ABSTRACT
The great “scholars of Byzantium,” to quote the title of N. G. Wilson’s well-known book (1983), are being rediscovered today. The implications of their research are reconsidered with reference to their historical impact and this provides us the possibility of acknowledging their cultural contribution (Treadgold 1979). Photius, patriarch of Constantinople, is one of the most important examples. He was not simply a scholar, nor just a great theologian, but in fact, to quote Despina Stratoudaki White (1981: 60), “Photius could very well be called the first Christian humanist.” I will explore that claim here. In the light of new findings (e.g. Hägg 1999: 43–58), that claim can no longer be affirmed as easily as it was earlier in the twentieth century. 1 Two specimens of his work are relevant for their cultural contributions – and for the evidence they provide about Photius’ attitude toward secular learning in relation to Christian theology. The Bibliotheca (2002) will be the major source used for this analysis, as supplemented by evidence from his Letters ( Stratoudaki White 1981: 107–203; Stratoudaki White and Berrigan 1982). Before analyzing these two sources, we need to consider education in the ninth century in the Byzantine state generally (Treadgold 1979; Magdisi 1974) and Photius’ own education particularly.
