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Title:
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John Grammatikos: an oblique history of a damned patriarch
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Author:
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Smith, Jason Domonick
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Abstract:
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The Iconoclast Controversy and especially the life and activities of the last iconoclast
Patriarch John VII Grammatikos of Constantinople provide a unique case study in
historical narrative. Little is known about John Grammatikos who was one of the most
influential people in the political and ecclesiastical spheres in early eighth-century
Constantinople. He was anathematized after the Triumph of Orthodoxy and his memory
condemned. An evaluation of original Byzantine source materials and an inspection of
modern conclusions demonstrates the difficulty in reconstructing a historically accurate
John Grammatikos because of the inconsistencies in the sources. However, the histories
have provided rich materials that illuminate both the person of John Grammatikos and the
culture and times in which he lived. Through an analysis of primary and secondary texts
and materials, a historiographical overview of John Grammatikos will be constructed that
distinguishes between John the actor and John the character. This thesis will bring into
perspective the necessary disconnect between historical sources and the reality they
record. John Grammatikos proves to be one of the most influential individuals of the
Iconoclast Controversy whose historical presence had a long lasting impact on European
history. |
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Description:
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Thesis (M.A., History (Humanities)) -- California State University, Sacramento, 2010. |
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URI:
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http://hdl.handle.net/10211.9/503
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Date:
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2010-08-23 |
