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GREGORAS, NICEPHORUS (c. 1295-1360)

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Originally appearing in Volume V12, Page 562 of the 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica.
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GREGORAS, NICEPHORUS (c. 1295-1360) , See also:Byzantine historian, See also:man of learning and religious controversialist, was See also:born at See also:Heraclea in See also:Pontus. At an See also:early See also:age he settled at See also:Constantinople, where his reputation for learning brought him under the See also:notice of Andronicus II., by whom he was appointed Chartophylax (keeper of the archives). In 1326 Gregoras See also:pro-posed (in a still extant See also:treatise) certain reforms in the See also:calendar, which the See also:emperor-refused to carry out for fear of disturbances; nearly two See also:hundred years later they were introduced by See also:Gregory XIII. on almost the same lines. When Andronicus was de-throned (1328) by his See also:grandson Andronicus III., Gregoras shared his downfall and retired into private See also:life. Attacked by Barlaam, the famous See also:monk of See also:Calabria, he was with difficulty persuaded to come forward and meet him in a See also:war of words, in which Barlaam was worsted. This greatly enhanced his reputation and brought him a large number of pupils. Gregoras remained loyal to the See also:elder Andronicus to the last, but after his See also:death he succeeded in gaining the favour of his grandson, by whom he was appointed to conduct the unsuccessful negotiations (for a See also:union of the See also:Greek and Latin churches) with the ambassadors of See also:Pope See also:John XXII. (1333). Gregoras subsequently took an important See also:part in the Hesychast controversy, in which he violently opposed Gregorius See also:Palamas, the See also:chief supporter of the See also:sect. After the doctrines of Palamas had been recognized at the See also:synod of 1351, Gregoras, who refused to acquiesce, was practically imprisoned in a monastery for two years. Nothing is known of the end of his life.

His chief See also:

work is his See also:Roman See also:History, in 37 books, of the years 1204 to 1359. It thus partly supplements and partly continues the work of See also:George See also:Pachymeres. Gregoras shows considerable See also:industry, but his See also:style is pompous and affected. Far too much space is devoted to religious matters and dogmatic quarrels. This work and that of John Cantacuzene supplement and correct each other, and should be read together. The other writings of Gregoras, which (with a few exceptions) still remain unpublished, attest his See also:great versatility. Amongst them may be mentioned a history of the dispute with Palamas; See also:biographies of his See also:uncle and early instructor John, See also:metropolitan of Heraclea, and of the See also:martyr Codratus of See also:Antioch; funeral orations for See also:Theodore See also:Metochita, and the two emperors Andronicus; commentaries on the wanderings of See also:Odysseus and on See also:Synesius's treatise on dreams; tracts on See also:orthography and on words of doubtful meaning; a philosophical See also:dialogue called Florentius or Concerning See also:Wisdom; astronomical See also:treatises on the date of See also:Easter and the preparation of the See also:astrolabe; and an extensive See also:correspondence. See also:Editions: in See also:Bonn Corpus scriptorum hist. Byz., by L. Schopen and I. See also:Bekker, with life and See also:list of See also:works by J. See also:Boivin (1829—1855); J.

P. See also:

Migne, Patrologia graeca, cxlviii., cxlix. ; see also C. See also:Krumbacher, Geschichte der byzantinischen Litteratur (1897).

End of Article: GREGORAS, NICEPHORUS (c. 1295-1360)

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