Matthew Blastares ( el, Ματθαῖος Βλαστάρης or Βλάσταρις, Matthaios Blastares/Blastaris; ) was a 14th-century

Byzantine Greek Medieval Greek (also known as Middle Greek, Byzantine Greek, or Romaic) is the stage of the Greek language between the end of classical antiquity in the 5th–6th centuries and the end of the Middle Ages, conventionally dated to the Ottoman co ...

monk in

Thessalonica Thessaloniki (; el, Θεσσαλονίκη, , also known as Thessalonica (), Saloniki, or Salonica (), is the second-largest city in Greece, with over one million inhabitants in its metropolitan area, and the capital of the geographic region of ...

and early scholarly opponent of reconciliation with

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus (legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

. He was also the writer of the '' Syntagma Canonum''.

Life

Blastares was a

hieromonk A hieromonk ( el, Ἱερομόναχος, Ieromonachos; ka, მღვდელმონაზონი, tr; Slavonic: ''Ieromonakh'', ro, Ieromonah), also called a priestmonk, is a monk who is also a priest in the Eastern Orthodox Church and E ...

in the monastery of Kyr Isaac in

, where he died after 1348.

Works

He is best known for his ''Syntagma kata stoicheion'' (), completed in 1335. The chief innovation of the ''Syntagma'' was Blastares' ambition was to reconcile

canon law Canon law (from grc, κανών, , a 'straight measuring rod, ruler') is a set of ordinances and regulations made by ecclesiastical authority (church leadership) for the government of a Christian organization or church and its members. It is th ...

with civil law, whereas previous treatises had focused on one of the two, ignoring the other. The ''Syntagma'' is subdivided into 24 sections, each on a specific legal topic, and usually further subdivided into chapters. It became very popular even outside the

Byzantine Empire The Byzantine Empire, also referred to as the Eastern Roman Empire or Byzantium, was the continuation of the Roman Empire primarily in its eastern provinces during Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, when its capital city was Constantinopl ...

, and was translated into Serbian during the

Serbian Empire The Serbian Empire ( sr, / , ) was a medieval Serbian state that emerged from the Kingdom of Serbia. It was established in 1346 by Dušan the Mighty, who significantly expanded the state. Under Dušan's rule, Serbia was the major power in the ...

Stephen Dushan Stephen or Steven is a common English first name. It is particularly significant to Christians, as it belonged to Saint Stephen ( grc-gre, Στέφανος ), an early disciple and deacon who, according to the Book of Acts, was stoned to death; ...

. Apart from the ''Syntagma'', Blastares was also the author of a number of other legal works, including a lexicon of Latin legal terms, and summaries of the

nomocanons A nomocanon ( gr, Νομοκανών, ; from the Greek 'law' and 'a rule') is a collection of ecclesiastical law, consisting of the elements from both the Civil law (legal system), civil law and the canon law. Nomocanons form part of the canon ...

of Niketas of Heraclea, patriarchs

Nikephoros I Nikephoros I or Nicephorus I ( gr, Νικηφόρος; 750 – 26 July 811) was Byzantine emperor from 802 to 811. Having served Empress Irene as '' genikos logothetēs'', he subsequently ousted her from power and took the throne himself. In r ...

and

John Nesteutes John IV (died September 2, 595), also known as John Nesteutes (, Ioannes the Faster), was the 33rd bishop or Patriarch of Constantinople (April 11, 582 – 595). He was the first to assume the title '' Ecumenical Patriarch''. He is regarded as ...

. His further work includes a poem on the offices and titles of the Byzantine court, a synopsis of

rhetoric Rhetoric () is the art of persuasion, which along with grammar and logic (or dialectic), is one of the three ancient arts of discourse. Rhetoric aims to study the techniques writers or speakers utilize to inform, persuade, or motivate parti ...

; theological treatises against the

Latin Church , native_name_lang = la , image = San Giovanni in Laterano - Rome.jpg , imagewidth = 250px , alt = Façade of the Archbasilica of St. John in Lateran , caption = Archbasilica of Saint Joh ...

azymes "Azymes" (plural of ''azyme'') is an archaic English word for the Jewish matzah, derived from the Ancient Greek word ἄζυμος ( ἄρτος) ''ázymos (ártos)'', "unleavened (bread)", for unfermented bread in Biblical times; the more accepted ...

, the Jews, and

Palamism Palamism or the Palamite theology comprises the teachings of Gregory Palamas (c. 1296–1359), whose writings defended the Eastern Orthodox practice of Hesychasm against the attack of Barlaam. Followers of Palamas are sometimes referred to as ...

; a work on

Divine Grace Divine grace is a theological term present in many religions. It has been defined as the divine influence which operates in humans to regenerate and sanctify, to inspire virtuous impulses, and to impart strength to endure trial and resist temptati ...

; a letter to Constantine II Lusignan on the

Holy Spirit In Judaism, the Holy Spirit is the divine force, quality, and influence of God over the Universe or over his creatures. In Nicene Christianity, the Holy Spirit or Holy Ghost is the third person of the Trinity. In Islam, the Holy Spirit acts as ...

; as well as liturgical hymns and

epigrams An epigram is a brief, interesting, memorable, and sometimes surprising or satirical statement. The word is derived from the Greek "inscription" from "to write on, to inscribe", and the literary device has been employed for over two millen ...

References

Sources

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Blastares, Matthew 1340s deaths 14th-century Byzantine monks 14th-century Byzantine writers 14th-century jurists Byzantine jurists Byzantine Thessalonian writers Canon law of the Eastern Orthodox Church Greek Christian monks Year of birth unknown Year of death uncertain