Demetrios Chloros () was a 14th-century Byzantine

physician A physician, medical practitioner (British English), medical doctor, or simply doctor is a health professional who practices medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring health through the Medical education, study, Med ...

astrologer Astrology is a range of Divination, divinatory practices, recognized as pseudoscientific since the 18th century, that propose that information about human affairs and terrestrial events may be discerned by studying the apparent positions ...

priest A priest is a religious leader authorized to perform the sacred rituals of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and one or more deity, deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in parti ...

and

sorcerer Sorcerer may refer to: Magic * Sorcerer (supernatural), a practitioner of magic that derives from supernatural or occult sources * Sorcerer (fantasy), a fictional character who uses or practices magic that derives from supernatural or occult sou ...

who was tried for possessing

magic Magic or magick most commonly refers to: * Magic (supernatural), beliefs and actions employed to influence supernatural beings and forces ** ''Magick'' (with ''-ck'') can specifically refer to ceremonial magic * Magic (illusion), also known as sta ...

books. Chloros was a ''

protonotarios A prothonotary is the "principal clerk of a court," from L.L. ''prothonotarius'' ( c. 400), from Greek ''protonotarios'' "first scribe," originally the chief of the college of recorders of the court of the Byzantine Empire, from Greek ' ''protos ...

'', or secretary of the

patriarch The highest-ranking bishops in Eastern Orthodoxy, Oriental Orthodoxy, the Roman Catholic Church (above major archbishop and primate), the Hussite Church, Church of the East, and some Independent Catholic Churches are termed patriarchs (and ...

, and former ''

kanstresios The ''kanstresios'' () was an official of the Orthodox patriarchate of Constantinople during the Byzantine Empire. Ranked between a ''protonotarios'' and a ''referendarios'', he supervised offerings. Those who have held the post include Manuel Dis ...

'', supervisor of offerings. He was put on trial by the

patriarchate of Constantinople The Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople (, ; ; , "Roman Orthodox Patriarchate, Ecumenical Patriarchate of Istanbul") is one of the fifteen to seventeen autocephalous churches that together compose the Eastern Orthodox Church. It is headed ...

because he had transcribed texts with content pertaining to magical practices, including the ''Coeranis'', a portion or all of the ''

Cyranides The ''Cyranides'' (; also ''Kyranides'' or ''Kiranides'') is a compilation of ancient Greek works on magic and medicine first put together in the 4th century. Latin and Arabic translations also exist. It has been described as a " farrago" and a ...

'', and a notebook of invocations and spells he had compiled himself, suggesting he had access to various

grimoires A grimoire () (also known as a book of spells, magic book, or a spellbook) is a textbook of Magic (supernatural), magic, typically including instructions on how to create magical objects like talismans and amulets, how to perform magical Incan ...

. Chloros defended the texts on the basis of their medical value. Other physicians who were witnesses against him called Chloros a disgrace to the

art Art is a diverse range of cultural activity centered around ''works'' utilizing creative or imaginative talents, which are expected to evoke a worthwhile experience, generally through an expression of emotional power, conceptual ideas, tec ...

of medicine and said he insulted

Hippocrates Hippocrates of Kos (; ; ), also known as Hippocrates II, was a Greek physician and philosopher of the Classical Greece, classical period who is considered one of the most outstanding figures in the history of medicine. He is traditionally referr ...

and

Galen Aelius Galenus or Claudius Galenus (; September 129 – AD), often Anglicization, anglicized as Galen () or Galen of Pergamon, was a Ancient Rome, Roman and Greeks, Greek physician, surgeon, and Philosophy, philosopher. Considered to be one o ...

by regarding them as magicians.Brian P. Copenhaver, "Magic," in ''The Cambridge History of Science'' (Cambridge University Press, 2006), vol. 3, p. 52
online
and full tex
downloadable.
Chloros was subsequently sentenced to live as a

monk A monk (; from , ''monachos'', "single, solitary" via Latin ) is a man who is a member of a religious order and lives in a monastery. A monk usually lives his life in prayer and contemplation. The concept is ancient and can be seen in many reli ...

under surveillance in the monastery of the Peribleptos. Chloros is known to have vacillated between

Orthodoxy Orthodoxy () is adherence to a purported "correct" or otherwise mainstream- or classically-accepted creed, especially in religion. Orthodoxy within Christianity refers to acceptance of the doctrines defined by various creeds and ecumenical co ...

and

Catholicism The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

. The

synod A synod () is a council of a Christian denomination, usually convened to decide an issue of doctrine, administration or application. The word '' synod'' comes from the Ancient Greek () ; the term is analogous with the Latin word . Originally, ...

al decree that condemned him gives equal weight to recounting his ecclesiastic career and his movements between

Constantinople Constantinople (#Names of Constantinople, see other names) was a historical city located on the Bosporus that served as the capital of the Roman Empire, Roman, Byzantine Empire, Byzantine, Latin Empire, Latin, and Ottoman Empire, Ottoman empire ...

and the

papal court The papal household or pontifical household (usually not capitalized in the media and other nonofficial use, ), called until 1968 the Papal Court (''Aula Pontificia''), consists of dignitaries who assist the pope in carrying out particular ceremon ...

. Since other churchmen advertised themselves as knowledgeable

occult The occult () is a category of esoteric or supernatural beliefs and practices which generally fall outside the scope of organized religion and science, encompassing phenomena involving a 'hidden' or 'secret' agency, such as magic and mysti ...

practitioners, the mere possession of magic texts is not likely to have been the true or primary cause of action against him.Mavroudi, "Occult Science and Society in Byzantium," p 47. Evidence in a later case against a physician named Gabrielopoulos included the discovery at his home of a book of spells by Chloros and the ''Cyranides''. Chloros's notebook was said to be "filled with all manner of impiety including incantations, chants, and names of

demon A demon is a malevolent supernatural entity. Historically, belief in demons, or stories about demons, occurs in folklore, mythology, religion, occultism, and literature; these beliefs are reflected in Media (communication), media including f ...

s."Greenfield, "A Contribution to the Study of Paleologan Magic," p. 130, citing ''MM'' I, 543–44, no. 292.

Selected bibliography

*Copenhaver, Brian P. "Magic." In ''The Cambridge History of Science''. Cambridge University Press, 2006, vol. 3, limited previe
online
Full tex
downloadable.
*Greenfield, Richard P.H. "A Contribution to the Study of Paleologan Magic." p. 151, full tex
downloadable.
Also published in ''The Occult Sciences in Byzantium'' (La Pomme d'or, 2006), limited previe
online.
*Mavroudi, Maria. "Occult Science and Society in Byzantium: Considerations for Future Research." University of California, Berkeley. Full tex
downloadable.
Also published in ''The Occult Sciences in Byzantium'' (La Pomme d'or, 2006).

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Chloros, Demetrios 14th-century Byzantine physicians 14th-century Byzantine clergy Prothonotaries Byzantine astrologers 14th-century Byzantine writers