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Homilies
St Photius the Great, tr. Mango, 1958
Chapter 2
The middle of the ninth century was a particularly momentous period in the history of the Byzantine Empire. It was then that the Iconoclast movement, which had divided Eastern Christendom for over a century, was finally liquidated; that the Slavs were converted to Christianity, thus immeasurably enlarging the orbit of Byzantine cultural influence, and that a renewed interest in classical literature and learning assured the preservation of the ancient Greek heritage. It was also at that time that the growing hostility between the Eastern and Western Churches erupted in the first great schism.
The study of these significant events has made considerable progress in the last two or three decades. Thanks to the work of such outstanding scholars as Henri Grégoire and Francis Dvornik, both the political and the ecclesiastical history of the ninth century now appear in a new light. It has been shown, for example, that the achievements of the Amorian dynasty, and in particular those of its last member, Michael III (842–867), have been deliberately belittled in the interests of subsequent imperial policy; and, to take another instance, that the schism between the Churches calls for a new appraisal if it is to be seen in the light of contemporary conditions at Constantinople, instead of being regarded mainly as an episode in Papal history. Such advances in historical interpretation have not, however, been accompanied by any comparable activity in the textual field. It is true that, as a result of the publication of some hagiographic material and especially of the Arab historians, the available sources for the ninth century are more numerous now than they were in the time of Cardinal Hergenröther. Yet the principal Greek sources still have to be consulted in the same faulty editions in which they were used a hundred years ago, and much important material remains unpublished. New editions and translations of Byzantine texts are needed, therefore, as a basis for a fuller understanding of the history of this period.
Among the literary documents of the ninth century an important place is held by the Homilies of the Patriarch Photius, unquestionably the greatest figure of his time. In view of the enormous and constantly growing literature about him, it is surprising that many of his works should have received relatively little attention. His voluminous correspondence is still in need of comment and elucidation. His scholia on the New Testament have never been edited in their entirety. Complex problems of authenticity are still posed by his Contra Manichaeos. Even his Bibliotheca, a well-known quarry for classical scholars, can still shed much light on the intellectual history of the time. His Homilies in particular have remained almost unread by modern historians, although they were published over fifty years ago. There are probably two reasons for this neglect: the scarcity of the Greek edition and the difficulty of Photius’ style. Because of them, it has appeared desirable to present the Homilies in an English version, and thus make more generally available this primary source for the intellectual, religious and political history of the ninth century.
A few words should be said about the principle of this translation. A faithful rendering of a rhetorical Byzantine text into English (or, for that matter, into any western European language) is virtually impossible. The stilted conventions of Byzantine style, the elaborate antitheses and chiastic structure, the puns and assonances, the obscure literary allusions, the empty dialectic learned in the schools of rhetoric—all these are alien not only to our taste, but also to our ways of expression. In fairness to Photius, it must be said that he did not share all the literary vices of his contemporaries. His prose is usually clear and often moving. It is even stimulating by comparison with the turgid efforts of, for example, the emperor Leo VI, or Arethas of Caesarea. Nevertheless, Photius conformed to the rhetorical style of his time, and he is not easy reading. Since these Homilies are more likely to be used as historical documents than as specimens of literary composition, my aim has been to follow the original as closely as possible, in spite of the great difficulties inherent in making such a literal translation. Consequently, my rendering may at times be found harsh and unnatural. Of this fault I am fully aware, but it could hardly have been avoided without incurring a more serious loss of verbal accuracy. For a fuller account of the method adopted the reader is referred to pages 36–37.
It remains for me to express my gratitude to all the scholars who have generously given me their help and advice, in particular to the late Professor A. M. Friend, Jr. who initiated this work. His intention, which was to bring out a much more comprehensive publication of the Homilies, including the Greek text and a fuller commentary, has not been entirely realized here; nevertheless, I hope that he would not have been too disappointed by this more meagre offering. I am also greatly indebted to Professors R. J. H. Jenkins and Francis Dvornik for a large number of corrections and suggestions. The whole manuscript has been read by Mr. John P. Cavarnos, and part of it by Professor Paul J. Alexander, both of whom have made many useful contributions. Finally, I should like to thank my colleagues, both past and present, at Dumbarton Oaks.
Cyril Mango
Dumbarton Oaks
Washington, D.C.
June, 1957.