A Brighter Day Begins with His Word.

History of the Christian Church • VOLUME 4

\ 142. CHRONOLOGICAL LIST OF PRINCIPAL WRITERS. 621 CHAPTER XIV.

['Schaff, Philip, 1819-1893', 'Schaff, David S. (David Schley), 1852-1941'] • Public-domain historical edition in the United States (published 1884); OCR from Internet Archive scan

\ 142. CHRONOLOGICAL LIST OF PRINCIPAL WRITERS. 621 CHAPTER XIV.

BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES OF ECCLESIASTICAL WRITERS.

[This chapter, with the exception of the last four sections, has been prepared under my direction by the Rev. SAMUEL M. JACKSON, M.A.? from the original sources, with the use of the best modern authori ties, and has been revised, completed and adapted to the plan of the work.— P. S.

§ 142. Chronological List of the Principal Ecclesiastical Writers from the Sixth to the Twelfth Century.

I. GREEK AUTHORS.

St. Maximus Confessor c. 580-662 *

St. John of Damascus c. G76-7543

Photius c. 805-891 »

Simeon Metaphrastes 10th century.

CEcumenius 10th century.

Theophylact ... i ... llth century.

Michael Psellus c. 1020-c. 1106

P^uthymius Zigabenus. .... 12th century.

Eustathius of Thessalonica . . . . 12th century.

Nicetas Acominatos . . . . . d. c. 1126

II. LATIN AUTHORS.

Cassiodorus c. 477-c. 580

St. Gregory of Tours 538-594

St. Gregory the Great c. 540-604*

St. Isidore of Seville c. 560-636

The Venerable Bede (Breda) . . . 674-7355

Paulus Diaconus (Paul Warnefrid) . . c. 725-800

St. Paulinus of Aquileia ' . . . . c. 726-804

Alcuin 735-804*

Liudger c. 744-809

Theodulph of Orleans -821

Eigil -822

Amalarius -837

i See ?.§ 109-112, pp. 495, 496, 498.

1 See W 94, 100-102, pp. 405 sq., 413, 450, 456.

8 See %% 67, 70, 107 and 108, pp. 304, 312 sqq., 476 sqq.

* See $ 10, p. 30 eqq., and $% 50, 52, pp. 211 sqq. • See \ 13, p. 40 sq.

• See \ 116, p. 511 sqq.

I 622 FOURTH PERIOD. A. D. 590-1049.

Claudius of Turin -839 *

Agobard of Lyons 779-840 2

Einhard (Eginhard) c. 770-840

Smaragdus -c. 840

Jonas of Orleans -844

Rabanus Maurus c. 776-856'

Haymo c. 778-853

Walafrid Strabo c. 809-849

Floras of Lyons -c. 860

Servatus Lupus 805-862

Druthmar c. 860

St. Paschasius Radbertua c. 790-865 5 Ratramnus . . . . . . . -c. 868*

Hincmar of Rheiras c. 806-882 7

Johannes Scotus Erigena c. 815-877 6

Anastasius -886

Ratherius of Verona c. 890-974

Pope Sylvester II. (Gerbert) . . . -1003 8

Fulbert of Chartres c. 950-1029

Peter Damiani 1007-1072

Berengar c. 1000-10889

Lanfranc 1005-1089 10

§ 143. St. Maximus Confessor.

I. MAXIMUS CONFESSOR : Opera in Migne, Patrol. Gr. Tom. XC., XCL,

reprint of ed. of Fr. Combefis, Paris, 1673 (only the first two vol umes ever appeared), with a few additional treatises from other sources. There is need of a complete critical edition.

II. For his life and writings see his Acta in Migne, XC. col. 109-205 ;

Vita Maximi (unknown authorship) col. 67-110; Acta Sanctorum, under Aug. 13 ; Du PIN (Eng. transl., Lond. 1693 sqq.), VI. 24-58; CEILLIER (second ed., Paris, 1857 sqq.), XL 760-772.

III. For his relation to the Monotheletic controversy see C. W. FRANZ WALCH: Historic der Kezereien, etc., IX. 60-499, sqq.; NEANDER: III. 171 sqq.; this History, IV. 409, 496-498. On other aspects see J. N. HUBER : Die Philosophic der Kirchenvater. Munchen, 1859. JOSEF BACH : Die Dogmengeschichte des Mitfelalters. Wien, 1873-75, 2 parts, I. 15-49. Cf. WESER : Maximi Confessoris de incarnatione et deificatione doctrina. Berlin, 1869.

i See \ 105, p. 472 ?qq. 2 See \ 105, p. 471 sq.

8 See \ 96, p. 426, and $ 120, p. 525 sq. * See \ 127, p. 549.

6 See \ 126, p. 546 sqq. « See \ 123, p 529 sqq.

7 See ?1 21, p. 528 soiq. 8 \\ 64 and 65, pp. 292 and 295. • See §2 128 and 129, p. 554 sqq.; 564 sqq. » See $ 130, p. 567 Pqq.

$ 143. ST. MAXIMUS CONFESSOR. 623

As a sketch of ST. MAXIMUS CONFESSOR (c. 580-Aug. 13, C62) has been elsewhere given,1 it is only necessary in this place to pass in review his literary activity, and state briefly his theo logical position.

Notwithstanding his frequent changes of residence, Maximus is one of the most prolific writers of the Greek Church, and by reason of his ability stands in the front rank. Forty-eight of his treatises have been printed, others exist in MS., and some are lost. By reason of his pregnant and spiritual thoughts he has always been popular with his readers, notwithstanding his prolixity and frequent obscurity of which even Photius and Scotus Erigena complain.

His Works may be divided into five classes. I. Exegetical. A follower of the Alexandrian school, he does not so much an alyze and expound as allegorize, and make the text a starting point for theological digressions. He wrote (1) Questions [and Answers] upon difficult Scripture passages,2 sixty-five in number, addressed to Thalassius, a friend who had originally asked him the questions. The answers are sometimes very short, sometimes rich speculative essays. Thus he begins with a disquisition "Upon evil. Unless one is expert in allegorical and mystical Writings, the answers of Maximus will be hard reading. He seems to have felt this himself, for he added explanatory notes in different places.3 (2) Questions, seventy-five in number, similar to the preceding, but briefer and less obscure. (3) Ex position of Psalm LIX.4 (4) The Lord's Prayer.5 Both are very mystical.

II. Scholia upon Dionysius Areopagita and Gregory Nazianzen, which were translated by Scotus Erigena (864).6

III. Dogmatical and polemical. (1) Treatises.7 The first twenty-five arc in defense of the orthodox dyotheletic doctrine

1 See pp. 409, 496-498. 2 Migne, XC. col. 244-785.

8 1 c. col. 785-856. < /. c. col. 856-872.

5 /. c. col 872-909. • XCI. col. 1032-1417. 7 1. c. col. 9-285.

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