The foundation of Kievan Metropolia in light of the latest scientific data

This article covers the foundation of Kievan Metropolia, which remains a stumbling stone for the modern historians. The author draws parallels between the opinions of experts of the past (G. Geltzer, J. Darrouzès, M. D. Priselkov, A. Poppen and E. Honigmann) and the latest scientific data. In the middle of the XX century, the Byzantinist E. Honigmann was first to use in solution of this problem the Byzantine codes of cannon – lists of metropolias of the Patriarchate of Constantinople (notitiae episcopatuum). The modern Russian historiography proves the hypothesis of E. Honigmann that “the Russian Metropolia as a part of Tsarigrad Patriarchate was established by 997 at the latest”. However, the latest research confute the outdated argument that Kievan Metropolia initially was under the jurisdiction of the Patriarchate of Constantinople. This article is first to introduce the Byzantine source of the late X century – the message of Leo of Synada to the anonymous Metropolis of Ephesus from the collection Österreichische Nationalbibliothek (Cod. Vindob. Phil. Gr. 342. fol. 163v, 166v-167v.). Although, the Vienna manuscript has been subjected to detailed description in a number of works, with regards to realities of the time of Christianization of Rus’ is examined for the first time. The unique information from the message of Leo of Synada about the Metropolis of Ephesus as “Head of the Church” was verified based on the paramount post-Byzantine monument of the XVI century, which is the synodic “assertive” charter of the Patriarch of Constantinople Joasaph II (of December 1560). The comparative analysis of Byzantine sources of the X and the XVI centuries, which contain identical information on this topic, confirms that namely Metropolitan of Ephesus, endowed with patriarchal dignity and nominated as “head of the Church” in the Greek manuscript of the X century from the collection Österreichische Nationalbibliothek, became the legitimate participant of creation of the autocephalous Kievan Metropolia since the time of Christianization of Rus’ by Vladimir the Great

Ancient history · Archaeology · Byzantine architecture · Historiography · Jurisdiction · Political science · Byzantine Studies and History · Classics · History · Law

• Date of the composition of the Notitiae episcopatuum ecclesiae Constantinopolitanae nos. 4, 5 and 6

  Open Access•Predrag Komatina•Zbornik radova Vizantoloskog…•2013

  Add to list