Photian Schism and Photius among the EC

[Addai]

What’s you view of the Photian Schism and the saint hood of Photius? I’ve been reading about this lately and its role in preparing the way for the Great Schism.

(I suspect this will be a similar situation to what we talked about in the Palamas thread)

 

[Allyson]

What’s you view of the Photian Schism and the saint hood of Photius? I’ve been reading about this lately and its role in preparing the way for the Great Schism.

(I suspect this will be a similar situation to what we talked about in the Palamas thread)

I believe that he is a Saint. I know that he is often miss-maligned due to some bad sources that his opponents left behind. Have you read, or are you reading anything by Francis Dvonik? He does a good job, I think, of examining primary texts and debunking the myths some provide. I read one article by him, and began his book. I had to return it to the library when I finished grad school, but I finally bought a copy online, that was under $100. I eagerly await its arrival.

I hope that this thread does not go the way of the Palamas thread, rather that it be more fruitful. There is much ground to be trod if we are to come to a greater understanding of our past.

At least one think can not be said of Photius. He was indisputably in communion with Rome for much of his life (i.e. living before the Great Schism), and he died in communion with Rome.

God Bless,
R.

 

[Addai]

Have you read, or are you reading anything by Francis Dvonik? He does a good job, I think, of examining primary texts and debunking the myths some provide. I read one article by him, and began his book. I had to return it to the library when I finished grad school, but I finally bought a copy online, that was under $100. I eagerly await its arrival.

.

Thanks for responding.

I haven’t read Dvornik but his work was one I was considering and like you I saw how expensive it is on Amazon etc. James Likoudis covered his works briefly in his Eastern Orthodox trilogy series which I bought and read recently. And he spoke highly of the book and the man. It also does not hurt that he is Czech (since I am half Czechoslovak myself and I’ve been more fond of the Eastern side of the family)

 

[bpbasilphx]

Something to remember: The Orthodox call it the Schism of Pope Nicholas.

 

[Allyson]

Something to remember: The Orthodox call it the Schism of Pope Nicholas.

Very interesting how the names of events are conditioned by perspective. This other name seems quite apt from what I have read from Dvornik. Photios never choose to go into Schisim so far as I am aware; his period of ’ excommunication’ was of course imposed. And Dvornik argues that he always sought to maintain unity.
God Bless,
R.

 

[StRaphael]

What’s you view of the Photian Schism and the saint hood of Photius? I’ve been reading about this lately and its role in preparing the way for the Great Schism.

(I suspect this will be a similar situation to what we talked about in the Palamas thread)

Dear Addai, St. Gregory Palamas is a different story since he was jurisdictionally Eastern Orthodox his whole life but was saved by virtue of an invisible communion with the Catholic Church (more on that later; I’m working on a second edition of my summa in defense of Catholic veneration of St. Gregory Palamas), whereas St. Photius the Great was Catholic.

There is nothing wrong with venerating Patriarch Photius I the Great of Constantinople as a saint, or else Rome would not have expressly permitted his veneration by Greek Byzantine Catholics every February 6 (see the Byzantine Menaion). We must trust the judgments of the Magisterium and preach the reasons why they are prudent and right. St. Photius the Great committed several grievous sins, like daring to try to excommunicate Pope St. Nicholas I the Great and pouring his bitter anti-Latin polemics into his falsehood-riddled Mystagogy. However, by the time he died in an Armenian monastery he had already reconciled with Patriarch St. Ignatius I of Constantinople and was in communion with the Catholic Church, in agreement with what he had said earlier: “On Peter repose the foundations of the faith” [Epist. 99 and Niceph., *PG 102:909A]. His repentance (think of the glorious martyr St. Paul the Apostle who as Saul was a persecutor of Christians and enemy of truth) is not the only thing that makes him suitable for veneration by Catholics, however. His career, while significantly tainted by his sins against unity (of which he sincerely repented or else the Vatican would not condone his veneration), was otherwise a good model for living:
(1) St. Photius negotiated with the Muslim Khalifa so that Christians under Muslim political rule and the Holy Places would be protected.
(2) He disputed with Eastern heretics, including Armenians, Manicheans, and Paulicians, among other groups cut off from the Body of Christ.
(3) While doing all these things to help his fellow Christians he still made time to write his invaluable works on dogma, Bible criticism, canon law, sermons, the famous Bibliotheca, and epistles on all the questions asked and issues raised during his time.
(4) No one doubted that his private life was very virtuous and free of scandal.
(5) While exiled and struggling with myriad problems he acted with great fortitude.
(6) He dispatched St. Cyril and St. Methodius to evangelize the Slavs, thus facilitating the salvation of countless souls!
(7) Even Pope St. Nicholas I the Great mentioned St. Photius’s “great virtues and universal knowledge.”

God bless Francis Dvornik, for he has made an excellent contribution to Photian research, but it must be kept in mind that the council of 879-880 was not ecumenical:

A common myth among Eastern Orthodox apologists and polemicists is that the Ecumenical Council of 869-870 was actually a Robber Council abrogated by the Catholic Church in 879-880 in the Photian synod. Actually, the later Photian synod was not ecumenical, whereas the synod a decade earlier was. We know this from seven facts which Dr. Philip Blosser recalls in his excellent post on the Photian schism of the 9th century:

1. The 869-870 council called itself universalis octava synodus, i.e. the Eighth Ecumenical Council.
2. People from all the churches were present or represented at the 869-870 council.
3. Pope Adrian approved the 869-870 council’s ecumenical status in his 11/10/871 letter and his 875 letter to Catholics in Salerno and Amalfo.
4. Pope John VIII called the 869-870 council sancta octava synodus.
5. Byzantine Catholics accepted the 869-870 council as ecumenical until 879-880.
6. The Greek text of the last two sessions of the 879-880 is of dubious authenticity since the party of Patriarch St. Photius I the Great of Constantinople had a history of altering the letters before reading them, which angered Pope John VIII.
7. The letter of Pope Stephen V to Emperor Basil I in 885-886 says that St. Photius was still trying to have the 869-870 council annulled but he would not be doing this if Pope John VIII had abrogated the 869-870.

St. Photius the Great of Constantinople, pray for us!

God bless you and yours!