Matthew Blastares (; ) was a 14th-century

Byzantine Greek Medieval Greek (also known as Middle Greek, Byzantine Greek, or Romaic; Greek: ) is the stage of the Greek language between the end of classical antiquity in the 5th–6th centuries and the end of the Middle Ages, conventionally dated to the F ...

monk in

Thessalonica Thessaloniki (; ), also known as Thessalonica (), Saloniki, Salonika, or Salonica (), is the second-largest city in Greece (with slightly over one million inhabitants in its metropolitan area) and the capital city, capital of the geographic reg ...

and early scholarly opponent of reconciliation with

Rome Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...

. He was also the writer of the ''

Syntagma Canonum ''Syntagma Canonum'' is a Canon law of the Eastern Orthodox Church, canon law collection made in 1335 by Matthew Blastares, a Greek monk about whose life nothing certain is known. Contents The collector aimed at reducing canon law to a handie ...

''.

Life

Blastares was a

hieromonk A hieromonk,; Church Slavonic, Slavonic: ''Иеромонахъ''; ; ; ; ; Albanian language, Albanian: ''Hieromurg'' also called a priestmonk, is a person who is both monk and Priest#Roman Catholic and Orthodox, priest in the Eastern Christianity ...

in the

monastery of Kyr Isaac The Church of Saint Panteleimon (, ''Naós Agíou Panteleímona'') is a late Byzantine church Built in the 14th century in Thessaloniki, Greece Greece, officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. Located on the south ...

, where he died after 1346.

Works

He is best known for his ''Syntagma kata stoicheion'' (), completed in 1335. The chief innovation of the ''Syntagma'' was Blastares' ambition was to reconcile

canon law Canon law (from , , a 'straight measuring rod, ruler') is a set of ordinances and regulations made by ecclesiastical jurisdiction, ecclesiastical authority (church leadership) for the government of a Christian organization or church and its membe ...

with civil law, whereas previous treatises had focused on one of the two, ignoring the other. The ''Syntagma'' is subdivided into 24 sections, each on a specific legal topic, and usually further subdivided into chapters. It became very popular even outside the

Byzantine Empire The Byzantine Empire, also known as the Eastern Roman Empire, was the continuation of the Roman Empire centred on Constantinople during late antiquity and the Middle Ages. Having survived History of the Roman Empire, the events that caused the ...

, and was translated into

Serbian Serbian may refer to: * Pertaining to Serbia in Southeast Europe; in particular **Serbs, a South Slavic ethnic group native to the Balkans ** Serbian language ** Serbian culture **Demographics of Serbia, includes other ethnic groups within the co ...

during the

Serbian Empire The Serbian Empire ( sr-Cyrl-Latn, Српско царство, Srpsko carstvo, separator=" / ", ) was a medieval Serbian state that emerged from the Kingdom of Serbia. It was established in 1346 by Dušan the Mighty, who significantly expande ...

Stephen Dushan Stephen or Steven is an English first name. It is particularly significant to Christians, as it belonged to Saint Stephen ( ), an early disciple and deacon who, according to the Book of Acts, was stoned to death; he is widely regarded as the firs ...

. Apart from the ''Syntagma'', Blastares was also the author of a number of other legal works, including a lexicon of Latin legal terms, and summaries of the nomocanons of Niketas of Heraclea, patriarchs

Nikephoros I Nikephoros I (; 750 – 26 July 811), also known as Nicephorus I, was Byzantine emperor from 802 to 811. He was General Logothete (finance minister) under Empress Irene, but later overthrew her to seize the throne for himself. Prior to becomi ...

and

John Nesteutes John IV of Constantinople (died 2 September 595), also known as ''John Nesteutes'' (, ''Ioannes the Faster''), was patriarch of Constantinople (12 April 582 – 2 September 595). He was the first to assume the title ''Ecumenical Patriarch''. He ...

. His further work includes a poem on the offices and titles of the Byzantine court, a synopsis of

rhetoric Rhetoric is the art of persuasion. It is one of the three ancient arts of discourse ( trivium) along with grammar and logic/ dialectic. As an academic discipline within the humanities, rhetoric aims to study the techniques that speakers or w ...

; theological treatises against the

Latin Church The Latin Church () is the largest autonomous () particular church within the Catholic Church, whose members constitute the vast majority of the 1.3 billion Catholics. The Latin Church is one of 24 Catholic particular churches and liturgical ...

azymes Azymite (from Ancient Greek '' ázymos'', unleavened bread) is a term of reproach used by the Eastern Orthodox Church since the eleventh century against the Latin Church, who, together with the Armenians and the Maronites, celebrate the Eucharist w ...

, the Jews, and

Palamism Palamism or the Palamite theology comprises the teachings of Gregory Palamas (c. 1296 – 1359), whose writings defended the Eastern Orthodox practice of Hesychasm against the attack of Barlaam. Followers of Palamas are sometimes referred to a ...

; a work on Divine Grace; a letter to Constantine II Lusignan on the

Holy Spirit The Holy Spirit, otherwise known as the Holy Ghost, is a concept within the Abrahamic religions. In Judaism, the Holy Spirit is understood as the divine quality or force of God manifesting in the world, particularly in acts of prophecy, creati ...

; as well as liturgical hymns and

epigrams An epigram is a brief, interesting, memorable, sometimes surprising or satirical statement. The word derives from the Greek (, "inscription", from [], "to write on, to inscribe"). This literary device has been practiced for over two millennia. ...

References

Sources

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Blastares, Matthew 1340s deaths 14th-century Byzantine monks 14th-century Byzantine writers 14th-century jurists Byzantine jurists Byzantine Thessalonian writers Canon law of the Eastern Orthodox Church Greek Christian monks Year of birth unknown Year of death uncertain