Photius Week Continues

Unfortunately Photius Week turns out to be less than seven days of Photius, unlike Ioan Exarch Week.  But here is a quote from Bibliotheka, in which Photius recommends and summarizes various books for his "Brother Tarasios".

"Read the so-called Ecclesiastical History by Philostorgius the Arian, the spirit of which is different from that of nearly all other ecclesiastical historians. He extols all Arians, but abuses and insults all the orthodox, so that his work is not so much a history as a panegyric of the heretics, and nothing but a barefaced attack upon the orthodox. His style is elegant, his diction often poetical, though not to such an extent as to be tedious or disagreeable. His figurative use of words is very expressive and makes the work both pleasant and agreeable to read; "

Photius Week, Day 2

"He does not, however, assert that Apollonius worked any wonders such as legend ascribes to him; he merely extols him as leading a philosophic and temperate life, in which he exhibits the teaching of Pythagoras, both in manners and doctrine. Various accounts are given of his death, the circumstances of which are obscure, as he himself desired; for during his lifetime he was in the habit of saying that the wise man should keep his life a secret from others, or, if he could not, should at least keep his death a secret. The place of his burial is unknown."

-on Life of Apollonius of Tyre by Philostratus

Photius Week, Day 1

Hi again folks and happy Photius Week!  I'll start us off with a quote from Bibliotheka, concerning the lost 6th century History of Nonnosus.

"During his voyage from Pharsan, Nonnosus, on reaching the last of the islands, had a remarkable experience. He there saw certain creatures ¹¹ of human shape and form, very short, black-skinned, their bodies entirely covered with hair. The men were accompanied by women of the same appearance, and by boys still shorter. All were naked, women as well as men, except for a short apron of skin round their loins. There was nothing wild or savage about them. Their speech was human, but their language was unintelligible even to their neighbours, and still more so to Nonnosus and his companions. They live on shell-fish and fish cast up on the shore. According to Nonnosus, they were very timid, and when they saw him and his companions, they shrank from them as we do from monstrous wild beasts."

Ioan Exarch Week Day 7

I hope you've enjoyed Ioan Exarch Week as much as I have!  Here's the last one.  Tomorrow we start Photius week.

"The soul is immortal.  It is endowed with reason and understanding and has no form.  The flesh is the soul's organ and receives from her the ability to grow, feel, and reproduce.  The faculty of reason is not separate from her but constitutes the purest part of the soul.  As the eye is to the flesh, so reason is to the soul.  It is its own keeper possessing the ability to desire and to act.  The soul is changeable, that is to say, its will is subject to mutability.  It was created, and received all those gifts in accordance with her nature from her Creator, Who also made her the receptacle of His grace."

-On the Orthodox Faith

Ioan Exarch Week Day 6

"And so, it does not matter whether we accept that the earth rests upon itself, or upon the air, or upon the waters, or upon nothing at all, as long as we remain true to the dictates of pious reason and as long as we believe that all things are held together and supported by their Makers might."

-Hexameron

Ioan Exarch Week Day 5

"Why does God not create in the manner of the men who do mason work or make ships, or in the manner of the coppersmiths, or the goldsmiths, or any of the other craftsmen? The men collect matter first and then produce whatever ready images they need, and the instruments and tools for their work they get from one another.  But only a thought is sufficient for God to create things which have never existed before.  Nor does He stand in need of anything, whereas the arts of man need one another."

-Hexameron

Ioan Exarch Week Day 4

"The years and all seasons follow one another.  The days and nights keep this order in accordance with the same law; they are not filled with pride when they get longer, nor do they grow sad when they get shorter, but they take time one from the other and give it back again without any delay."

-Hexameron