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The ethnonymic cognomens of saints in the orthodox Synaxarium: an attempt at a statistical study
Abstract
The paper deals with the ethnicity manifesting itself in the list of the saints’ ethnonymic cognomens based on the complete Orthodox Synaxarium (edited by hieromonk Macarius of Simonopetra in French and translated into Russian in 2011) as well as earlier Byzantine and Slavonic Synaxaria. The statistic data reveal that ethnonymic cognomens are an extremely rare type of saints’ nomination in the context of Eastern Christian (Byzantine) hagiographical tradition. Thus, the October and November parts of the Russian Synaxarium by Macarius contain 640 commemorations including 1,196 saints mentioned by their names, and only three with ethnonymic cognomens (Oct. 2 — St. Cassian the Greek the Thaumaturge of Uglich, Nov. 22 — St. Abba the Ishmaelite, 27 Nov. — St. Jacob the Persian). The Synaxarium Ecclesiae Constantinopolitanae of the 10th c. according to the Codex Sirmondianus contains 277 commemorations including 420 named saints . and two ethnonyms among their cognomens (except St. Jacob, Oct. 4 — St. Dometius the Persian). Likewise, the Slavonic-Russian Synaxarium translated from Greek before the early 12th c. has 218 commemorations and 357 named saints — and two ethnonyms. In general, there are only 69 saints with ethnonymic cognomens in the Russian Synaxarium. The main reason for the above statistics could be the fact that belonging to a certain nation was not very significant in Christian life at the time when the Byzantine and Slavonic cult of saints emerged and developed
Keywords
proper names, ethnonyms, names of inhabitants, Orthodox Church, hagiography, Synaxarium, ethnicity, Greek language, Church-Slavonic language, Russian language
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