History of the Christian Church, Volume IV: Mediaeval Christianity. A.D. 590-1073.

(Rick Simeone) #1

their species; and go anywhere at will under either a male or female form. From them come diseases
and innumerable woes. The book is very curious, and has permanent value as a contribution to the
demonology of the Middle Ages.


Twelve letters of Psellus have been printed.^948 His panegyric upon Simeon Metaphrastes

has already been mentioned.^949 He wrote a criticism of the eloquence of Gregory the Theologian,


Basil, and Chrysostom,^950 and celebrated these Fathers also in verse.^951


Besides certain legal and philosophical treatises he wrote a poem on Doctrine,^952 and a

metrical Synopsis of Law.^953


§ 150. Euthymius Zigabenus.
I. Euthymius Zigabenus: Opera omnia, in Migne, Patrol. Gr., Tom, CXXVIII.-CXXXI.
II. See the Prolegomena in Migne. Ceillier, XIV. 150–155.


Euthymius Zigabenus (or Zigadenus) was a learned and able Greek monk of the order of St.
Basil in the convent of the Virgin Mary near Constantinople, and enjoyed the marked favor of the


emperor Alexius Comnenus (1081–1118) and his wife Anna.^954 Being requested by Alexius to
refute the Bogomiles, who had become alarmingly numerous, he was led to prepare an extensive


work upon heresy, entitled The Panoply.^955 Among the heretics he included the Pantheists, Jews,
the Pope and the Latins. His materials were the decisions of councils and the Greek Fathers and


other writers, including some otherwise unknown.^956 In this important work and in separate


treatises^957 he imparts much valuable historical information respecting the Bogomiles, Massalians,
Armenians, Paulicians, and even about the Jews and Mohammedans, although it is evident that he
was not well informed about the last, and was much prejudiced against them. Like other Greeks,
he finds the latter heretical upon the procession of the Holy Spirit and upon the bread of the Eucharist.


Besides the Panoply, Euthymius wrote commentaries upon the Psalms,^958 much dependent upon


Chrysostom, and on the Gospels,^959 more independent and exhibiting exegetical tact which in the
judgment of some puts him next to Theophylact.


(^948) ̓Επιστολαί. Ibid. col. 1161-1185.
(^949) See p. 642.
(^950) ρακτήρες. Migne, CXXII. col. 901-908.
(^951) Ibid. col. 908-910.
(^952) Περι ̀δόγματος. Ibid. col. 812-817.
(^953) Σύνοψιςτω̑ν νόμων. Ibid. col. 925-974.
(^954) In her Alexiad (XV. 490, Migne, CXXXI. col. 1176) she extols his learning and piety.
(^955) Migne, CXXX.
(^956) Migne gives the sources.
(^957) Contra Massalianos; Contra Bogomilos; Disputatio de fide cum philosopho Saraceno; Dialogus Christiani cum
Ismaelica (all in Migne, CXXXI. col. 4048; 48-57; 20-37; 37-40).
(^958) Migne, CXXVIII. col. 41-end.
(^959) Migne, CXXIX. col. 107-end.

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