Invention of Macrina the Younger?

[Peter Kirby]

In the 4th century, Basil the Great and Gregory of Nyssa invented their sister Macrina the Younger for very mundane reasons - it was for the good of their careers.

What happened here?

[JarekS]

Marta Przyszychowska (https://bn-pl.academia.edu/MartaPrzyszy ... culumVitae) came to this conclusion after 20 years of dealing with Gregory of Nyssa.

[JarekS]

https://www.academia.edu/86026669/Macri ... f_Sebastea

[mbuckley3]

In the 4th century, Basil the Great and Gregory of Nyssa invented their sister Macrina the Younger for very mundane reasons - it was for the good of their careers.

What happened here?

For a C4 parallel to her argument that 'Macrina' is entirely a fictional construct, Przyszychowska points to Paul of Thebes, a supposed precursor of Antony, whose Life was written by Jerome in the wake of Athanasius' Life of Antony. So, p.247 :

"Since 1877, many scholars have claimed that it was the life of a completely fictional character."

In fact, Jerome himself is a witness to the fact that many of his contemporaries thought he had made the whole thing up. From the opening to his Life of Hilarion :

"We despise the abuse of some who as they once disparaged my hero Paul, will now perhaps disparage Hilarion; the former they censure for his solitary life; they may find fault with the latter for his intercourse with the world; the one was always out of sight, therefore they think he had no existence [ut qui semper latuit, non fuisse]; the other was seen by many, therefore he is deemed of no account."

[Peter Kirby]

In the 4th century, Basil the Great and Gregory of Nyssa invented their sister Macrina the Younger for very mundane reasons - it was for the good of their careers.

What happened here?

For a C4 parallel to her argument that 'Macrina' is entirely a fictional construct, Przyszychowska points to Paul of Thebes, a supposed precursor of Antony, whose Life was written by Jerome in the wake of Athanasius' Life of Antony. So, p.247 :

"Since 1877, many scholars have claimed that it was the life of a completely fictional character."

In fact, Jerome himself is a witness to the fact that many of his contemporaries thought he had made the whole thing up. From the opening to his Life of Hilarion :

"We despise the abuse of some who as they once disparaged my hero Paul, will now perhaps disparage Hilarion; the former they censure for his solitary life; they may find fault with the latter for his intercourse with the world; the one was always out of sight, therefore they think he had no existence [ut qui semper latuit, non fuisse]; the other was seen by many, therefore he is deemed of no account."

Thanks! Always interesting to see these kinds of examples.

[Peter Kirby]

Marta Przyszychowska (https://bn-pl.academia.edu/MartaPrzyszy ... culumVitae) came to this conclusion after 20 years of dealing with Gregory of Nyssa.

Thanks, appreciate the reference!

[JarekS]

Martha's love for Gregory of Nyssa is not blind. As part of the grant, Marta translates all 16 volumes of his works into Polish. If I know her, Grzegorz will be taken apart like a watch and put back together.

[Peter Kirby]

Valuable work, then. I'm glad to see these kinds of critical lenses being used with reference to post-Nicene texts, which more often don't get read from this perspective.

[Leucius Charinus]

https://www.academia.edu/86026669/Macri ... f_Sebastea

Thanks JarekS. That's a very well researched book. The "editorial hands of Basil and Gregory" have long been identified as suspicious to say the least:

"Harnack gave a very complete summary of all the literary parallels on the Patristic side, and his work is a standard of reference for those who approach the subject. He made, however, one bad mistake is supposing, as others had done, that the Recognitions were quoted by Origen, thus determining a literary terminus ad quem for their composition; and it fell to the lot of Dr. Armitage Robinson to show that the supposed reference in the Philocalia of Origen was not Origen's at all, but was to be credited to the editorial hands of Basil and Gregory.

INTRODUCTION to the Clementine Literature by Rendel Harris (1921):

Asked the author the following question:

I have one small question: Do you think it is possible that (saint) Anthony was an invention of "Athanasius"?

I put "Athanasius "in inverted commas due to the comment of Erasmus "nothing is easier than to place any name you want on the front page of a book" [1]

If I had to nominate a "based on" addition I'd jump to name Pachomius.



[1] Fake OR Real: A History of Forgery and Falsification, Edited by Andrea Mork. page 123

Sophisticated argumentation often leads to the creation of a cognitive tunnel from which it is difficult to exit without proposing bold theses that contradict common opinion or consensus. In the face of sophistication, people are afraid of being ridiculed. Such a psychological effect.

///

Biblical scholars' research on Marcion was detailed and comprehensive in terms of the fields and methods of text criticism, philology, theology, papyrology, and manuscripts.

Some manuscripts are more equal than others?

The conclusions are sophisticated and completely wrong.

People attempt to estimate the historicity of Jesus.
People attempt to estimate the historicity of Macrina the Younger.
People attempt to estimate the historicity of Marcion.
Where will it end?

Marcion was accused by some of being a disciple of Simon Magus, meaning that he knew Peter and chose his Enemy.

As a tangent --- that's an interesting claim. IDK the source. Can you provide it? Which sources accuse Marcion of being a disciple of Simon Magus? Simon Magus (who I suspect has even less historicity than Macrina the Younger) is an interesting identity who appears in NT sources both the canonical and apocryphal. (eg Clementine article above)

[andrewcriddle]

It seems prima-facie improbable that Gregory Nazianzen and Gregory of Nyssa should collaborate on the invention of a fictional Macrina the supposed sister of Basil and Gregory of Nyssa. It may well be that much of what Gregory of Nyssa says about his sister is hagiography not history but that is another matter.

Andrew Criddle