Bishop Porphyrius (; secular name: Konstantin Aleksandrovich Uspensky; ; 8 September 1804 – 19 April 1885) was a Russian traveller, theologian, orientalist,

archaeologist Archaeology or archeology is the study of human activity through the recovery and analysis of material culture. The archaeological record consists of Artifact (archaeology), artifacts, architecture, biofact (archaeology), biofacts or ecofacts, ...

and byzantinologist, founder of the Russian Ecclesiastical Mission in Jerusalem, and discoverer of several ancient

codices The codex (: codices ) was the historical ancestor format of the modern book. Technically, the vast majority of modern books use the codex format of a stack of pages bound at one edge, along the side of the text. But the term ''codex'' is now r ...

. From 1865 on, he was

auxiliary bishop An auxiliary bishop is a bishop assigned to assist the diocesan bishop in meeting the pastoral and administrative needs of the diocese. Auxiliary bishops can also be titular bishops of sees that no longer exist as territorial jurisdictions. ...

of Chigirin.

Life

Konstantin Uspensky was born on 8 September 1804 in

Kostroma Kostroma (, ) is a historic city and the administrative center of Kostroma Oblast, Russia. A part of the Golden Ring of Russian cities, it is located at the confluence of the rivers Volga and Kostroma. In the 2021 census, the population is 267, ...

Russian Empire The Russian Empire was an empire that spanned most of northern Eurasia from its establishment in November 1721 until the proclamation of the Russian Republic in September 1917. At its height in the late 19th century, it covered about , roughl ...

. He finished religious school in 1818 and four years after, he finished his studies at the Theological Seminary in Kostroma. In 1829, he finished studies at Saint Petersburg Theological Academy. That same year, he became a priest and received the name of ''Porphyrius''. In 1834, he became an

archimandrite The title archimandrite (; ), used in Eastern Christianity, originally referred to a superior abbot ('' hegumenos'', , present participle of the verb meaning "to lead") whom a bishop appointed to supervise several "ordinary" abbots and monaste ...

Odessa ODESSA is an American codename (from the German language, German: ''Organisation der ehemaligen SS-Angehörigen'', meaning: Organization of Former SS Members) coined in 1946 to cover Ratlines (World War II aftermath), Nazi underground escape-pl ...

. While in Odessa, he became interested in

Oriental Orthodoxy The Oriental Orthodox Churches are Eastern Christian churches adhering to Miaphysite Christology, with approximately 50 million members worldwide. The Oriental Orthodox Churches adhere to the Nicene Christian tradition. Oriental Orthodoxy is ...

, learned

Modern Greek Modern Greek (, or , ), generally referred to by speakers simply as Greek (, ), refers collectively to the dialects of the Greek language spoken in the modern era, including the official standardized form of the language sometimes referred to ...

and

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, a Romance ethnic group related to or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance languag ...

. He travelled to

Palestine Palestine, officially the State of Palestine, is a country in West Asia. Recognized by International recognition of Palestine, 147 of the UN's 193 member states, it encompasses the Israeli-occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and th ...

in 1842 and became head of the newly established Russian Orthodox Ecclesiastical Mission in Jerusalem in 1847, which he headed until 1854. In 1845 and 1846, he travelled to

Mount Athos Mount Athos (; ) is a mountain on the Athos peninsula in northeastern Greece directly on the Aegean Sea. It is an important center of Eastern Orthodoxy, Eastern Orthodox monasticism. The mountain and most of the Athos peninsula are governed ...

Greece Greece, officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. Located on the southern tip of the Balkan peninsula, it shares land borders with Albania to the northwest, North Macedonia and Bulgaria to the north, and Turkey to th ...

and

Mount Sinai Mount Sinai, also known as Jabal Musa (), is a mountain on the Sinai Peninsula of Egypt. It is one of several locations claimed to be the Mount Sinai (Bible), biblical Mount Sinai, the place where, according to the sacred scriptures of the thre ...

Egypt Egypt ( , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a country spanning the Northeast Africa, northeast corner of Africa and Western Asia, southwest corner of Asia via the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to northe ...

. He saw the

Codex Sinaiticus The Codex Sinaiticus (; Shelfmark: London, British Library, Add MS 43725), also called the Sinai Bible, is a fourth-century Christian manuscript of a Greek Bible, containing the majority of the Greek Old Testament, including the deuterocanonica ...

Saint Catherine's Monastery Saint Catherine's Monastery ( , ), officially the Sacred Autonomous Royal Monastery of Saint Catherine of the Holy and God-Trodden Mount Sinai, is a Christian monastery located in the Sinai Peninsula of Egypt. Located at the foot of Mount Sinai ...

in 1844 (one year after

Constantin von Tischendorf Constantin is an Aromanian language, Aromanian, Megleno-Romanian language, Megleno-Romanian and Romanian language, Romanian male given name. It can also be a surname. For a list of notable people called Constantin, see Constantine (name). See ...

's first visit). After a visit to the monastery of

Mar Saba The Holy Lavra of Saint Sabbas, known in Arabic and Syriac as Mar Saba (; ; ; ) and historically as the Great Laura of Saint Sabas, is a Greek Orthodox monastery overlooking the Kidron Valley in the Bethlehem Governorate of Palestine, in th ...

, he took a codex, which was later named after him (the

Uspenski Gospels The Uspenski Gospels, ''Minuscule 461'' (in the Gregory-Aland numbering), ε 92 ( Soden), are a New Testament minuscule manuscript written in Greek, dated to 835 AD, and now in St Petersburg in Russia. They are the oldest known dated manuscript o ...

), and he brought it together with other manuscripts such as the Codex Porphyrianus to

Russia Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...

.Uspensky brought to Russia manuscripts from Mount Athos (f.e.

Codex Coislinianus Codex Coislinianus designated by Hp or 015 (in the Gregory-Aland numbering), α 1022 ( Soden), was named also as ''Codex Euthalianus''. It is a Greek uncial manuscript of the Pauline epistles, dated palaeographically to the 6th century. The ...

), Sinai Peninsula (f.e. Uncial 080, 087) and Mar Saba. Four pre-Iconoclast encaustic icons brought by Uspensky from Sinai are still preserved in

Kyiv Kyiv, also Kiev, is the capital and most populous List of cities in Ukraine, city of Ukraine. Located in the north-central part of the country, it straddles both sides of the Dnieper, Dnieper River. As of 1 January 2022, its population was 2, ...

, Ukraine. In 1869, he received a doctoral degree in Greek philosophy. Uspensky died on 19 April 1885 and was buried in the

Novospassky Monastery Novospassky Monastery (''New Monastery of the Savior'', ) is one of the fortified monasteries surrounding Moscow from the south-east. Like all medieval Russian monasteries, it was built by the Russian Orthodox Church. The abbey traces its history ...

in Moscow.

Works

* ''Путешествие по Египту и в монастыри Святого Антония Великого и Преподобного Павла Фивейского'', в 1850 году. Petersburg, 1856. * ''Путешествие по Египту и в монастыри Святого Антония Великого и Преподобного Павла Фивейского'', в 1850 году. СПб., 1856. * 'Christian East: Egypt and Sinai' (Восток христианский: Египет и Синай), Petersburg, 1857. * Мнение о синайской Библии (полемика с Тишендорфом, 1862). (About Codex Sinaiticus, polemic with Tischendorf). * "Восток христианский. Абиссиния", in: "Труды Киевской Академии", 1866. * 'History of Athos' (История Афона), Two volumes, 1871. * Второе путешествие в афонские монастыри, (Москва, 1880). * Дионисий Ареопагит и его творения, в: "Чтения Московского Общества Любителей Духовного Просвещения", 1885.

Citations

Bibliography

* Порфирий Успенский, ''Первое путешествие в Синайский монастырь в 1845 году'', Petersburg 1856. * А. Дмитриевский, ''Еп. Порфирий Успенский, как инициатор и организатор первой рус. дух. миссии в Иерусалиме'', Petersburg, 1906. * А. Дмитриевский, ''Порфирий (Успенский) по поводу 100-летия со дня его рождения'', Petersburg, 1906. * П. Сырку, ''Описание бумаг еп. Порфирия (Успенского), пожертвованных имп. акад. наук по завещанию'', Petersburg, 1891.

External links

Bishop Porfiry (Uspensky) and his Collection

Открытая Православная Энциклопедия

Biography of Uspiensky

* http://www.rulex.ru/01160490.htm {{DEFAULTSORT:Uspensky, Porphyrius 1804 births 1885 deaths 19th-century Eastern Orthodox bishops 19th-century Eastern Orthodox theologians Bishops in the Russian Empire Bishops of the Russian Orthodox Church Byzantinists from the Russian Empire Expatriates from the Russian Empire in the Ottoman Empire Historians from the Russian Empire Holy Land travellers People from Kostroma People from Kostromskoy Uyezd Russian book and manuscript collectors Theologians from the Russian Empire Writers from Kostroma Oblast Writers from the Russian Empire Saint Petersburg Theological Academy alumni