Athanasios Parios

Athanasios Parios (Greek: Ἀθανάσιος Πάριος; * around 1722 in Kostos, Paros ; † on June 24, 1813 in the Hermitage of St. George in Resta (Vrontados) ; also Agios Athanasios Parios , Saint Athanasios Parios ) was a Greek priest monk , important Theologian , philosopher , teacher , educator and hymnographer ; He has been a saint of the Greek Orthodox Church since 1995 .

biography

Athanasios Parios was born in the small village of Kostos on Paros . The exact year of birth is not known; the information varies from 1721 to 1725. The memorial plaque on the church of St. Athanasios in Kostos (Paros) names 1722 as the year of his birth. On his home island Paros he was taught the basics of reading, writing and arithmetic. Striving for greater knowledge, he left his parents and his native village and went to Smyrna to study at the local Greek school. The school was founded in 1717, later referred to as the Smyrna Evangelical School , and became a well-known institution. He lived in Smyrna for six years. Since he left Smyrna in 1752 and lived there for six years, arithmetically he should have come to Smyrna in 1746 or at the age of 24.

In 1752 he went to Mount Athos and enrolled in the Athonias Academy , where he studied languages ​​with Neophytos Kausokalyvites (1689–1784) and philosophy with Eugenios Voulgaris . After four years of study at the academy, he became a teacher there under the direction of Voulgaris.

Around 1758 he was seconded to the school of Thessaloniki , which he left in 1760 because of a plague outbreak in favor of Corfu , where he enjoyed lessons from Nikephoros Theotokis in philosophy, physics and rhetoric .

After Voulgaris left the Athonian Academy and it was without a director, Athanasios was invited by the Patriarchate in Constantinople to become its director. He has now been Makarios of Corinth for priests ordained. Athanasios headed the academy from 1771 to 1777. On Mount Athos he joined the Kollyvades Movement, which was led by Macarius of Corinth and Nicodemus the Hagiorite . They were orthodox traditionalists and believed that Holy Communion should be given frequently, not just four times a year; they also believed that memorial services should not be held on Sundays.

Around 1777 he left Mount Athos again with the goal of Thessaloniki, where he again worked as a teacher. During this time he wrote several theological works that appeared in the 1780s. While still in Thessaloniki he received an invitation to teach at the Patriarchate School in Constantinople; he should also be made bishop , but refused. He preferred the rest and wanted to return to his home island Paros. But the ship stopped in Chios and eventually he settled where he lived, studied and wrote in the Hermitage of the Holy Trinity. Since the school of Chios lacked a capable teacher, Makarios of Corinth (1731-1805), who was now back in Chios, and Niphon the Koenobiarch persuaded him to teach there. When he nevertheless wanted to leave Chios for Paros, he was kept as headmaster in Chios; he held this position from 1788 to 1812.

On the deathbed, Athanasios Parios and Nikephoros of Chios were commissioned by Makarios of Corinth to complete and publish The New Leimonarion , a collection of hagiographies of martyrs , ascetics and other saints.

Retreat to the monastery and death

Athanasios Parios retired to the monastery of Agios Georgios Reston in Resta (Vrontados) in 1812 . He died there on June 24, 1813. His pupil Nikephoros of Chios and other monks also lived there. Athanasios Parios' corpse was placed in the grave, in which before him Macarius of Corinth, after him the monk Jakovos († 1808) and still later Nikephoros of Chios († 1821) were buried. In Greece at that time, the buried were moved after three years.

Theological meaning

Athanasios Parios is generally and in particular by the Greek Orthodox Church regarded as the "educator of the nation" in the time of the "modern Greek Enlightenment".

Modern Greek critics, however, describe him as a “reactionary” orthodox fundamentalist , an enemy of the Western European ideas of the French Revolution , an opponent of Rigas Feraios and Adamantios Korais .

In fact, Athanasios Parios turned against the Western European Enlightenment , which, according to him, was anti-religious and wanted to destroy the Christian religion. In his writings he particularly criticized the French enlightenment and especially Voltaire . He also advised the Greeks against studying in Western Europe or trying to gain wealth there; the western materialistic view of life ("love of money, prosperity, luxury, (...)") is generally harmful and leads to atheism , to dehumanization and eternal damnation.

Honors

The Greek Orthodox Church celebrates Athanasios Parios' feast day on June 24th, the day he died, the first Sunday in September.

His canonization by the Holy Synod of the Patriarchate of Constantinople and the Holy Synod of Greece took place on March 24, 1995. The Akolouthia of Gerasimos Mikrogiannanitis from Mount Athos on Athanasios Parios was published together with the encyclicals of the canonization and thus received an official status. One year and three months after the official canonization, the foundation stone of a new "Church of St. Athanasios" was laid in his honor in his birthplace Kostos in June 1996 . The consecration of the church took place on June 25 of 2005.

The house where Athanasios Parios was born in Kostos has been preserved and is open to the public. In the center of the village there is a monument dedicated to him .

Panorama of Kostos on Paros, birthplace of Athanasios Parios

Works

Books (printed)

• Bíos tou en Hagíois Patrós hemón Klémentos, Archiepiskópou Boulgarías. (…) (Life of the Father under Saint Clement, Archbishop of Bulgaria. (…)). Venice, 1781. Reprint: Leipzig, 1805. Author was Saint Theophylactus, Archbishop of Bulgaria. Translation into the vernacular by Athanasios Parios.
• Ho Palamás Ekeínos, étoi Bíos Axiothaúmastos tou en Hagíois Patrós hemón Gregoríou, Archiepiskópou Thessaloniés (...) (Palamas, the wonderful life of our Holy Father Gregorius, Archbishop of Thessaloniki (...)). Vienna, 1784. Author was Saint Theophylactus, Archbishop of Bulgaria. Translation into the Domitiki by Athanasios Parios. 2nd edition appeared in Ho Hagíos Gregoríos ho Palamás kai Ho Antípapas . Thessaloniki, 1981, pp. 17-242.
• Ho Antípapas, (…) (The Antipape, (…)). Biography of Mark of Ephesus . 1785. 2nd edition appeared in Ho Hagíos Gregoríos ho Palamás kai Ho Antípapas . Thessaloniki, 1981, pp. 242-283.
• He Grammatiké tou Kyroú Neophytou Ekeínou. (...) (The grammar of the deceased Neophytos summarized. (...)). Venice, 1787. Summary and first edition of the grammar of Neophytos Kausokalyvites († 1784).
• Lógos en Haplé Phrasé, (…) (A speech in simple language, (…)). Vienna, 1793. Speech in honor of Gregorios Palamas, given in Thessaloniki.
• Christianiké Apologia. (...) (Christian Apology. (...)). Constantinople: Patriarchal Printing Office. Further prints: Leipzig 1800 and 1805. Defense document against the anti-Christian movements in Western Europe such as the Enlightenment and the French Revolution.
• Rhetoriké Pragmateía, (…) (Treatise on rhetoric, (…)). Venice, 1799. Interpretation of the “Art of Rhetoric” by Hermogenes of Tarsus .
• Antiphónesis pros ton parálogon zélon, ton apó tes Európes erchoménon philosophón, (…) . (An answer to the irrational zeal for faith of the philosophers coming from Europe). Trieste, 1802. 2nd edition, Ermoupoli (Syros), 1866.
• Stoicheía Metaphysikés (…) (elements of metaphysics (…)). Venice, 1802. Translation of Antonio Genovesi's book, originally written in Latin, from Italian into the Dimotiki.
• Ouranoú Krísis ; (...) (Heavenly Judgment, (...)). Leipzig, 1805.
• Epitomé, eíte Syllogé ton Theíon tes Pisteos Dogmáton (…) . (Abstract, or collection of the divine doctrines, (...)). Leipzig, 1806. A theological textbook, in collaboration with Makarios von Corinth.
• (Co-editor together with Nikephoros von Chios): Neon Leimonarion ( New Spiritual Meadows ). Venice, 1819. Athanasios Parios made about a dozen short articles for the “Neon Leimonarion”, mainly biographies of new martyrs.
• 2006 was published posthumously: The Life of St. Macarios of Corinth . In: Constantine Cavarnos, Saint Athanasios Parios: Eminent Theologian (…) . (Modern Orthodox Saints, Vol. 15). Belmont, MA: Institute for Byzantine and Modern Greek Studies, pp. 93-125. Shortened translation of the biography published in 1863 by Athanasios Parios' student Nikephoros of Chios under the title Akolouthía tou en hagioís Patros hemón Makaríou, Archiepiskópou Korínthou tou Notará (Akolouthia of our father among the saints Makarios Notaras, Archbishop of Corinth). Chios.

Unprinted works

Athanasios Parios wrote a large number of previously unpublished works. These are listed by Cavarnos 2005, pp. 139-142.

Illustrations

A more recent icon by Athanasios Parios is printed in Cavarnos (2006 frontispiece). It is located in the church dedicated to him in Kostos on Paros. Another icon is reproduced in Cavarnos (2006 p. 28); this was painted around 1962 by the iconographer Rallis Kopsidis. Another more recent icon is used on Orthodox Wiki (see under web links).

literature

• Christos Arampatzis (Arampatzes, Arabatzis): Athanásiou tou Páriou Bibliographiká (Bibliographical Data about Athanasios Parios). Thessaloniki 1998.
• Constantine Cavarnos: Saint Athanasios Parios: Eminent Theologian, Philosopher, Educator, Hymnographer, and Writer of Lives of Saints. An Account of his Life, Character, and Teachings, together with a Comprehensive List of his Writings, Discussions of them and Selections from them . (Modern Orthodox Saints, vol. 15). Institute for Byzantine and Modern Greek Studies, Belmont, MA 2006, ISBN 1-884729-77-0 .
• Ioannis Zelepos : Orthodox Zealots in Ottoman Southeast Europe: The Kollyvaden Movement (1750-1820) and its contribution to the debates about tradition, enlightenment and identity . (Balkanological Publications, Vol. 56). Harrassowitz Verlag, Wiesbaden 2012.
• Georgios Ioannou Zolotas (Γεώργιος I. Ζολώτας); Emilia Sarou (ed.): Ιστορία τής νησιού Χίου (Historia tēs Chiou) (The story of Chios). Vol. 3, part 1. PD Sakellarios, Athēnai, 1926, pp. 571-572.
• Philipp Meyer: Athanasios Parios . In: The New Schaff-Herzog Encyclopedia of Religious Knowledge . Vol. 1: Aachen - Basilians. 5th ed. 1966. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Book House, pp. 342-343.
• Louis Petit : Athanase de Parios. In: Dictionnaire de théologie Catholique: contenant l'exposé des doctrines de la théologie Catholique, leurs preuves et leur histoire . Tome 1 Part 2: Angels - Azzoni. Letouzey et Ané, Paris 1903, columns 2189–2190. (2nd edition 1931 includes columns 1283–2664)
• Gerhard Podskalsky: Greek theology in the time of the Turkish rule (1453-1821): Orthodoxy in the field of tension between the post-Reformation denominations of the West . Beck, Munich 1988.
• Pope Chalkia-Stephanu (Πόπη Χαλκιά-Στεφάνου): Tα μοναστήρια τής Χίου (Ta monastēria tēs Chiu = The Monasteries of Chios). Eptalophos (Monastery of St. George of Resta (Vrontados)), Athēna 2003, ISBN 960-8360-10-2 , pp. 194-199.
• Pope Chalkia-Stephanu (Πόπη Χαλκιά-Στεφάνου): Οι αγίοι τής Χίου: Εκκλησιαστική Ιστορία τής νήσου από τής διαδόσεως του Χριστιανισμου μεχρι τις ημέρες μας (20ός αίονας) (Oi agioi Tēs Chiu: ekklēsiastikē istoria Tēs nesu Chiu apo Tēs diadosēōs tu Christianismu Mechri tis ēmeres mas (20os aiōnas); The Saints of Chios: Church history of the island of Chios from the spread of Christianity to our days (20th century)) Eptalophos (Saint Athanasios Parios), Athēnai 2008, ISBN 978-960-90294-2-1 , pp. 405-416.

Individual evidence

1. ↑ The only English-language biography of Cavarnos 2006 gives consistently 1721 as the year of birth, without discussing other years. Athanasios Parios' pupil Mamoukas mentions "around the year 1722"; see. Cavarnos 2006 p. 29.
2. ↑ On the role of Athanasios Parios in the Kollyvades movement, see Zelepos 2012 pp. 223–232; Podskalsky 1988 pp. 329-388.
3. ↑ On Resta see Chalkia-Stephanu 2003, pp. 194–199.
4. ↑ See in particular Cavarnos 2006 pp. 43–47; 63f. and Parios' books "Christian Apology" (1798) and "An Answer (...)" (1802).
5. ↑ Cavarnos 2006 p. 16.

Web links

• Athanasius Parios on Orthodox Wiki [1]
• OCA Saint Athanasius Parios
• Athanasios Parios in Pemptousia (Romanian) [2]
• The Church of Saint Athanasios Parios in Kostos on Paros [3]
• Athanasios Parios, later and present reviews [4]