Nikephoros Blemmydes (Latinized as Nicephorus Blemmydes; el, Νικηφόρος Βλεμμύδης, 1197–1272) was a 13th-century

Byzantine The Byzantine Empire, also referred to as the Eastern Roman Empire or Byzantium, was the continuation of the Roman Empire primarily in its eastern provinces during Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, when its capital city was Constantinopl ...

author.

Biography

Blemmydes was born in 1197 in

Constantinople la, Constantinopolis ota, قسطنطينيه , alternate_name = Byzantion (earlier Greek name), Nova Roma ("New Rome"), Miklagard/Miklagarth (Old Norse), Tsargrad ( Slavic), Qustantiniya (Arabic), Basileuousa ("Queen of Cities"), Megalopolis (" ...

as the second child of a physician. After the conquest of Constantinople by the forces of the

Fourth Crusade The Fourth Crusade (1202–1204) was a Latin Christian armed expedition called by Pope Innocent III. The stated intent of the expedition was to recapture the Muslim-controlled city of Jerusalem, by first defeating the powerful Egyptian Ayyubid S ...

in 1204, he migrated to

Asia Minor Anatolia, tr, Anadolu Yarımadası), and the Anatolian plateau, also known as Asia Minor, is a large peninsula in Western Asia and the westernmost protrusion of the Asian continent. It constitutes the major part of modern-day Turkey. The re ...

. There, he received a liberal education in Prusa,

Nicaea Nicaea, also known as Nicea or Nikaia (; ; grc-gre, Νίκαια, ) was an ancient Greek city in Bithynia, where located in northwestern Anatolia and is primarily known as the site of the First and Second Councils of Nicaea (the first and s ...

Smyrna Smyrna ( ; grc, Σμύρνη, Smýrnē, or , ) was a Greek city located at a strategic point on the Aegean coast of Anatolia. Due to its advantageous port conditions, its ease of defence, and its good inland connections, Smyrna rose to prom ...

and

Scamander Scamander (; also Skamandros ( grc, Σκάμανδρος) or Xanthos () was a river god in Greek mythology. Etymology The meaning of this name is uncertain. The second element looks like it is derived from Greek () meaning 'of a man', but t ...

. Blemmydes studied medicine, philosophy, theology, mathematics, astronomy, logic, and rhetoric. When he finally acquired a career as a cleric, he took an active part in the theological controversies between the

Eastern Orthodox Church The Eastern Orthodox Church, also called the Orthodox Church, is the second-largest Christian church, with approximately 220 million baptized members. It operates as a communion of autocephalous churches, each governed by its bishops via ...

and the

Roman Catholic Church The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

, writing treatises on the Procession of the Holy Spirit, advocating the western usage. He was the tutor of the learned Theodore II Laskaris of the Nicaean Empire, and a great collector of classical texts.

William of Rubruck William of Rubruck ( nl, Willem van Rubroeck, la, Gulielmus de Rubruquis; ) was a Flemish Franciscan missionary and explorer. He is best known for his travels to various parts of the Middle East and Central Asia in the 13th century, including the ...

reports that his benefactor,

John III Doukas Vatatzes John III Doukas Vatatzes, Latinized as Ducas Vatatzes ( el, Ιωάννης Δούκας Βατάτζης, ''Iōannēs Doukas Vatatzēs'', c. 1192 – 3 November 1254), was Emperor of Nicaea from 1221 to 1254. He was succeeded by his son, known ...

, owned a copy of the missing books from

Ovid Pūblius Ovidius Nāsō (; 20 March 43 BC – 17/18 AD), known in English as Ovid ( ), was a Augustan literature (ancient Rome), Roman poet who lived during the reign of Augustus. He was a contemporary of the older Virgil and Horace, with whom ...

's ''

Fasti In ancient Rome, the ''fasti'' (Latin plural) were chronological or calendar-based lists, or other diachronic records or plans of official and religiously sanctioned events. After Rome's decline, the word ''fasti'' continued to be used for simil ...

''. Blemmydes also founded a school where he taught students such as Prince Theodore II Laskaris and

George Akropolites George Akropolites ( Latinized as Acropolites or Acropolita; el, , ''Georgios Akropolites''; 1217 or 1220 – 1282) was a Byzantine Greek historian and statesman born at Constantinople. Life In his sixteenth year he was sent by his father, th ...

. In his later years, Blemmydes became a monk and retired to a monastery he built in

Ephesus Ephesus (; grc-gre, Ἔφεσος, Éphesos; tr, Efes; may ultimately derive from hit, 𒀀𒉺𒊭, Apaša) was a city in ancient Greece on the coast of Ionia, southwest of present-day Selçuk in İzmir Province, Turkey. It was built i ...

. He died in 1272.

Bibliography

*''Autobiographia (Curriculum Vitæ)'' *''Epistula universalior'' *''Epitome logica'' *''Epitome physica'' *''Expositio in Psalmos'' *''De processione Spiritus Sancti'' *''De regia pellice templo ejecta (On the Royal Concubine Expelled from the Temple)'' *''De regis oficiis (On Royal Offices)'' *''Laudatio Sancti Ioanni Evangelistae'' *''Orationes de vitae fine'' (ΑΠΟΔΕΙΞΙΣ, ΟΤΙ ΟΥΧ ΩΡΙΣΤΑΙ ΤΟΥ ΚΑΘΕΚΑΣΤΟΝ Η ΖΩΗ. ΔΙΑΛΕΓΟΜΕΝΟΣ Ή ΠΕΡΙ ΤΟΥ ΟΡΟΥ) *''Regia statua'' *''Sermo ad monachos suos (Sermon to his monks)'' *''De virtute et ascesi''* Ed. E. Gielen, ''Nicephori Blemmydae De virtute et ascesi necnon Iosephi Racendytae De virtute'' (Corpus Christianorum. Series Graeca 80), Turnhout: Brepols Publishers, 2015 ()

References

Sources

* P. A. Agapitos, "Blemmydes, Laskaris and Philes," in ''Byzantinische Sprachkunst. Studien zur byzantinischen Literatur gewidmet Wolfram Hoerandner zum 65. Geburtstag''. Hg. v. Martin Hinterberger und Elisabeth Schiffer. Berlin-New York, Walter de Gruyter, 2007 (Byzantinisches Archiv, 20), 6–19; Bildtafel I-II

External links

Catholic Encyclopedia articleBlemmydes' Oratio I de processione Spiritus sancti (Letter to James, archbishop of Bulgaria)Blemmydes' Oratio II de processione Spiritus sancti (Letter to Theodore Laskaris)
1197 births 1272 deaths 13th-century Byzantine monks Autobiographers Byzantine philosophers People from Constantinople Eastern Orthodox monks Byzantine theologians 13th-century Byzantine writers 13th-century Eastern Orthodox theologians {{Christianity-bio-stub