Ost- und Westkirche im Frühmittelalter (Berlin and New York 2002) 395–398CrossRefGoogle Scholar.

4 See Hinterberger, M., ‘Ein Editor und sein Autor: Niketas Stethatos und Symeon Neos Theologos’, in Odorico, P. (ed.), La face caché de la littérature byzantine. Le text en tant que message immédiat (Paris 2012) 247–264Google Scholar.

5 Niketas Stethatos, Centuries, PG 105, 851–1009.

6 See J. Darrouzès, Nicetas Stéthatos, Opuscules et lettres (Paris 1961) 82–90, apparatus fontium. For the dating of the texts see also F. Lauritzen, ‘Areopagitica in Stethatos: Chronology of an Interest’, Vizantijskij Vremennik 72 (2013) 199–215. The chapters about the divine image at the beginning of the third century are of one piece whereas their counterparts in the other treatises are less tightly organised, which suggests that they are secondary adaptations. See D. Krausmüller, ‘Hiding in plain sight: heterodox Trinitarian speculation in the writings of Niketas Stethatos’, Scrinium 9 (2013) 255–284.

7 Niketas Stethatos, Centuries, I, II, III, 851, 899, 953.

8 See e.g. G. Bunge, ‘Praktike, Physike und Theologike als Stufen der Erkenntnis bei Evagrios Pontikos’, in M. Schneider and W. Berschin (eds.), Ab Oriente et Occidente: Kirche aus Ost und West, Gedenkschrift für Wilhelm Nissen (St. Ottilien 1996) 59–72.

9 Niketas Stethatos, Centuries, I.40–42, 869C–872A.

10 For the classification of vices see e.g. Maximos the Confessor, Chapters on Love, II.59, III.56, ed. A. Ceresa-Gastaldo, Capitoli sulla carità (Rome 1963) 122, 170.

11 Niketas Stethatos, Centuries, I.41, 869CD.

12 For ‘first dispassion’ see Maximos, Quaestiones ad Thalassium 55, Scholion 15, ed. C. Laga and C. Steel, Maximi Confessoris Quaestiones ad Thalassium, I: Quaestiones I-LV, una cum latina interpretation Ioannis Scotti Eriugenae iuxta posita (Turnhout and Leuven 1980), 523.157–158: Πρώτην ἀπάθɛιαν λέγɛι τὴν πρὸς ἁμαρτίαν τοῦ σώματος κατ᾽ ἐνέργɛιαν ἀνέπαφον κίνησιν. On natural contemplation in general see D. T. Bradford, ‘Evagrius Ponticus and the Psychology of “Natural Contemplation”’, Studies in Spirituality 22 (2012) 109–125; and J. Lollar, To See into the Life of Things: The Contemplation of Nature in Maximus the Confessor and his Predecessors (Turnhout 2013).

13 See S. H. Griffith, ‘The Life of Theodore of Edessa: History, Hagiography, and Religious Apologetics in Mar Saba Monastery in Early Abbasid Times’, in J. Patrich (ed.), The Sabaite Heritage in the Orthodox Church from the Fifth Century to the Present (Leuven 2001) 147–169.

14 Theodore of Edessa, Century, 21, 34, 68, ed. P. Possinus, Thesaurus Asceticus sive Syntagma Opusculorum Octodecim a Graecis olim patribus de re ascetica scriptorum (Paris 1684) 356–357, 362, 385.

15 However, see Andrew Louth, ‘Maximus the Confessor's Influence and Reception in Byzantine and Modern Orthodoxy’, in P. Allen and B. Neil (eds.), The Oxford Handbook of Maximus the Confessor (Oxford 2015) 500–515, who points out that Maximus’ impact in eighth- and ninth-century Constantinople was very limited.

16 See H.-G. Beck, Kirche und theologische Literatur in Byzantinischen Reich (Munich 1977) 359. See also D. Krausmüller, ‘Nobody Has Ever Seen God: The Denial of the Possibility of Mystical Experiences in Eighth- and Eleventh-Century Byzantium’, Journal of Late Antique Religion and Culture 11 (2017) 65–73.

17 Theodore of Stoudios, Parva Catechesis, 100, ed. E. Auvray, Sancti patris nostri et confessoris Theodori Studitis praepositi parva catechesis (Paris 1891) 344.

18 Symeon the New Theologian, Centuries, I.34, ed. J. Darrouzès, Syméon le Nouveau Théologien. Chapitres théologiques, gnostiques et pratiques (Paris 1957) 49.

19 The spiritual centuries of Hesychius of Sinai and Philotheus of Sinai cannot be securely dated. It is possible that they were composed in the seventh century. Yet the earliest manuscripts only date to the eleventh century. See Beck, Kirche und theologische Literatur, 453–454. In any case these texts focus on a specific topic, ‘sobriety’ (νῆψις).

20 See note 2.

21 Niketas Stethatos, Centuries, I.1, 852A-853A.

22 Evagrios Pontikos, Praktikos, ed. A. Guillaumont and C. Guillaumont, Évagre le Pontique, Traité pratique ou Le moine, I (Paris 1971) 498; Evagrios Pontikos, Gnostikos, ed. A. Guillaumont and C. Guillaumont, Évagre le Pontique, Le gnostique ou À celui qui est devenu digne de la science (Paris 1989) 88; Evagrios Pontikos, Gnostic Chapters, ed. A. Guillaumont, Les six Centuries des Képhalaia gnostica d’Évagre le Pontique, Patrologia Orientalis 28 (Paris 1958) 16–17; Mark the Monk, Century, ed. G.-M. de Durand, Marc le Moine, Traités, I (Paris 1999) 74; Diadochos of Photike, Century, ed. E. des Places, Diadoque de Photicé, Oeuvres spirituelles, 2nd edition (Paris 1966) 85; John of Karphathos, Century I, PG 85, 1837; John of Karphathos, Century II, ed. D. Balfour and M. Cunningham, A Supplement to the “Philokalia”: the Second Century of Saint John of Karpathos (Brookline, Mass. 1994) 42; Maximos the Confessor, Chapters on Love, ed. Ceresa-Gastaldo, 50; Maximos the Confessor, Capita theologica et oeconomica, PG 90, 1083; Thalassios the Libyan, Centuries, PG 91, 1428A.

23 Evagrios Pontikos, Praktikos, ed. Guillaumont and Guillaumont, 494; Maximos the Confessor, Chapters on Love, ed. Ceresa-Gastaldo, 48; Mark the Monk, Century I, ed. de Durand, 74; John of Karpathos, Century I, PG 85, 1837.

24 Niketas Stethatos, Centuries, III.19, 964A.

25 Niketas Stethatos, Centuries, III.34, 969A.

26 Niketas Stethatos, Centuries, III.37, 969B

27 Niketas Stethatos, Centuries, III.38, 969D

28 In the third century teaching as a task for monks is mentioned in chapters 12, 13, 22, 27, 32, 46, 48, 50, 52, 54, 55, 57 to 69, 78, 83 and 89.

29 Niketas Stethatos, Centuries, III.42, 43, 44, 972D–975A.

30 Niketas Stethatos, Centuries, III.41, 972CD.

31 Niketas Stethatos, Centuries, III.43, 973BC.

32 This is the case even with Evagrios’ Gnostikos where teaching plays an important role. The mystic's attitude towards teaching can be quite ambivalent. Maximos once speaks about the spiritual ascent and about instruction in two consecutive chapters but compares the descent to the level of teaching with the Babylonian captivity of the Jews. See Maximos the Confessor, Capita theologica et oeconomica, II.48–49, 1145C-1148A.

33 Niketas Stethatos, Centuries, III.26, 965B. Cf. Pseudo-Dionysios, Heavenly Hierarchy, VII.1–2, ed. G. Heil and A. M. Ritter, Pseudo-Dionysius Areopagita, De coelesti hierarchia, De ecclesiastica hierarchia, De mystica theologia, Epistulae, 2nd edition (Berlin and Boston 2012), 26–27.

34 Niketas Stethatos, Centuries, III.27, 965BC.

35 Pseudo-Dionysius therefore speaks of unlike symbols of transcendent realities. See Roques, R., ‘Symbolisme et théologie negative chez le Pseudo-Denys’, Bulletin de l'association de Guillaume Budé 1 (1957) 97–112CrossRefGoogle Scholar.

36 Niketas Stethatos, Centuries, Ι.89, 893B.

37 See A. Timotin, Visions, prophéties et pouvoir à Byzance: Étude sur l'hagiographie méso-byzantine (IX-XI siècles) (Paris 2010).

38 Niketas Stethatos, Centuries, III.54–55, 981AB. See Diamantopoulos, Die Hermeneutik, 112–115.

39 Niketas Stethatos, Centuries, I.1, 852D-853A.

40 Niketas Stethatos, Centuries, III.44, 973D.

41 Apart from chapter 44 see also chapters 54, 57 and 58.

42 Niketas Stethatos, Centuries, III.89, 1004A.

43 See above note 31.

44 Niketas himself uses the phrase in this sense. In his Life of Symeon he claims that ‘the clerics of the great church of God’ (ὁ τῆς μɛγάλης τοῦ θɛοῦ ἐκκλησίας κλῆρος) attended commemorations of Symeon the Stoudite. See Niketas Stethatos, Life of Symeon the New Theologian, 110, ed. Ι. Hausherr, Un grand mystique byzantine: Vie de Syméon le Nouveau Théologien (Rome 1928) 152–154.

45 See Magdalino, P., Manuel I Komnenos, 1143–1180, Cambridge 1993, 274Google Scholar.

46 Here it is worth noting that Niketas states several times that the charismatic monk is διάκονος of God's word. See Niketas Stethatos, Centuries, III.44, 973D: διάκονος γέγονɛ τῶν μυστηρίων θɛοῦ στόμα γɛγονὼς αὐτοῦ διακονῶν ταῦτα τοῖς ἀνθρώποις διὰ τοῦ λόγου. As Niketas indicates, this statement is based on I Corinthians 4:1 where Paul says that he wants to be seen by others ‘as servants of Christ and stewards of the secrets of God’ (ὡς ὑπηρέτας Χριστοῦ καὶ οἰκονόμους μυστηρίων θɛοῦ). That Niketas replaces the Biblical οἰκονόμος with διάκονος shows that the latter term had a particular significance for him. This may be a reference to competition with patriarchal deacons.

47 Niketas Stethatos, Centuries, III.58, 984A-C.

48 Niketas Stethatos, Centuries, III.69, 989D-992A.

49 Niketas Stethatos, Centuries, I.58, 877B-C.

50 A similar invective is already found in Symeon the New Theologian, Centuries, III.28, ed. Darrouzès, 87. See Bernard, F., Writing and Reading Byzantine Secular Poetry, 1025–1081 (Oxford 2014) 157–158Google Scholar.

51 Niketas Stethatos, Centuries, III.58, 984C.

52 It needs to be noted, however, that Psellos was not opposed to allegorical interpretation in principle. See also Lauritzen, F., ‘Stethatos’ Paradise in Psellos’ Ekphrasis of Mt Olympos’, Vizantijskij Vremennik 70 (2011) 139–151Google Scholar. On Niketas Stethatos and Psellos see now the detailed discussion in Diamantopoulos, Die Hermeneutik, 308–503.

53 Niketas Stethatos, Centuries, III.57, 981D.

54 Niketas Stethatos, Centuries, III.58, 984B. On the theme of ‘envy’ see Hinterberger, M., Phthonos, Mi ßgunst, Neid und Eifersucht in der byzantinischen Literatur (Wiesbaden 2013) 255–256Google Scholar, 361–370.

55 Niketas Stethatos, Centuries, III.78, 996. On this theme see Diamantopoulos, Die Hermeneutik, 108–110.

56 Niketas Stethatos, On Paradise, 18, ed. Darrouzès, 176.

57 Niketas Stethatos, On Paradise, Appended Letters, ed. Darrouzès, 260–272. See Diamantopoulos, Die Hermeneutik, 118–126.

58 Niketas Stethatos, Centuries, III.59, 984D.

59 Niketas Stethatos, Centuries, III.68, 989C.

60 See Diamantopoulos, Die Hermeneutik, 151–154.

61 Niketas Stethatos, Centuries, III.68, 989C.

62 Niketas Stethatos, Centuries, III.58, 984C.

63 Niketas Stethatos, Centuries, II.67, 933B.

64 Niketas Stethatos, Centuries, III.69, 992A.

65 See Krausmüller, ‘Charismatic Authority’, 115–116.

66 Niketas Stethatos, Centuries, III.59, 984D.

67 Niketas Stethatos, Centuries, III.59, 985.

68 Niketas Stethatos, Centuries, I.76, 885D.

69 Niketas Stethatos, Centuries, II.83, 939D.

70 Niketas Stethatos, Centuries, II.85, 941CD.

71 Maximos the Confessor, Chapters on Love, IV.65, ed. Ceresa-Gastaldo, 222.

72 Niketas Stethatos, Centuries, III.70, 991Β.

73 Niketas Stethatos, Centuries, ΙΙΙ.71, 991CD.

74 Niketas Stethatos, Centuries, II.97, 949B.

75 See e.g. Maximos the Confessor, Capita theologica et oeconomica, II.42, 1144BC.

76 Niketas Stethatos, Centuries, III.69, 989D-992A. This nexus is highlighted in Diamantopoulos, Die Hermeneutik, 86–88.