\ 94. CHURCH POETRY. 409
MAXIMUS THE CONFESSOR (580-662), the leader and martyr of the orthodox dyotheletic doctrine in the Monotheletic contro versy, one of the profoundest divines and mystics of the Eastern Church, wrote a few hymns.1
GERM ANUS (634-734), bishop of Cyzicus, then patriarch of Constantinople (715), was deposed, 730, for refusing to comply with the iconoclastic edicts of the Emperor Leo the Isaurian (717-741), and died in private life, aged about one hundred years. He is "regarded by the Greeks as one of their most glorious Confessors " (Ncale). Among his few poetical compo sitions are stanzas on Symeon the Stylite, on the prophet Elijah, on the Decollation of John the Baptist, and a canon on the wonder-working Image in Edessa.2
ANDREW OF CRETE (660-732) was born at Damascus, be came monk at Jerusalem, deacon at Constantinople, archbishop of Crete, took part in the Monotheletic Synod of 712, but after wards returned to orthodoxy. In view of this change and his advocacy of the images, he was numbered among the saints. He is regarded as the inventor of the Canons. His " Great Canon" is sung right through on the Thursday of Mid-Lent week, which is called from that hymn. It is a confession of sin and an invocation of divine mercy. It contains no less than two hundred and fifty (Ncale says, three hundred) stanzas.3
John of Damascus reduced the unreasonable length of the canons.
1 Poetce Gr. vet. Tom. II. 192 sqq. Daniel, III. 97-103, gives three hymns, among them a beautiful vfj.vo£ iKer^piog fit Xpiaruv. Christ omits Maximus.
2 See his Opera in Migne's "Patrol. Grseca," Tom. 98 (1865) ; and his poems in Christ, XLIII. 98 (idiofiehov on the Nativity); Daniel, III. 79, a hymn in praise of Mary, beginning Za^Triocjuev kv cahtnyyi aapdruv, and ending with ascribing to her almighty power of intercession :
Qvdev yap adiivarov TTJ fieaireiq. aov.
8 Fr. Combefisius first edited the works of Andreas Cretensis, Par. 1644. Christ, 147-161, gives the first part of "the great canon" (about one-fourth), and a new canon in praise of Peter. The last is not in the Mencea, but has been brought to light from Paris and Vatican MSS. by Card. Pitra. Daniel,
410 FOURTH PERIOD. A. D. 590-1049.
Another ANDREW, called 'Avdpeaz IIopo^ or IJuppoc, is cre dited with eight idiomela in the Menceay from which Christ has selected the praise of Peter and Paul as the best.1
STEPHEN THE SABAITE (725-794) was a nephew of John of Damascus, and spent fifty-nine years in the convent of Mar Saba, which is pitched, like an eagle's nest, on the wild rocks of the Kedron valley. He is commemorated on the 13th of July. He struck the key-note of Neale's exquisite hymn of comfort, "Art thou weary," which is found in some editions of the Octcechus. He is the inspirer rather than the author of that hymn, which is worthy of a place in every book of devo tional poetry.2
ROM ANUS, deacon in Berytus, afterwards priest in Constanti nople, is one of the most original and fruitful among the older poets. Petra ascribes to him twenty-five hymns. He assigns him to the reign of Anastasius I. (491-518), but Christ to the reign of Anastasius II. (713-719), and Jacobi with greater pro bability to the time of Constantinus Pogonatus (681-685).3
III. 47-54, has seven hymns of Andreas, of which the first is on the nativity, beginning :
Ovpavol
'ZuipTTjaaTE ra opTj} Tov Xpiarov
Neale translated four : Stichera for Great Thursday ; Troparia for Palm Sunday ; a portion of the Great Canon ; Stichera for the Second Week of the Great Fast. His Opera in Migne's "Patrol. Gr." T. 97 (1860), p. 1306 sqq.
1 Christ, p. XLII. sq. and 83, avTOfj.e'kov e\q rovg anocT. Herpov K.CU Ilav/lov. See Men., June 29.
2 Christ and Daniel ignore Stephen. Neale calls the one and only hymn which he translated, " Idiomela in the Week of the First Oblique Tone," and adds: "These stanzas, which strike me as very sweet, are not in all the edi tions of the Octrechus." He ascribes to him also a poetical composition on the Martyrs of the monastery of Mar Saba (March 20), and one on the Circum cision. "His style," he says, "seems formed on that of S. Cosmas, rather than on that of his own uncle. He is not deficient in elegance and richness of typology, but exhibits something of sameness, and is occasionally guilty of very hard metaphors."
3 Christ, 131-140, gives his "Psalm of the Holy Apostles," and a Nativity hymn. Comp. p. li. sq. Jacobi (p. 203 sq.) discusses the data and traces in