Romanos the Melodist
Romanos Melodos (Greek Ῥωμανὸς [ ὁ ] Μελωδός, * to 485 in Emesa in Syria; † after 555, before 562 in Constantinople Opel ) was a Byzantine Hymnograph. He is regarded as the most important poet of the Byzantine literature. The nickname comes from the Greek melodós " singers "; Another, less commonly used nickname is theorrhetor (from theos "god" and rhetor " orator "). In the Orthodox Church Romanos is venerated as a saint ( feast day: October 1 ).
Life
Romanos was already ordained in his youth in Berytos a deacon. He probably came in the time of Emperor Anastasius I ( 491-518 ) to Constantinople Opel, where he spent his life as a cleric at St Mary of Cyrus ( en tois Kyrou ), where he was buried and where his relics still preserved be. His clients counted Emperor Justinian I ( 527-565 ).
Romanos and his works were forgotten after his death and only rediscovered in the subsequent period and appreciated in its literary and literary-historical importance. What little from the Menaion - the Orthodox liturgical month book - is known about the biography of Romanos the month of October, has inspired later to legendary expansion without contributing to concrete knowledge about his personality.
Work
Under Romanos ' name about ninety hymns have survived, of which the research today about sixty recognizes as genuine. Just as little is known about how their exact dating about their origins in detail. The Legend Romanos writes a far more extensive work by a thousand hymns. Unprovable, but not impossible is his authorship of the hymn Akathist, the most famous Byzantine Marienhymnos that (hence Akathist ) is sung while standing.
Romanos ' language is close to the Koine of the 6th century and seeks at all characteristic of the entire Byzantine seal rhetorical stylization to simplicity and vividness. It is characterized by the biblical and patristic Greek, which Semitisms are seen, which are explained by its origin.
His sources and templates are the Bible, the Apocrypha, martyrs and saints, the Chrysostom liturgy, Ephraim the Syrian, and the Greek Fathers, especially Athanasius and Cyril of Alexandria, John Chrysostom, Proclus of Constantinople Opel, Basil of Seleucia and the Cappadocians ( Basil of Caesarea, Gregory of Nazianzus, and Gregory of Nyssa ).
The hymns of Romanos Melodos are in form Kontakia, Follow metric strictly uniform, connected by acrostic verses ( oikoi ). Romanos joined in its form language to the Syrian seals of Ephraim the Syrian. His hymns usually have eighteen verses and do not go beyond 24. At the beginning of the Kontakion a usually short Prooimion is in a different meter. The Oikoi are connected to the Prooimion by the chorus. It ends with a closing prayer.
Content is poetic, usually held in the form of dialogue sermons. Occasions for are primarily the pericopes of the church year and its high strength, but can at Romanos cases also news (natural disasters, political events ) find their way, so in the famous hymn on any earthquake and fire ( No. 54): Romanos created him in order of Emperor Justinian on the occasion of the new building of the Nika revolt (532 ) destroyed Sophia Church. He ostensibly celebrates the divine wisdom and power, but serves mainly the panegyric of the Byzantine Empire.
Melody and meter ( heirmos, " row, chain pattern verse " ) in the recitation or singing of the Kontakion are coordinated. The tuned to the given melody guides metrics (different for Prooimia and Oikoi ) were initially designed specifically for each Kontakion, but formed already at Romanos the habit, and to use the meter of an older Kontakion again.
Expenditure
- Sancti Romani Melodi Cantica. Vol 1: Canticles Genuina. - Vol II: Canticles dubia. Edited by Paul Maas and Constantine A. Trypanis. Oxford, 1963-1970. ( complete edition )
- Romanos Melodos. The hymns. Übers and explained v. Johannes Koder. 2 Halbbde. Stuttgart: Hiersemann, 2005-2006. ( = Library of Greek literature: 62 Department of Byzantine Studies. ) ISBN 3-7772-0500-1