Holy Fools in Byzantium and Beyond. Oxford Studies in Byzantium by Sergey A. Ivanov , Simon Franklin (review)

Abstract

554 SEER> 87, 3, July 2009 theeventsofDecember1825reallyamountto 'fratricidal carnage'(p. 174, note 10)?The book is attractively illustrated thoughit is a pitythatthe illustrations do not include the only photographmentionedin the text (pp. 137-38). These arejustoccasionalniggles. Overall,thisis an enjoyable, informative and useful book. Clare College, Cambridge SimonFranklin Ivanov,SergeyA. HolyFoolsinByzantium andBeyond. Translatedby Simon Franklin. OxfordStudiesinByzantium. OxfordUniversity Press,Oxford and New York,2006.xii+ 479pp. Notes.Bibliography. Index.£55.00. Sergey Ivanov's wide-ranging study, first publishedin Russia in 1994and now availablein an excellentEnglishtranslation by Simon Franklin, is a welcomenewadditionto therecently launchedseriesOxford Studies inByzantium . Ivanov'saimisstraightforward: tostudy the'genetic connections' ofholy foolery and 'to establishthe origins, emergenceand lifespanof a specific cultural phenomenon'. He isnotconcerned with whatparttheholyfoolmight playin die history ofpsychiatry, noryetwithhis(or,indeed,her)linkswith otherkindsof eccentric or extreme behaviour,such as thatmanifested by shamans,clownsand jestersor thatlinkedwithcarnivalor social protest. Roughlyhalfthebook is concernedwiththeholyfoolin Byzantium; four further chaptersstudythe Russianiurodstuo and twofinal,moresummary, chaptersexaminemanifestations of holyfoolery in theJewishand Islamic worldsand in the Latin West. Ivanov tracesholyfoolery fromitsJudaic and Hellenistic rootsright through tomorerecent occurrences inGreeceand Russia,and thusprovides an invaluablesynthesis ofmaterial on thiscurious spiritual phenomenon. A verywiderangeoftexts ispresented, and sinceone ofthecharacteristics oftheaccounts ofHolyFoolsistoplacetheminthepast, hisworkin identifying whichaccountscomefirst and whichare derivative is extremely valuable.Therehas been someupdating ofmaterial sincethefirst publication ofthebook,forhe takesa firm stanceon recent scholarly debates: disagreeing withDerekKreuger'sviewthattheLifeofSymeon ofEmesawas a 'fantasy about a Christian Diogenes' and following LennartRydén'sdating oftheLifeofAndrew the Foolto thetenthcentury rather thanCyrilMango's datingto theseventh. It would,however, have been usefulto have a little morediscussion on why Ivanovtakesthelinehe does. Clarity isthewatchword bothwhenIvanovdiscusses thenatureoftheholy foolandwhenhe describes theemergence ofthephenomenon ofholyfoolery. The paradoxoftheholyfool'sneedto abandonhisdisguise and thusreveal hisbehaviouras essentially edifying, eventhoughthis'blowshiscover'as a madman,isstarkly presented, as areIvanov'sviewson whatmadea holyfool and what- morecrucially - did not.In his view,a trueholyfoolwas nevera heretic ora religious reformer. He was concerned, byconfronting his contemporaries withoutrageousor inexplicable behaviour,to make them thinkabout the truenatureand, indeed,direction of wisdomand by his veryexistencedemonstrated thatsanctity could be thrust upon the most reviews 555 unexpectedrecipients. A recurring themeis thatof the 'secretservant'of God, often abusedor condemned to menialwork, whosetruestatus is either revealedto a singleconfidant or remains hiddenuntilafter hisor herdeath. Ivanov'sanalysisfocuseson thetheological interpretations ofholymadness presented bythehagiographies, sincethisis themostcommontypeofsource inwhichtheyappear.But,as he himself freely admits, texts and their readers toan extent createdtheinstitution ofholyfoolery anditiswhenhestepsaway fromthetextsthathe presents hismostinteresting insights. As he remarks, theholyfoolis 'beyondhagiography' andbecomeswhatever peoplewanthim to be. Thus whendealingwiththemoremodernRussianexamples, Ivanov demonstrates how local enthusiasm and veneration, as in the case of the peasantAlekseiVoroshin(d. 1937)couldlead to canonization in 2000,even if,as in thiscase,itis possiblethepersonin questionwas genuinely insane. Butwhyshouldthistypeofbehaviour or condition producesucha strong popularresonance and response? Whilepresenting manyexamplesofpopular admiration ofholyfools,Ivanovdoes notreallyexplainit.Here one wishes he had probed a littlemore into the social and ecclesiastical contextof Byzantine holyfoolery, whichappears,in theOrthodoxtradition at least,to be somewhat likean underground stream; alwaysthere, butbubbling to the surface from timetotime.But,whywas therea resurgence ofinterest in,and hagiography about,holyfoolsin Byzantium in thelate tenthcentury after a relatively thinperiodfollowing the condemnation of such behaviourat theCouncilin Trullo(692)?Whydoes holyfoolery seemto be in declinein the Late ByzantineEmpire?Ivanov suggests thatsince issuesof religious 'uniformity' and 'conformity' wereofsuchimportance duringtheiconoclast period(as indeed theywere to be laterwhen Turkishexpansionput the survivalof the ChristianEmpire under threat),unconventional spiritual behaviour was notencouraged. Buthe doesnotdiscuss thepossiblecorollary: thatreligious eccentricity might, in fact,flourish at periodsof spiritual and political'confidence'. Ivanov seemson muchfirmer groundwhenhe deals withtheRussianmaterial; Ivan theTerrible 's espousing of'holyfoolery' as a form ofpoliticalexpression and PetertheGreat'sabhorrence ofitare both precisely locatedagainsttheirsocialand politicalbackgrounds. Thoughone couldhavewishedformorediscussion ofthe'why?'and 'wherefore?' ofholy foolery, Ivanov'sstudyis nonetheless an invaluableguideto thesourcesfor one ofthemostintriguing aspectsofOrthodoxspirituality. Department ofHistory RosemaryMorris University ofYork Marzheret, Zhak [Jacques Margeret]. Sostoianie Rossiiskoi imperii. %h.Marzheret v dokumentakh i issledovaniiakh. (Teksty, /commentarii, stat'ï). Pod redaktsiei An. Berelovicha,V. D. Nazarova, chl.-korr. RAN P. Iu. Uvarova. Studia Histórica.Iazyki slavianskikh kul'tur,Moscow, 2007. 552 pp. Genealogicaltable.Illustrations. Notes.Indexes.Priceunknown. CaptainJacques Margeret is one ofthebestknownoftheforeign participantsin theRussianTime ofTroubleswho leftaccountsoftheseturbulent ...