574
Anton Anashkin
St. Tikhon’s Orthodox University, Moscow, Russian Federation;
miles-an@rambler.ru
Towards a Genesis of Byzantine Church Canonical
Erotapokriseis
by Niketas, Metropolitan of Herakleia (XI C.): Epistolary Trace
Genre determination of Byzantine erotapokritical literature is a very important
aspect of studying
of texts in format of question-and-answers that was widespread in Byzantium and became one of
the most preferred ways of organizing and imparting knowledge. Unfortunately, this topic is little-
studied. Since genre nature of questions and replies is subtle the very decision of the problem is in the
research of their content. The subject of our research is a genesis and genre nature of Byzantine church
canonical ἐρωταποκρίσεις by Niketas metropolitan of Herakleia (XI c.)
unexplored as a monument of
ecclesiastical thought because of its marginality. The text of the metropolitan Niketas’ canonical replies
consists of 13 questions and answers. It has a complex manuscript tradition. Four editions of various
redactions are presently at our disposal. Nonetheless the text is very poorly studied.
Existing in the canonical erotapokritical collection 13 twains of questions and replies are
divided into four theme clusters:
1. Marriage law (twains of questions and replies №№ 1–5 аnd 11).
2. Monkhood (№ 6, 7, 8, 9; № 6, 7 are dedicated to the high degree of the monastic ministry –
great schema).
3. Merits of ordinands (№ 10 и 12).
4. Official malfeasance of a clergyman (a question-and-answer’s pair №13 is not able to be
brought into correlation with those theme clusters).
A content-analysis of the text let us conclude that the actual practical («businesslike»)
correspondence between Niketas metropolitan of Herakleia and an unknown for sure person (it may
well be that it was a bishop of Pamphylia — the diocese was under the jurisdiction of metropolitan
of Herakleia — by name Constantine) is the basis of the text:
- the very form of the text resembles and looks
like an exchange of letters;
- a hint at a correspondence in the reply №5: καὶ πρότερον ἀπεκρίθημεν, διὰ τοῦ ἀνεψιοῦ σου,
ἔγγραφον ἐρώτησιν δεξάμενοι;
- retention of epistolary etiquette terms of courtesy, greetings and solutions with personal
pronouns of the 2-nd person in the Genitive: τῇ θεοφιλίᾳ σου (resp. 4), δέσποτά μου (quest.
3), [λύσεως] τῆς ἁγιωσύνης σου (quest. 13);
- using (rarely) of the Vocative: θεοφιλέστατε (resp. 1), ἅγιέ μου δέσποτα (quest. 6).
- 9 out of 13 questions contain a personal request to solve problems, to resolve doubts, to settle
ambiguous occurrences in church practice. The questions 1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 13
are concluded and the
questions 4, 7, 8 are started with expressions that characterizing these texts: ζητῶ λύσιν γενέσθαι
μοι περὶ τούτου, διὰ τοῦτο ζητῶ λυθῆναι παρὰ τῆς σῆς ἁγιωσύνης, Ἔτι καὶ τοῦτο ἐρωτῶ.
Thereby this evidence could be regarded as relicts of correspondence between actual persons
on different questions of church life, for instance: liturgical practice, problems of interpretation and
understanding of passages from Holy Scripture or patristic writings or church canons,
solution to
private cases which do not have church canonical regulations.