Works of patriarch Athanasius I of Constantinople concerning the Arsenite schism
Among the sources concerning the Arsenite schism (1265-1310), the works of the patriarch of Constantinople st. Athanasius I (1289-1293, 1303-1309) are very important, since they were composed by the most active participant of the confrontation between the Arsenites and the Church hierarchy in its final stage. The purpose of this article is to make note of the works concerning the Arsenite issue in the written heritage of Patriarch Athanasius, to review them briefly and to estimate their significance for the studies of the schism. The A. pays the most attention to the works published in 2004 by M. Patedakis: the anti-Arsenite epistle of Patriarch Athanasius and his defense letter against the Arsenites. Both these letters, as well as a number of other works of the patriarch, contain unique historical information concerning the internal organization and mode of action of the Arsenite communities, and significantly supplement our knowledge of the schism. They also represent an important theological comprehension of the schism.