Macarius of Corinth

Saint Macarius of Corinth, icon

Makarios of Corinth or Makarios Notaras (* 1731 in Corinth ; † April 17, 1805 in Chios ) was bishop of Corinth from 1765 to 1769 and then bishop without a seat. As co-editor of Philokalie he was one of the founders of neo-psychasm . He is venerated as a saint of the Orthodox Church . His feast day is April 17th .

origin

Makarios was born in Corinth in 1731. He came from the Byzantine family of the Notaras. Its most famous representatives were the last Megas Doux (Grand Duke) of the Byzantine Empire Loukas Notaras († 1453 in Constantinople ) and his daughter Anna Notaras († 1507 in Venice ).

youth

Even as a young man he felt called to the spiritual life and had no eye for the vanities of the world. In order to be able to become a monk, he escaped from his parents' home and went to the monastery of the "Great Cave" ( Mega Spileon ) in the mountains of the Peloponnese . But the fathers there, for fear of the famous family, did not dare to take him in. So Makarios had to return to his rich parents' house inevitably and contrite, where he devoted himself to the study of the spiritual scriptures with the utmost devotion.

Bishop of Corinth

At the age of 28 he had such a reputation for wisdom that he was offered the leadership of the Corinthian School. He accepted this position out of pity that many of the town's children were left without schooling. In doing so, he proved himself so much that after only six years the office of bishop was entrusted to him. His predecessor had been very ill in old age and could no longer take care of the diocese to the extent necessary. Makarios was the first to dismiss uneducated and politically committed clerics and, by ordaining young priests, ensured that older ones could be relieved. These new priests had previously been thoroughly trained in both teaching and liturgical practice not only in parish churches but also in monasteries. In order to promote the spiritual awakening of the Greek nation, Makarios founded as many schools as possible as a bishop.

Escape to Athos

In the aftermath of the fifth Russo-Turkish War from 1768 onwards, some Greeks in the Peloponnese rose up prematurely, relying on the assistance of Russia, which, however, was primarily concerned with gaining territories in southern Ukraine , the Crimea and the northern Caucasus . After the Greek interests were obviously disappointed, the usual reprisals by the Turks against public figures in Greek life were expected. Under these circumstances, Bishop Makarios fled with his entire family to the Ionian island of Zakynthos and shortly afterwards to the island of Hydra , 65 km southwest of Athens. Theodosios II, Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople from 1769 to 1773, appointed new bishops for the Peloponnese under pressure from the Sublime Porte and thus also forced Bishop Makarios of Corinth to resign, although he had in no way violated the canons of canon law. As a bishop without a seat, Makarios went to the holy Mount Athos to withdraw into the silence of prayer. But even there he was not spared the controversies of the time such as that about the community of the Kollyvades. Again and again Makarios had to defend the sacred traditions here too. When he refused to celebrate the memorial service for the Patriarch of Alexandria on a Sunday in the monastery of Koutloumousiou , he had to leave the holy mountain in 1775 and emigrated to Chios to join other Athonites who had already been exiled before him.

editor

After his father died in 1776, he passed his inheritance to his brothers and went to Smyrna to pursue another calling: deepening the faith through spiritual writings.

On Athos he had discovered a manuscript of the Philocalie in the monastery of Vatopedi , which he gave to St. Nicodemos the Hagiorite for correction in 1777 . In 1782 this collection of sources appeared in Venice as a five-volume edition ( Φιλοκαλία τῶν ἱερῶν νηπτικῶν Philokalía tōn hierṓn nēptikṓn , literally the love of beauty of the holy mindful ). This compilation comprised Greek texts of orthodox spirituality from the ancient church fathers to the late medieval hesychasts and became so popular in the orthodox world as a spiritual guide that it spread the hesychasm far beyond monasticism.

With the help of Nicodemos the Hagiorite, Makarios also published the four-volume Evergetinos , followed by series on daily communion and the new martyrs .

Last years and death

After the end of his editorial work, he retired to a small cell in Chios and spent his last years in silence and prayer. But even from here he worked as a spiritual father not only for Chios, but also for the surrounding islands. After receiving the Great Robe , he no longer celebrated, but still preached in various churches on the island. During this time he also prepared several new martyrs for their glorious struggle:

• the St. Polydoros from Cyprus († 1794, hanged by the Ottomans)
• the St. Theodor of Byzantium († 1795 in Mytilene, hanged by the Ottomans) and
• the St. Dimitrios of the Peloponnese († 1803 in Tripoli, beheaded by the Ottomans).

In 1804, Makarios suffered a stroke and remained paralyzed on the right side. Shortly before his death in 1805, Makarios asked Nikephoros of Chios to complete and publish his book Das Neue Leimonarion . He died on April 17, 1805.

Legend

Many miraculous healings are said to have taken place at his grave.

literature

• Constantine Cavarnos (1972): St. Macarios of Corinth: Archbishop of Corinth, Guardian of Sacred Tradition, Reviver of Orthodox Mysticism, Compiler of the "Philokalia", Spiritual Striver, Enlightener and Guide, and Trainer of Martyrs. An Account of his Life, Character and Message, together with Sections from three of his Publications . Belmont, Massachusetts: Institute for Byzantine and Modern Greek Studies. (Modern Orthodox Saints, 2). 118 pp.
• Athanasios Parios (2006): 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. (Abbreviated translation of the biography which was 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 ). )
• Χαλκιά-Στεφάνου, Πόπη (Chalkia-Stephanu, Pope) (2008), 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 day (20th century)). Athēnai: Eptalophos, pp. 433–460 (Saint Makarios (Notaras) Archbishop of Corinth (18th – 19th centuries)). ISBN 978-960-90294-2-1
• The Synaxarion - the Lives of the Saints of the Orthodox Church. In 2 volumes. Based on the 6-volume edition of the Holy Monastery of Simonos Petra. Second volume. March to August. Monastery of St. John the Forerunner, Chania (Crete) 2006, ISBN 960-88698-0-3 , p. 202f.
• Nikolaj Velimirović : The prologue of Ohrid. Verlag Johannes A. Wolf, Apelern 2009, ISBN 978-3-937912-04-2 , p. 253.

Web links

• Joachim Schäfer: Article on April 17, from the Ecumenical Lexicon of Saints (accessed April 17, 2015)
• Article on April 17 at orthpedia (accessed April 17, 2015)