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Chrysocephalus, Macarius

Chrysocephalus, Macarius (Makarios Chrusokephalos), a Greek ecclesiastical writer of great repute. The time at which he lived has been the subject of much investigation : Cave says that it is not correctly known; Oudin thinks that he lived about A. D. 1290; but Fabricius is of opinion that he lived in the fourteenth century, as would appear from the fact, that the condemnation of Barlaam and Gregorius Acindynus took place in the synod of Constantinople in 1351, in presence of a great number of prelates, among whom there was Macarius, archbishop of Philadelphia.
  The original name of Chrysocephalus was Macarius, and he was also archbishop of Philadelphia; he was called Chrysocephalus because, having made numerous extracts from the works of the fathers, he arranged them under different heads, which he called chrusa kephalaia, or "Golden Heads". Chrysocephalus was a man of extensive learning: his works, which were very numerous, were entirely on religious subjects, and highly esteemed in his day; but only one, of comparatively small importance, the "Oratio in Exaltationem Sanctae Crucis", has been published, with a Latin translation, by Gretserus, in his great work "De Cruce". The most important work of Chrysocephalus is his Commentary on St. Matthew, in three volumes, each osf which was divided into twenty books. Only the first volume, containing twenty books, is extant in the Bodleian (Cod. Baronianus; it is entitled Exegesis eis to kata Matthaion hagion Euangelion, sullegeisaa kai suntetheisa kephalaiodos para Makariou Metropolitou Philadelpheias tou Chpusokephalou, &c.). Fabricius gives the prooemium to it, with a Latin translation. The most important among his other works are "Orationes XIV. in Festa Ecclesiae", "Expositio in Canones Apostolorum et Conciliorum", which he wrote in the island of Chios, "Magnum Alphabetum", a Commentary on Lucas, so called because it is divided into as many chapters as there are letters in the alphabet, viz. twenty-four; it is extant in the Bodleian, and is inscribed Euangelikon dianoian oematon Chrusokephalos suntithesin enthade tapeinos Makapios Philadelpheias, ho oiketes tes makapias Triados. Fabricius gives the prooemium, " Cosmogenia", a Commentary on Genesis, divided into two parts, the first of which is entitled "Cosmogenia", and the second " Patriarchae". The MS. works of Chrysocephalus were nearly all known to Gretserus, and still more so to Leo Allatius, who often refers to them, and gives some fragments or passages of them in his works "De Concilio Florentino, adversus Creightonium", "Diatriba de Script. Symeon.", "De Psellis", &c. (Fabric. Bibl. Graec. viii.; Cave, Hist. Lit. vol. ii. D.)

This text is from: A dictionary of Greek and Roman biography and mythology, 1873 (ed. William Smith). Cited Nov 2005 from The Perseus Project URL below, which contains interesting hyperlinks

• http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/cgi-bin/ptext?doc=Per...

Charisius

Charisius, a presbyter of the church of the Philadelphians in the fifth century. Shortly be fore the general council held at Ephesus, A. D. 431, Antonius and James, presbyters of Constantinople, and attached to the Nestorian party, came to Philadelphia with commendatory letters from Anastasius and Photius, and cunningly prevailed upon several of the clergy and laity who had just renounced the errors of the Quartodecimani (Neander, Kirchengesch. ii. 2,), to subscribe a prolix confession of faith tinctured with the Nestorian errors. But Charisius boldly withstood them, and therefore they proscribed him as a heretic from the communion of the pious. When the council assembled at Ephesus, Charisius accused before the fathers that composed it Anastasius, Photius, and James, exhibiting against them a book of indictment, and the confession which they had imposed upon the deluded Philadelphians. He also presented a brief confession of his own faith, harmonizing with the Nicene creed, in order that he might clear himself from the suspicion of heresy. The time of his birth and death is unknown. He appears only in connexion with the Ephesian council, A. D. 431.
The indictment which he presented to the synod, his confession of faith, a copy of the exposition of the creed as corrupted by Anastasius and Photius, the subscribings of those who were misled, and the decree of the council after hearing the case, are given in Greek and Latin in the Sacrosancta Concilia, edited by Labbe and Cossart, vol. iii. p. 673, &c., Paris, 1671.

This text is from: A dictionary of Greek and Roman biography and mythology, 1873 (ed. William Smith). Cited Nov 2005 from The Perseus Project URL below, which contains interesting hyperlinks