Hesychios (presbyter)

Hesychios (lat. Hesychius ) the priest, also Hesychios of Jerusalem († approx. 450) was a saint (Catholic and Orthodox), priest, monk and exegete in Jerusalem .

Little is known of his life. From about 412 he worked as a priest in Jerusalem. But although many of his writings have been lost, he is particularly valued in the Orthodox Church for his biblical commentaries (for example on the books of Job , Leviticus , Isaiah and Ezekiel ). It is said that he commented on the entire Bible . He is considered to be the most important interpreter and teacher of the Bible of his time in the Church of Jerusalem and Palestine. His commentary on the Book of Psalms has long been attributed to Athanasius the Great . Recent research identifies more and more texts in Greek texts and Latin translations. Hesychios also has a church history from the year 428. It was included in the files of the Second Council of Constantinople (553).

Hesychios played an important role in the controversy over the nature of Christ . He opposed Arius , who denied the deity of Christ. In order to avoid heresies , he avoided all terms from the philosophical vocabulary (person, being, substance) and only allowed the biblical expression "incarnate word" (lógos sarkotheís).

His (then known) works were published in Jacques Paul Mignes Patrologia Graeca (vol. 27, 55 and 93) in 1866 .

literature

• Encyclopedia Britannica, 15th Ed. Vol. 5, p. 902, left
• Friedrich Wilhelm Bautz :  Hesychius of Jerusalem. In: Biographisch-Bibliographisches Kirchenlexikon (BBKL). Volume 2, Bautz, Hamm 1990, ISBN 3-88309-032-8 , Sp. 793-794.
• Gerhard Loeschcke : Hesychios 13 . In: Paulys Realencyclopadie der classischen Antiquity Science (RE). Volume VIII, 2, Stuttgart 1913, Sp. 1328-1330.