Symeon Metaphrastes

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Saint Symeon Metaphrastes was the most renowned of the Byzantine hagiographers. He is identified with the logothete of that name.^[1]

Scholars have been very much divided as to the period in which he lived, dates ranging from the 9th century to the 14th having been suggested; but it is now generally agreed that he flourished in the second half of the 10th century.

Still greater divergences of opinion have existed as to the lives of saints coming from his pen, and here again the solution of the problem has been attained by studying the composition of the great Greek menologies. The menology of Metaphrastes is a collection of lives of saints for the twelve months of the year, easily recognizable among analogous collections, and consisting of about 150 distinct pieces, some of which are taken from older collections, while others have added later.^[2]

Among other works attributed (though with some uncertainty) to Symeon are a Chronicle, a canonical collection, some letters and poems, and other writings of less importance. Symeon's great popularity is due more particularly to his Menology, a collection of lives of saints. About his life we know only very few details.

The Eastern Orthodox Church honours him as a saint, with his feast day falling on November 9 (for those churches which follow the Julian Calendar November 9 falls on the Gregorian Calendar's November 28). An office composed in his honour is found in the Menaion.

[edit] Authorities

Leo Allatius, De Symeonum scriptis diatriba (Paris, 1664)
F. Hirsch, Byzantinische Studien, pp. 303-355 (Leipzig, 1876)
Albert Ehrhard, Die Legendensammlung des Symeon Metaphrastes (Rome, 1897)
Römische Quartalschrift (1897), pp. 67205 and 531-553
Hippolyte Delehaye, "La vie de saint Paul le Jeune et la chronologie de Metaphraste (1893)
Analecta Bollandiana, xvi. 312-327 and xvii. 448-452.
C. Høgel: Symeon Metaphrastes. Rewriting and Canonization (Copenhagen 2002)