Photios I c. 810 – 893
Photios I (c. 810 – 893) was a Byzantine philosopher of the Medieval era, associated with Christian Philosophy and Platonism.
Photios I, called the Great, was a Byzantine philosopher, theologian, and twice Patriarch of Constantinople, the most learned man of ninth-century Byzantium and one of the principal figures in the long Eastern Christian effort to harmonize the inheritance of classical philosophy with Christian theology. His Bibliotheca, an encyclopedia of summaries and excerpts from some 280 ancient works, has preserved much of what we know of late antique literature, while his Mystagogy of the Holy Spirit gave the classical Eastern Christian rebuttal of the Latin Filioque doctrine. His ecclesiastical and intellectual leadership shaped the Byzantine philosophical and theological tradition for centuries.
Key facts
- Nationality
- Byzantine
- Era
- Medieval
- Movements
- Christian Philosophy, Platonism
Selected quotes
-
Attributed to Photios I:
“The reading of the ancients is the duty of the educated Christian.”
-
Attributed to Photios I:
“What the Latins have added to the Creed they have taken away from the truth.”
-
Attributed to Photios I:
“The library is the treasury of the Christian commonwealth.”
-
Attributed to Photios I:
“The unaided intellect strays; the intellect aided by the Spirit returns to itself.”
-
Attributed to Photios I:
“Tradition is preserved less by repeating it than by understanding why it was first said.”
Frequently asked about Photios I
- When did Photios I live?
- Photios I was born in c. 810 and died in 893.
- Where was Photios I from?
- Photios I was a Byzantine philosopher of the Medieval era.
- What philosophical movements is Photios I associated with?
- Photios I was associated with Christian Philosophy and Platonism.
- What was Photios I known for?
- Photios I, called the Great, was a Byzantine philosopher, theologian, and twice Patriarch of Constantinople, the most learned man of ninth-century Byzantium and one of the principal figures in the long Eastern Christian effort to harmonize the inheritance of classical philosophy with Christian theology.
- How many quotes are attributed to Photios I?
- There are 15 attributed quotations from Photios I in the 1001Philosophers collection, organized by topic.